Volume 14 , Issue 23

Angelina Grimke - Abolitionist, Author & Suffragist

Angelina Grimke (1805-1879), U.S. abolitionist, suffragist, feminist, and author. Letters to Catherine E. Beecher, Letter No. 12 (1838). The following quote is from a letter dated 2 October 1837. Beecher, a prominent educator of women, was an anti-suffragist.

"...I believe it is woman's right to have a voice in all the laws and regulations by which she is to be governed; whether in Church or State; and that the present arrangements of society, on these points, are a violation of human rights, a rank usurpation of power, a violent seizure and confiscation of what is sacredly and inalienably hers ... and thus inflicting upon woman outrageous wrongs, working mischief incalculable in the social circle, and in its influence on the world producing only evil, and that continually." ~ Angelina Grimke

The Grimke Sisters

Sarah and Angelina Grimke eloquently fought the injustices of slavery, racism and sexism during the mid-19th century. As daughters of a prominent South Carolina judge and plantation owner, the Grimke sisters witnessed the suffering of slaves. They were determined to speak out, eventually forced to move to the North, where they continued to appeal to northerners and southerners to work toward abolition. They urged white northerners to end racial discrimination.

The Grimke sisters were pioneering women. Among the first female abolitionists, they were the first women to speak publicly against slavery, an important political topic. Faced with criticism from clergy and others that they were threatening "the female character," they continued their crusade.

In 1838, Angelina became the first woman to address a legislative body when she spoke to the Massachusetts State Legislature on women's rights and abolition. Active in the women's movement, they helped set the agenda later followed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott and others, calling for equal educational opportunities and the vote.

One historian said of Sarah's writings: "[They were] a milestone on the road to the Woman's Rights Convention at Seneca Falls" and "central to the feminist writings in the decades that followed." Sarah was one of the first to compare the restrictions on women and slaves, writing that "woman has no political existence . . . . She is only counted like the slaves of the south, to swell the number of lawmakers."

After the Civil War, they continued to champion the causes of equality and women's rights. Through their examples and their words, the Grimke sisters proved that women could affect the course of political events and have a far-reaching influence on society. - The Grimke Sisters   |  View or Add Comments (0 Comments)   |   Receive updates ( subscribers)  |   Unsubscribe

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