Grimke Sisters Work Together to Abolish Slavery and Give Women Equality

Sarah and Angelina Grimké were two women that were very active in the abolition movement during the 1830’s. The Grimké sisters grew up with the wealthy class in Charleston, South Carolina, their father was the chief justice of the state supreme court. Even though they grew up with the Southern gentry the sisters were extremely independent and festered a hatred. In the 1820’s the sisters moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and joined the Quakers’ Society of Friends. During the infancy of the abolitionist movement in the 1830’s, the Grimké sisters went on speaking tours denouncing the practice of slavery. They described themselves to fellow abolitionist as white southerners in exile from slavery (pg. 281). While the abolitionist movement

Grimké's call for women's rights isn't the first such demand we've seen this semester.  Compare her arguments to those of Abigail Adams.

During the 19th century, Sarah Grimke (1792-1873) and Angelina Grimke (1805-1879), better known as the Grimke sisters, bravely and relentlessly lead society to re-evaluate its prevailing thoughts and convictions on slavery and the rights of women.

Angelina Grimké Weld was an American women rights activist, abolitionist and a leader of the women suffrage movement. She was born in 1805 and spent most her life as an advocate for women rights in the United States. Her most notable works were realized when her article appeared in the local dairies in 1836. In 1838, she notably gave a speech to other abolitionists in Pennsylvania (Weld). The speech was an act of courage since there were protesters outside the hall who were hurling stones. Her speech was incisive towards the end of slavery and advocacy for equal rights among all irrespective of gender. She made the speech since she was against the oppression that was being subjected to women during the early 19th century.

Sarah and Angelina Grimke were the first Southern women to become influential abolitionist, which spoke on the end of slavery; as well as social and political equality for freedmen and women as well. The Grimke sisters stretched the boundary of women’s public role, by giving speeches to audiences with men and women, and by speaking in front of a state legislature about African American rights. Sarah and Angelina broke many of the social and political boundaries subjected on women.

The sisters were born in South Carolina to a wealthy slaveholding family, the sisters moved to Philadelphia in 1832.

The sisters were born in a home were slaves were used. The fact that they saw the struggle of these women encouraged them to get out their private sphere and get involved in the public sphere. They were both influential women activist during this time because they encourage equality through the use of the Bible. Sarah’s letter “The original equality of woman” written on 1837 she persuades women which she calls “sisters” that “its impossible to that we can answer the purpose of our being, unless we understand that purpose. It is impossible that we should fulfil our duties, unless we comprehend them; or live up to our privileges, unless we know what they are.”

There are several similarities and differences between Grimké and Truth. Starting from the younger years, Agelina E. Grimké, a white woman, was born and raised in family that owned slaves in Charleston, South Carolina. Opposite of her, Sojourner Truth, a black woman, was born a slave in Ulster County, which is in Upstate New York. While both women are different ends of the spectrum, they wanted the same for every person, this included, equal rights and freedom for every man, woman, and slave. It is said that Grimké’s work in antislavery helped her advocate women’s rights as well. “The investigation of the rights of the slave has led me to a better understanding of my own” (Grimké 771). Truth, “had a visionary experience that left her convinced God wanted her to speak the truth about the evils of Americans’ sins against blacks and women” (Truth 775). Both women have given speeches to audiences of both men and women about antislavery and women’s rights.

Because of her concern for white masters and resulting choices to abandon her famous slave-holding family to move to the North, to write an address to southern women, and to speak in front of audiences of both men and women, Angelina Grimke adopted the abolitionist cause and often challenged her role in society. Originally, Grimke was promoting abolition out of concern for whites as she believed that slavery was anti-Christian; she was seen trying to discourage family from having slaves out of concern for her salvation. However, that family would have been a difficult one to persuade as they were the one of the most prominent slaveholding families in South Carolina; there were rumors that each family member had their own slave who would help

Angelina Weld Grimké was born in Boston, Massachusetts February 27, 1880 to Archibald Henry Grimké and Sarah E. Stanley. As a result, Grimké was born into a rather “unusual and distinguished biracial family” (Zvonkin, para. 1). Her father was the son of a slave and her master, who also happened to be the brother of the two famous abolitionist Grimké sisters: Angelina and Sarah. Grimké’s mother, Sarah, was from a prominent, white middle class family; she left Grimké and her African American husband due to racial pressure from her white family and, as a result, Grimké was raised entirely by her father.

On February 15, 1820 in Adams, Massachusetts, a woman by the name of Susan Brownell Anthony was born to parents Daniel and Lucy (Read) Anthony. She was the second born of a strongly rooted Quaker family of eight (Hist.Bio.-1). Because they lived in a Quaker neighborhood, Susan was not heavily exposed to slavery. The family made anti-slavery talks an almost daily conversation over the dinner table. She also saw men and women on the same level (Stoddard 36). “A hard working father, who was not only a cotton manufacturer, but a Quaker Abolitionist also, prevented his children from what he called childish things such as toys, games and music. He felt that they would distract his children from reaching their peak of

(Hannam 296) During the Anti-Slavery Movement, she had valuable experience in public speaking and running poilitical organizations through her work in the abolishionist movement. (298 ) in the process women were generally discouraged from taking active part in public life and expected to join women only groups in support of male organizations (ibid) While Elizabeth Cady Stanton is best known for her long contribution to the woman suffrage struggle, without her struggles these issues wouldnt have been effective in winning property rights for married women, equal guardianship of children, and liberalized divorce laws. These reforms made it possible for women to leave marriages that were abusive of the wife, the children, and the economic health of the family.

During the antebellum era, issues of race and equality persisted to plague social progress in the United States. Instrumental in leading the assault against women and African Americans, white slave owning male in the American antebellum South reign supreme in both the private and public spheres respectively. Although that is not to suggest that African Americans held any real power within the public sphere, instead the African Americans depicted in the movie, Twelve Years a Slave, were used as tangible property. As tangible property, the masters in the movie used their slaves to gain social perfection within the public sphere. Women, however, were purely relegated to the private sphere. Twelve Years a Slave did an exemplary job of expanding the notion of a women and slaves as intellectual and physical property within the broader construct of American antebellum society.

In the same year, Sarah had to answer the burning questions from ministers addressing why she stepping out of the woman’s proper place. To answer the questions Sarah created a paper titled, “Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women”; “Woman, in all ages and countries, has been the scoff and the jest of her lordly master. If she attempted, like him, to approve her, she was ridiculed as pedantic, and driven from the temple of science and literature by coarse attacks and vulgar sarcasm,” (Grimké and Parker 66). This paper was the beginning of Sarah’s role in women’s rights; she would not get to see women rights grow as it did because Sarah passed way in 1873. Some people say that her letter and more paved the way for more women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, to help end slavery and start the women rights movement.

Such denials of equal opportunity gave rise to advocates of women's rights. Women's rights activists, such as Abby K. Foster, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Angelina Grimke, were deeply disappointed that they could not have a voice in the World Anti-Slavery Conference. Like most female radicals during this time, these women