Abolitionist Women in 1790-1850 - Research Paper Example

Teacher Taking a Stand: Abolitionist Women in 1790-1850 Women have since the beginning of patriarchal society’s women has been fighting for more rights, to abolish stringent rules regarding who can vote and who can own property. Because of these women have started to fight against what they perceived as wrongful discrimination against them as women. As the Victorian cultural age began to seep into the previous colonies, the rights that women previously enjoyed began to be stripped away. The history of the abolitionist movement among white women was an attempt to better than position in the newly formed United States of America. Not only did these women want to gain more political clout but also to recapture the rights that were taken away. The women who took a stand prior to 1790 became the forerunners in the women’s abolitionist movement. Immigrants came to North America to get away from persecution in Europe in hopes of being able to have the ability to live their lives how they say fit. In the new country there was the ability to make the laws they want, in the manner that benefited the community the most. Because of this the laws and regulations regarding voting and land owning were different that of Europe. Initially women held many of the same rights as their male counterparts. This was due to both a lack of population as well as many of these women held positions of power in their home countries and that attitude carried over to when they immigrated to the United States. Most of the colonies before 1776 and the creation of the United States allowed women to vote in elections. When the states gained the power to rewrite their constitutions, many retracted the right and refused to allow women the freedom to vote. It was only New Jersey who maintained the right to vote for women in the 19th century when the men who held power stripped the right as well. Although women were not allowed to publically voice their opinion, many were still maintained as the head of household, and their husbands listened to what the women were saying. Women have always held a position of power inside the home, while men tended to be powerful outside the home. Because of this, many women began to meet while husband worked to talk about the political and social issues of the time. When their husbands returned home, these homemakers related what they learned and how they felt to their husbands who in turn responded by voting a specific way. These small groups of women also began to vocally demand change with a lot of the societal issues of the time. What began as small home based groups quickly turned into large groups of women meeting to discuss suffrage and other issues occurring in their respective areas. Due to the Victorian era of cultural ideals, women were expected to be at home, managing the home and not dealing with political or social issues.1 So when women started to come out of the houses to fight for suffrage and abolishing slavery it was considered scandalous. Due to the causes that women were fighting for, it commonly believed that there should be more black women than white women. Many of the issues these women fought against directly impacted the black populations. However during the abolitionist movements of the late 1790s and early 1800s the majority of women who were vocal were white.2 This is not to say that there were not highly vocal black women, but the majority of the abolitionist movements were white women. Soon after the United States became a country, individual states began to take away many of the rights that women held prior to 1776. This caused many women to stand up for their rights. In the beginning they were viewed as a group of women who had too much time on their hands, and could cause no real waves in both the social or political realms. In 1780 however laws started to be passed that allowed a method for slaves to become free. This led to the Northwest Ordinance of 1878 that stated all slaves northwest of the Ohio River were free, and prohibited the act of slavery. These women that no one paid attention to started the ball rolling that led to the Northwest Ordinance as well as fellow bills and regulations that freed individuals. During this time religious groups such as the Quakers and Moravians began to pressure the government to make laws that could lead to the eventual emancipation of all slaves. There were multiple reasons that there were more white women than black women supporting social causes. White women at this time, although restricted, had more freedom then their black counterparts. This can be attributed to their families’ relative wealth in the community as well as what church they belonged to. White women also were more likely to have an income that supported themselves and their suffrage work while black women on average did not.3 Many white women were married to successful business men, while black women were married to laborers. Even though blacks were free in the north, if someone believed them to be an escaped slave, they could be sent to the south and sold into the slave market. This worried many black women from being publically vocal for fear of being taken away from families and friends. Black women could meet and write letters to newspapers, but the fear of being ousted as a black woman and potentially an escaped slave was too much for many women. Culturally at this time white women were higher educated than black women, specifically in public speaking and education. This gave white women an advantage over black women during public speaking events. Another important aspect to women being part of the abolitionist movement was that almost all the women were married to or part of a family of abolitionists. This also gave white women a jump ahead as they had money and family power that many black women did not. Women who were involved with liberal churches were more apt to believe in the abolitionist movement then those of conservative families and churches. Churches were, like the current, a place for people to meet, learn about their specific domination and have conversations with people who share common believes. It was at these churches that many women found like minded activists and started to collectively gain believers and assets. Because of the religious believe of many, the abolitionist movement had deep connections to the bible and what the bible said about loving one another. It was not uncommon for a speech to be written that relied heavily on the bible and biblical teachings. The history of the white women’s abolitionist movement exists because of women from three different backgrounds. These women affected the attitude and strength of the movement. Sisters Angelina and Sarah Grimke were raised in a conservative family. Their father was a judge as well as a slave holder in South Carolina. Their mother was also from an elite family in South Carolina. Two of 14 children, Sarah and Angelina were raised in a very elite social circle that consisted of fellow members of their father’s Episcopalian church. Even has a young children Angelina and Sarah were outgoing, self-assured, and curious. This went so far that on her 13th birthday, Angelina refused to take the oath to be confirmed in the church. She stated that she did not feel right about the pledge.4 Soon Angelina became involved in a local Presbyterian church that she found a kindred spirit in the pastor. In 1929 she stood in front of her fellow church members and asked that all slave holders condemn the practice and allow all men, women, and children to be free. When they refused, Sarah as well as Angelina started to take on Quaker beliefs. Soon moving to Philadelphia, the two women started to become active in the abolitionist world, as well as pushing for more education of women.5 Being outspoken Angelina spoke at congressional meetings as well as in churches. Angelina may have been hot headed and outspoken, but her advancement of women’s rights as well as working to abolish slavery from a conservative upbringing made her one of the leading white women in the movement. Harriet Beecher Stowe was born in Litchfield, Connecticut to outspoken liberal religious leaders. Her family of 13 children produced authors, ministers, and educators. Harriett went to school and received a male education from my older sister.6 After graduating from she went to seminary school in Ohio with her father. By this time she was already writing papers and joining literary organizations. Soon after that she met Calvin Stowe who was also ardent critic of slavery. In fact both Harriet and her husband supported the Underground Railroad which transported slaves from the south to freedom in the north. Due to her background as a writer and her connections though family and associates she was able to publish under her real name versus a classmate who wrote under a pseudonym. Harriet believed that it was time for every woman and man to speak about the injustices that were being faced every day by slaves. Prior to her book, she published articles that set the stage for the publication of her book.7 Uncle Tom’s Cabin revolutionized how the nation viewed slavery and the impact that slavery had on people around the nation. Not only did her book create a political firestorm, but because of her upbringing and her beliefs Harriet was associated with fellow abolitionist leaders, both male and female. These associations produced a larger base of advocates for the cause. Another important white woman to push for the abolitionist of slavery was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Although growing up in a conservative household, when Elizabeth married Henry Stanton she was already familiar with the social injustices that were being perpetrated in the United States towards women and blacks. Stanton was outraged when women delegates were refused entry into the Anti-slavery convention.8 Due to this refusal Elizabeth and another leader of the abolitionist movement called for a civil rights movement to be held in New York State were they could attend and be welcomed. While there Elizabeth gave a speech on her Declaration of Sentiments her comrades organized small groups within the convention to discuss specific issues. Stanton with her declaration became an influential member of New England abolitionist group. These four women along with many more felt that something was wrong with how the world worked and went about changing it. For them it was not only about slavery or voting rights for women, but about everyone being equal in certain social aspects. Not everyone was going to have the money to be part of the elite in the United States, but everyone should have the right to be free and have freedom to work where they want to, and vote for individual that believe in the same fundamental principles that they did. They stood up for people who were a different skin color, and that they never met in hope that it would make the country and world a better place. Although their actions did create some change, it was almost another 100 years before the civil rights movement was considered a complete victory. These women did not see skin color as a deciding factor in how one should be treated any more than gender or nationality. Many of these women grew up with tales of how the United States was formed, and that quest for freedom continued in the abolitionist movement. Other women could have stepped up and did the job, but it may not have been at the same time. Being religious many of these women felt that it was their duty to assist those who cannot assist themselves, and in these cases it was for the right to be free and the right to vote for who best represented them. While in some cases it was connections that allowed these women to gain the notoriety that they had, but in others it was hard work, and a perseverance to see the right thing done. They showed that a little bit of perseverance and some hard work could move mountains. These women started the process, which was then picked up by women and men of future generations to ensure that everyone has the same rights. In the history of the United States, these women should be considered the mothers and sisters of the nation. While they may not have been presidents or congressmen, these women did as much if not more than the men. Works Cited: Birney, Catherine H. Sarah and Angelina Grimke: The First American Women Advocates of Abolition and Women’s Rights. New York: Qontro Books, 2010. Eliot, Henry. Harriet Beecher Stowe: The Voice of Humanity in White America. New York: Crabtree Publishing Company, 2009. Frank, Armin, Kurt Mueller-Vollmer. British America and the United States 1770s-1850s. Gottingen: Hubert & Co., 2000. Ginzberg, Lori D. Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life. New York: Hill and Wang, 2010. Jeffrey, Julie Y. The great silent army of abolitionism: Ordinary women in the antislavery movement. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 1998. McNeese, Tim. The Abolitionist Movement: Ending Slavery. New York: Chelsea House Publishers, 2008. Newman, Louise M. White Women’s Rights: The Racial Origins of Feminism in the United States. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999. Walkowitz, Judith. Prostitution and Victorian Society: Women, Class, and the State. Cambridge, University of Cambridge, 1982. Read More