Role Of African American Women During The Abolitionist Movement

First, let’s talk about what caused the women’s rights movement and how it not only paved the way for the abolitionist movement but, how powerful the campaigns were when combined. In the nineteenth century, the women’s main role was to be a house wife. Women were often stuck at home doing chores and taking care of the children. They were not allowed to vote, hold a title in public office, work, own property, or even get an education (Women 's Rights. (n.d.), 2016). The women of the nineteenth century wanted to change those rules so they fought for equality. There were many women who were brave enough to stand up for their rights and publicly speak about their thoughts and civil liberties towards equality between men and women. In

In the new politic system of the United States the women’s rights were coming to surface. In the reshaping of the government system and the advances that the country was having, the status of the women were as well changing from 1850-1846. Some women had the opportunity for education and other had more participation in religion. For instance, Women played an increasing role in public education during the reform era. Catharine Beecher, a sister of Harriet Beecher Stowe, encouraged women to enter the teaching profession because their natural role suited them to the care and nurturing of children. Women were very active during the reform of humanitarian reforms they were more active than ever. For instance, the spirit of reform was prevalent in the field of women's rights. Many women played a central role in a wide range of historical moral crusades. This reform was the beginning for the movement of women’s rights; they did not totally include all the women’s right but surely was the set point for women to be considered. Not only women participate for their women right but as well they participate in politics with the issue of anti-slavery. For instance, Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were two female delegates to the World Anti-Slavery Convention held at London in 1840. Even

The Abolitionist movement during the Antebellum period, was a critical time in American history. The goal of this movement was to emancipate all slaves immediately, and end discrimination, as well as segregation. The brave men and women involved in this movement were called abolitionists and antislavery advocates. The antislavery advocates stood for freeing slaves gradually, and abolitionists wanted slavery gone immediately. No matter how fast, these people all wanted to spread opposition against slavery across the United States. Northern churches started liking this whole idea of abolishing slavery, which started conflict between the North and South. These arguments led up to the Civil War.

This paper discusses the experiences of African American Women under slavery during the Slave Trade, their exploitation, the secrecy, the variety of tasks and positions of slave women, slave and ex-slave narratives, and significant contributions to history. Also, this paper presents the hardships African American women faced and the challenges they overcame to become equal with men in today’s society. Slavery was a destructive experience for African Americans especially women. Black women suffered doubly during the slave era.

Women did not have a voice at all nor were they able to speak on important government matters. They were restricted solely to their activities within the domestic sphere, expected to be good house wives, mothers, and care only for the home and children. Standing up firmly for women, Angelia and Sarah Grimke held distinct positions in the antislavery movement because they were the daughters of a Southern Slaveowner. The ideals about women rights began with these two women, but it did not stop with them. Despite the debate about the place of women in the abolitionist movement, abolitionism did provide women with some sympathetic male allies like Fredrick Douglass, who took them serious and publicized their causes.

Society for the Reformation of Juvenile Delinquents in the City of New York in 1829, stated that crime was a reform during this period, brutal and harsh punishments were reduced. Dorothea Dix had a asylum Movement which began in the 1840’s that gave people with mental problems more confront by getting treated better. Furthermore, Dix helped all the mental ill move from prison to Asylum where they could get help since she created these facilities specifically for the mentally ill.(Doc A). Engraving by Patrick Reason, 1835 wrote “Am I not a women and a Sister” meaning that slavery was occurring and the people who were slaves wanted equality to live equal. Moreover Reason was drawing this to show how slavery was treated individuals.William Lloyd Garrison was an abolitionist who wrote “The Liberator” which called an immediate emancipation of slaves and equal rights.(Doc C). Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Seneca Falls Declaration in 1848 felt that her powerful idea of expanding democracy not only for men but to expand rights for women as well. During this period of time, their was a women’s movement in which women are 2nd class citizens and don’t have the right to vote, cannot own property. Women's right movement is led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Susan B. Anthony. Later they have a Declaration of Sentiments were all men and women are created equal. In helped Amelia Bloomer creates less restrictive female fashions for the women.(Doc

With Seneca Falls, 1848, the movement began in earnest. Early suffragists often had ties to the abolitionist movement. (Lecture 18) With the Civil War era, suffragists split over voting rights for black men. There was a need for regrouping and rethinking in the face of a reconstructed nation because there was a push for black men to get the right to vote. There were Women’s Rights conventions every year up until the Civil War, and in 1851, a resolution that “resolved, the proper sphere, for all human beings is the largest and highest for which they are able to obtain”. (Lecture 24) This captures the true essence of both the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the Abolitionist Movement. Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony were Abolitionists and a majority of suffragettes were as well as well as involvement with the temperance movement. (Ibid) The question was raised, should women keep advocating for women’s rights or do they need to support the war? This resulted in the pause between 1861-1865 when there was not a women’s convention for the first time. Women were deeply involved with the Union cause and were vital to upholding society and keeping stores in business by serving as “deputy husbands”. (Ibid) Women also had a direct role serving in the war, some served as nurses in addition to some fighting for the cause. Sarah Edmunds Seelye was one of the few who fought under a man’s name, she served under Franklin Thompson for the 2nd Michigan Infantry until she deserted due to

In his declaration of the National Anti-Slavery Convention, William Lloyd Garrison denounced the horrors of slavery (Doc 1). A famous abolitionist, Garrison highlighted the brutality and dehumanization of slavery and bondage as a means of chasing equality. Depriving Americans the right to vote and the basic rights of humanity based on the color of their skin directly contradicts the tenets of the Constitution. Similar to William Lloyd Garrison was Frederick Douglass, a famous black abolitionist. An escaped slave, Douglass campaigned across America and even into Europe to preach the atrocities of slavery. Douglass was also a prominent writer who published numerous autobiographies, as well as his own newspaper, The North Star. Alongside the abolition movement was the women’s rights movement. A freed slave woman, Sojourner Truth worked toward both abolition women’s rights. In her 1851 speech, Truth highlights the toils of labor she has endured to demonstrate that she is just as capable at work as men. In addition, she notes the discrimination she experiences due to her race. She empowers women to act together as one to overcome the bondage of slavery to ultimately prove that women are a powerful working force in America. Similar to Truth were the Grimke Sisters, who witnessed slavery firsthand during their upbringing. The Grimke Sisters, both abolitionists and women’s rights activists, pushed for women to become involved in abolition. Women in America were notoriously denied the ability to work in stereotypically “men’s work.” Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s Declaration of Rights and Sentiments exemplifies the distinction between men and women in American society (Doc 6). She posits that there equality is not present in society — that men and women do not enjoy the same abilities and powers guaranteed by the Constitution.

(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.

How did the abolitionists' proposals and methods differ from those of earlier antislavery movements (see Chapter 8)?

Women’s Rights was and still is a major issue throughout the entire world, but more specifically, in the United States of America. Women have been treated unjustly for awhile. From being beaten by their husbands, to not being able to own property if they were married, women have been through it all. Many of these situations started to change because of a group of women that decided to stand up for what they believe in. A few activists that helped improve the rights of women are Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott.

The reason why movements like the Daughters of the Confederacy believe in the Lost Cause of the Confederacy, an intellectual movement that believes the civil war was fought over honor and ideals instead of slavery, is because Southern Women saw the Civil War as a war on one of the fundamentals that made up their way life. My research paper is about understanding the effects that slavery had on women during and prior to the civil war, and how the absence of slavery effected them. This research will be used in order to paint a picture of how slavery effect all southern women, whether they were rich plantation owners, middle class field owners, or destitute women with little to nothing. My research paper will contain a combination of multiple sources in order to cover all the topics that I will be writing on. My goal here is to gain a better understanding of how slavery affect Southern Women’s domestic lives, and to better understand the birth of Southern heritage movements like the Daughters of the Confederacy.

A former slave known as Harriet Tubman helped construct an underground railroad. She helped many slaves escape from their owners using that railroad. William Lloyd Garrison is an abolitionist who started The Liberator, which was an abolitionist newspaper. The newspaper focused on the freedom and rights of slaves

The origin of women’s liberation began in the 18th century with the World‘s Anti-Slavery Convention of 1840 where delegates Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were attending with ones husbands in London (McMillen, 2008). The credential committee ruled that women were unfit for public and business meetings (McMillen, 2008). The ladies were moved to a segregated area which

(Goldfield, 338) Since the cult of domesticity was making women inferior to men, women decided to do as the slaves did and fight for their own freedom. The women’s rights movement began in the mid-1800s. Female and male abolitionist found it necessary that women should be able to have the same rights as men. Just because biologically they are different, it does not mean they do not deserve the same rights. Women were denied the right to vote, property and a right to an education or job. (Goldfield, 338) At first the women’s movement was slow. Many women were afraid to speak out in fear of being shunned by their community. This was a brand new scary task that Women for the first time were going to deal with. A women speaking out against the norms of society was seen as a terrible thing to do. When you have many women speaking out for the same thing a change must be done. When the first national convention for women’s rights was called in Seneca Falls, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were able to successfully use the Declaration of Independence as a model for their own Declaration of Sentiments. (Goldfield, 339) In their Declaration they branded that “male patriarchy as the source of women’s oppression” (Goldfield, 339) Stanton and Mott called for full women’s rights and to become independent citizens. Although the fight for women’s rights was always an important issue, most abolitionists deemed it less important