Self-Reliance

Spanning two centuries of American history, this episode explores self-reliance through the lives of two remarkable women. In colonial South Carolina, 18-year-old Eliza Lucas takes over her family’s plantation and defies convention by pioneering the indigo crop that would transform the region’s economy. Nearly two hundred years later, a young schoolteacher in rural Colorado risks her own life to save her students during a deadly snowstorm, relying on calm judgment and quiet courage to guide them to safety. Together, these stories celebrate the independence, resolve, and moral strength that have shaped America across generations. Originally aired: April 29, 1936. Cast: Narrator, Dramatic Ensemble Tags: CavalcadeOfAmerica, AmericanHistory, selfreliance, womeninhistory, ElizaLucas, indigo, colonialAmerica, education, courage, leadership, dramatizedhistory, classicradio, DuPont, 18thCentury, 20thCentury, perseverance