White Women and Abolition

White Women and Abolition

• White women who were involved in abolitionism had husbands or fathers who were also abolitionists and reform-minded
  • This allowed them to be involved in the abolitionist movement
• Many were Quakers who were accustomed to relying on conscience regardless of consequence
  • “the divine summons” of abolition
  • Believed the system of slavery to be a sin

Early Work for the Cause

• Began work similar to that done in benevolence societies
  • Raised money for The Liberator
  • Held antislavery fairs – sold homemade items
  • Attended lectures and supported men who worked for the cause
• These activities became offensive now that they were attached to abolition (unlike benevolent societies)

Anti Slavery Experience

• Social ostracism
• Loss of reputation
• Persecution
• Sense of personal regeneration
• Support of new peers
• Honorable sense of commitment

William Lloyd Garrison

• Abolitionist, suffragist and social reformer
• Called for immediate and unconditional emancipation of slaves
• Founder and editor of:   The Liberator (1831)
• Founder of the:   American Anti-Slavery Society 1833

Anti-Slavery Crusade

• The Liberator 1831
• William Lloyd Garrison editor of anti-slavery
• Female antislavery societies began to form in New England in 1832 
• By 1838 more than 100 societies had been created
  • Devoted their initial efforts to fundraising

Lucretia Mott, 1793 – 1880

• Hicksite Quaker minister
• A leading abolitionist in Philadelphia
• Helped establish the American Anti-Slavery Society
• Also helped to create the Female Anti-Slavery Society
• Worked with Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Their Work Evolves

• Developed from local auxiliaries to united societies
  • Their meetings are threatened and disrupted by angry mobs
  • 1837 organized a national network of volunteers to solicit signatures
  • United in a massive petition campaign to Congress to end slavery

The Grimke Sisters

• Daughters of an elite slaveholding family
• In 1837 began a speaking tour to promote the abolition of slavery
• In time, their work introduces the idea of women’s rights in American life 
• Worked for the American Anti-Slavery Society

Controversy Within The Cause

• 1836 Grimké sisters are the first women hired as antislavery agents by The Liberator
  • First southern women to become prominent in public life
• First lecture was in New York 1836 – at a women’s meeting
  • Next lecture, audience included men
  • Drew the attention of thousands
  • Inspired new converts
  • Spawned new societies

Sarah Grimke

• Sixth of 14 children
• 1819 she traveled with her father to Philadelphia to consult with a Quaker physician
• Converted to Orthodox Quakerism after returning to Charleston
• Regularly expressed her thoughts in Sunday meetings traveled to speak to other Quaker groups

Angelina Grimke

• Last of 14 children
• Concerned about the fate of her family’s souls
• Searched for a different religion than the one she grew up with 
• Considered becoming a teacher – visited Catherine Beecher

Conversion to Quakerism

• Searched for a more meaningful religious faith – originally left Charleston for religious, not antislavery motives
  • Their priority was first to save the souls of their family members
  • Adapted the Quaker belief that slavery was a sin
  • Each came to reject slavery at their own time
  • Each sought an alternative to their mother’s church
  • Angelina joined Sarah in Philadelphia July 1828

Racial and Sexual Equality Fuse

• Sarah and Angelina begin to defend themselves and their right to speak
  • Sarah draws a parallel between the condition of women and that of slaves
  • Demands equal education, pay and rights and the rights of “moral beings”
• They are denounced by religious leaders
  • Told that women should not speak publicly in mixed groups for this cause
  • They respond by writing:
• Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women, 1838