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The Intellectual Era Of The Grimke Sisters

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This is a paper on the intellectual history of the rise of the Grimke Sisters as reform activists. Sarah and Angelina Grimke were two significant intellectual and social figures in the era of the 19th century American reform movements; most notably in the causes of Abolitionism, women’s rights, and education reform, and were some of the first female public speakers and activists in America. Initially they had been daughters of Charleston aristocracy. But overtime their mindset developed toward a religious and intellectual thinking supportive of reformism, and in 1835 they began their involvement in abolitionist activism, and began their career as advocates and intellectual contributors in reform causes. The aim of this paper is to shed …show more content…

The establishment of the United States of America brought with it optimism and challenges in the task of seeking to establish the identity of the society. The influence of the Enlightenment and Enlightenment inspired movements spread throughout the population. The Second Great Awakening brought about a series of religious revivals and movements, encouraging reevaluation of religious thinking, and encouraging active participation of belief in life. While there were movements for the growing scholasticism of theologians and the beginning of building public education . Through this mix of influence various movements arose for the reforming of people and society; seeking to change them to fit conceptions of an improved state. At the same time established forces sought to traditionalize and institutionalize the conditions, relationships, and prejudices, they saw as proper and useful to their interests. The sisters found themselves situated in this ground. Sarah and Angelina Grimke were born into one of the top aristocratic families of Charleston. Sarah, born in 1792, and Angelina, born in 1805, were among the 11 children of John and Mary Grimke. Their father John F. Grimke was a judge and legal scholar, and their mother Mary Smith Grimke was related to some the most prominent people of Charleston. They Grimke family lived a luxurious life style, with their lavish Church Street

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