The Influences and Strategies of Female Abolitionists

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

By the early 1800’s, sisters Angelina and Sarah Grimke had already made a name for themselves as anti-slavery abolitionist. Speaking in tents and at religious gatherings. They Used their Quaker faith to help instill an equal mindset. The sisters, who were educators, were also authors. Several of their publications were for the supplication of the rights of African Americans. Written in a pamphlet by Angelina entitled: “Appeal to the Christian Women of the South” she wrote:

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.

In the mid-1800s American women united to participate in social reforms movements more than ever before. This movement’s involved: struggle to abolish slavery, outlaw alcohol, and ban child labor among others (Rupp, 1987). Despite the failure of the women's movement to attain one among its primary goals, the passage of the ERA , the movement overall accomplished an excellent deal. For several women activists, management over their bodies was a central issue in the campaign. Women needed to be liberated to explore and control their gender, while not being judged by society. An oversized a part of management during this arena concerned having access to birth control, or contraception ways (Fishman, 1998). The contraception pill, associate inoculant,

Back in the mid 1800’s the first women’s convention was initiated by Elizabeth Stanton, along with others who founded the Women’s Suffrage Movement. After attending an World Anti-Slavery Society meeting, where the women were required to sit is a separate area away from the men, the women decided that they were little better than slaves and decided to do something about it. (Pearson, 2017)

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

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.

Being an abolitionist was not a popular stance in pre-civil war America. Levi Coffin and his wife were abolitionists who assisted thousands of slaves make their way to freedom threw the Underground Railroad. The Coffins were radical, they risked their own freedom to help strangers have theirs. Levi was middle class white business owner, he had no incentive to speak out against slavery. In contrast to society the Coffins not only opposed slavery, but they took action against it. They begin housing run a way slaves in their own home. This was extremely risky because if they were caught they would be imprisoned and lose all they owned. Once they had a very close encounter with law. When questioned they refused to deny that they had slaves hidden,

After the Civil War, the movement of women’s suffrage had a new inspiration, as they used African American suffrage as a stepping stone towards women’s suffrage. Organizations, such as the National Association Women’s Suffrage Association and Women’s Christian Temperance, had clear goals to reform the urban areas with women’s suffrage. As this empowering reform took place, women of the late 19th and early 20th centuries started to question their own roles within society. As women faced opposition and had diminished roles within society, the women of the late 19th century sought equality.

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 primary challenge facing these 18th-century activists was moving a conviction that slavery was wrong. The new phase of abolitionism after 1830 stretched through new antislavery institutions and new forms of activism. “In 1832 Garrison and ten others formed the New England Anti-Slavery Society. In 1833 Garrison and two wealthy New York City businessmen and philanthropists Arthur and Lewis Tappan played key roles in establishing the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS). Also in 1833 black and white women of Boston organized the interracial Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society, and women established a similarly constituted organization in Philadelphia. Many other local and state societies appeared during these years. By 1837 Massachusetts had 145 different antislavery societies; New York had 274; and Ohio, 214. Abolitionist sentiment was strongest in New England, New York, and their cultural surroundings across the upper Midwest. By 1838 the AASS claimed nearly 250,000 members and 1350 affiliated societies

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.

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

Fundraising was a significant way in which the British women campaigned against slavery. In his study of the 19th century Frank Prochaska said that fundraising was a major contribution made by women’s societies (Midgley,1992, P51-56). In 1826 of the £2558 income of Anti-slavery societies from donations and subscriptions, they gave some of the money raised to national funds for anti-slavery. However, societies such as the female society for Birmingham used the money raised to produce propaganda against slavery.