What Role Did the Female Abolitionists Play in the Abolition of Slavery, Essay Example

“It was not uncommon for a family of colour to lose all the property they owned upon the death of the man of the house for the white man would come in and steal the property and call it their own. The wife and children may weep and beg but the property may be kept upon the hands of the white man as their own.”[1] Injustices of the law were quite common during these days because the government viewed possession of all property with full righteousness belonging to the man and the white man in particular, without reserve. The nation cried out for liberty and freedom for the slaves but no one was willing to listen to the relentless cries. Why should they listen? The nation was accustomed to the same backwards mentality for over two hundred years and saw no reason to change     ! Changing meant having to share the wealth and they did not want to give equal rights to the black man that they saw as less than in their eyes. The black man was a peasant and less than because the black man had been free labour for many years precedent and no law would be passed to change that. “Stewart, author of the book, stated that oppression and slavery was the highest form of disobedience to God.”[2] She tried to bring in a combination of the Bible and the Constitution to justify her opinion to the nation. She had a firm commitment both to religion and legal justice in attempt to justify the abolition of slavery to bring rise to social justice and order for all blacks across America. This was apparent in her religious speeches in 1832 as well as her various mediations published through the years of abolition attempts. Men across the south did not want to hear her justifications particularly because she was a woman and women were slightly above the black glass by virtue. Men were the superior class and women were below men put on earth to have children and take care of men’s needs and to take care of children. Certainly they had no voice in political and social society for they did not even have the right to vote much less the right to say whether the black slaves should be freed.  Stewart’s work grew from black slavery abolition in the New England states and grew to the article works in Freedoms Journal a black newspaper founded in 1827. She hoped exposure in the journal would give rise to other women learning of the injustices to women and blacks and bring them to join the fight to bring justice to all.

“Delia Webster was a worker on the Underground Railroad System who was vehemently opposed to the slavery so far to the point that she called slavery as evil as the Devil himself.”[3]She was very committed to freeing slaves even to the point where she was even jailed by Kentucky slave owners and to the Kentucky State Penitentiary which was rare in those days to jail a female. Delia Webster was reared from an educated and strong willed family. She taught black children in schools in Kentucky, New York, Vermont and southern Indiana. She fought avidly for many slaves freedom throughout the abolition period. Delia Weber was known for resisting oppression and a love of freedom for all the blacks during the oppression of slavery. While Delia was in jail in Lexington she never felt she was in jail. “She reported the whole time being in jail she had no idea the jail was connected to the Megowan Hotel.”[4]She thought she was in a dream and soon would be released to attend her studies but soon she realized she would not be released. It was only when he heard threats to other captives lives from down below that she realized she was a captive just as other people and would have to stay where she was for some time. Many of the prisoners had been arrested on their way to freedom and locked up in prison with Delia. Apparently the Whigs were denying Delia Webster’s presence in jail so she wrote a letter through reference from her attorney that was published in the November 13, 1844 issue of the Ohio Statesmen newspaper so that the people would be clear on the fact that she was imprisoned. The object was to put pressure on the slave catchers to stop the horrific slavery that was still running ramped throughout America. History states that there was much dissention because of her capture so politicians were lying about her capture.

Lucretia Coffin Mott and her husband were a well-known abolitionist speaker and an evangelist who shared a commitment to humanitarian reform during the abolitionist movement. She and her sisters attended the Women’s Rights Convention to promote the feminism movement and aid with the women’s movement towards the abolition of black slavery. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a supporter of women’s rights and further was an avid supporter of the abolitionist movement of black freedom. They worked together to try to end women’s suffrage and the abolition of slavery in the southern states.

Lucretia Coffin Mott was a mother, wife, Quaker and freedom activist. She gave her efforts to benefit the slaves in their struggle for freedom. She was concerned for her family and her extended family which she called the slaves and the community as a whole. She wrote letters in reference to the struggles women faced and the struggles women faces with relation to help freeing the slaves. Her friendship with William Lloyd Garrison strengthened her loyalty and commitment to abolitionism. Together they founded the Anti-Slavery Society. “Together Mott and Harrison fought for immediate emancipation of the slaves and believed this freedom could be accomplished through pure suasion. This close knit relationship represented a strong movement toward abolition since her husband joined her and represented men in the abolition of slavery. ”[5] Mott travelled throughout the west, south west and south giving various pro anti-slavery speeches hoping to rally support to Congress to aid the slaves with their release to freedom. They were very hopeful that change would soon appear.

“Change came at a snails pace from state to state and the number of women employed rose quickly but with change women were still not able to legally own papers and sign their own name to legal papers.” [6] Jane Swisshelm was given property after her mother’s death in the form of a trust allowing her to circumvent the usual legal law preventing women to hold ownership of property. Most women were compelled to hand over their entire pay check to their husbands. “Normally if a husband died intestate a wife and heirs could only inherit simple things like the Bible, property up to a value of $50, spinning wheels, sheep, and pork.”[7] It was not until the years of 1839-1850 that the law began to recognize the rights of women to legally own property or to inherit property rights. This law was important because only after women were able to own property came the rights of slaves to own property and women began to promote the allocation of free slaves to be able to own property as well after their freedom through the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Despite opposition from the men in America, Lucretia Mott sat on the galleries of the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in the summer of 1840. Elizabeth Cady attended the convention with Mrs. Mott. Elizabeth was the daughter of a judge who often went into his own pocket to help women who were not as wealthy as he was. “The women spoke of different struggles they had heard from various women across the nation and stated they were at the gallery to represent the voice of all women.” [8]

“The antislavery movement underwent a dramatic shift in the 1830s as mixed-race and mixed-gender organizations infused the movement with emotional appeals and moral arguments for the immediate abolition of slavery.  During this radicalized phase of abolition, the role of women expanded. Women, who were the symbols of virtue, the moral leaders of their homes, viewed it as their duty to act against the corruptive and immoral system of slavery that threatened the values they embodied and promoted.”[9]

Though women lacked the right to vote they prominently influenced the freedom of the slaves during the Civil War era by moving their way from the private to political arenas. Women kept positive minds and did not give up. They stood strong and stood together with their fight to gain their independence and end slavery. They held a strong commitment for what they believed in and it is through their commitment to their agenda is what gained them respect and won their rights eventually.  They developed women’s suffrage campaigns during the years of 1866-1928 and their families remained active with the abolition of slavery. Initially they were not actively involved in the campaigns but were moral influences on slave abolition. This activist view went from America to London. It may be difficult for us to remember when women were removed from the streets because of their fierce beliefs in politics and the strong opposition to lack of rights but believe me it happened! Women had no rights to participate in politics and voting yet they moved forward to help innocent blacks to gain them long deserved freedom. They further helped to carve a strong Republican form of government that still exist today. Many people do not attribute women’s movements to the strong Republican form of government that exists today but women surely played a strong role in coercing and maintaining this form of government through equating equal rights across America during the times when men did not want women and minorities to have equal rights at all costs.  Voting rights had been long denied women and this was part of a long schemed plan to deny women the right to democracy. It was very difficult to challenge these inalienable rights in these days because the men were dominant and these were not rights in these days. Women’s place was at home in these days and women had to overcome what was thought of a man’s natural birthright. Women had to challenge their birthright existence if they hoped to challenge equality for the society as a whole. There were many that were not willing to conform to what was correct and just in society. Religious leaders and scientists spoke highly of the role women could play in a non-bias society but men did not want to listen to their side of the story. Even the act of speaking in public was defiant to a male dominated society. There was a long non-compliant society that had to be breached in order to allow women’s suffrage to get even a single glance. It was not until 1920 that the nation actually embraced women’s suffrage as a national legislative policy. Many historians for women wrote numerous articles through the times such as the Rise of the American Civilization in 1927 and History of Women’s Suffrage. Eleanor Flexner was notorious for her writing Century of Struggles in the 1950’s during the early post World War II period. It is said that her family history influenced her interest in women’s suffrage. Her mother was very wealthy hence giving her the finances needed to do the research and write the Century of Struggles. The southern states were ready to break away from the Union and form their own Confederate States to continue free slave labour but President Abraham Lincoln vehemently opposed this radical move and ensured that the south did not do this and further ensured that the slaves were freed. Slaves were freed from the Union with the Emancipation Proclamation but slaves in the south did not have their full freedom. It is through the passage of the Thirteenth Amendment that full slavery was abolished in the United States.

Sojourner Truth was a prominent lady who fought for the abolition of slavery in America as well as equal rights for all women. “She was enslaved in New York until she was an adult and eventually freed by the Gradual Abolition Act.”[10] Many women abolitionists took the view represented by Holy picturesque representations thought to be brought by God himself. They took these representations as symbols from God and made petitions to the local newspapers and magazines for the freedom of slaves. Harriett Tubman returned to the south after her own freedom and tried to free other slaves. She worked with Susan B. Anthony another suffragist to free the slaves. “In 1833, sixty abolitionist leaders from ten states met in Philadelphia to create a national organization to bring about immediate emancipation of all slaves. The American Anti-Slavery Society elected officers and adopted a constitution and declaration. Drafted by William Lloyd Garrison, the declaration pledged its members to work for emancipation through non-violent actions of “moral suasion,” or “the overthrow of prejudice by the power of love. The society encouraged public lectures, publications, civil disobedience, and the boycott of cotton and other slave-manufactured products.”[11]

Harriett Tubman was the conductor of the Underground Railroad who was known as the Moses of Her People because of her works in freeing the slaves. “Through risks after running away from slavery she helped to free hundreds of slaves from captivity.” [12] She provided safe way houses for the slaves on their journey to the north for personal permanent freedom from slavery. “She later became a leader in the abolitionist movement, and during the Civil War she was a spy with for the federal forces in South Carolina as well as a nurse.”[13] Tubman learned as a young child of the evil forces that slave owners held over slaves when a slave ran away to the store and she was asked to participate in his beating and refused. The slave owner threw a cast iron metal at the slave and instead hit her by accident nearly killing her. She vowed to help the slaves to retreat for freedom including herself of which she did.

She had a bounty on her head whilst helping the other runaway slaves. She risked her life every time she helped other slaves into freedom to the northern states. She often had to remind the slaves under gun point that they would either be free or die as a slave. She made a total of nineteen trips to Maryland helping over three hundred slaves to freedom. She was never captured during her journeys to the north.

Whether women were playing an active or passive role in the demolition of slavery in the southern states of America it is through their diligent persistence through newspaper journals and writings and activist moving of slaves to the northern territories by brave women that suffrage and slavery was ended eventually through the Emancipation Proclamation and the Thirteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. Women were brave soldiers who stood for a cause and we are thankful to their bravery because without their due diligence the movement of freedom to end slavery would not have occurred because the power of men’s influence on politics would have kept America totally against a Republic form of government which is what eventually brought resolution through the works and reign of President Abraham Lincoln and others.

References

Stewart, M. and Richardson, M (1987) America’s First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://books.google.com/books?id=noSOhOOsNuUC&dq=maria+w.+stewart,+america%27s+first+black+woman+political+write:+essays+and+speeches,+by+Marilyn+Richardson.&printsec=frontcover&source=bl&ots=tsBsrAUqPB&sig=PE3ULW9JI8lC4Zmv8PgIUSpy0lE&hl=en&ei=FT4cS5ilOsj5nAe-_sndAw&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=2&ved=0CA4Q6AEwAQ#v=onepage&q=&f=false

Frances Eisan (1998) Saint or Demon: The Legendary Delia Webster Opposing Slavery Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://www.books-by-isbn.com/0-944473/0944473415-Saint-or-Demon-The-Legendary-Delia-Webster-Opposing-Slavery-0-944473-41-5.html

Runyon, R. (1999) Delia Webster and the Underground Railroad Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://books.google.com/books?id=AGRW_bovE4wC&dq=delia+webster+and+the+underground+railroad+Randolph+Ranyon&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Margaret Bacon Valiant Friend: The Life of Lucritia Mott (1980) Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://books.google.com/books?q=Margaret+Bacon.Valiant+friend:+The+Life+of+Lucretia+Mott&ei=gmkcS5DgNoGmnQe91rTbAw&ct=title&spell=1&oi=spell

Mott, L. (2002) Selected Letters of Lucritia Mott Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://books.google.com/books?id=5NI5mhy5CR8C&printsec=frontcover&dq=selected+letters+of+lucritia+Mott+by+Beverly+Palmer&ei=_HEcS-yNE5vwNKGN4eMK#v=onepage&q=&f=false

White, Deobrah (2003) Aren’t I a Woman Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://books.google.com/books?ei=GnYcS_6NHZjQNPHJ2ZQL&id=A-N1AAAAMAAJ&dq=Aren%27T+I+a+Woman%3F+Deborah+White&q=Aren%27T+I+a+Woman%3F+Deborah+White#search_anchor

Flexner, E. (1996) Century of Struggle: The Women’s Rights Movement in the United States Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://books.google.com/books?id=VjEw6ZnVm1EC&source=gbs_navlinks_s

Friends of Freedom: The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://www.hsp.org/default.aspx?id=836

Abolition, Anti-Slavery Movements, and the Rise of the Sectional Controversy (2009) Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/aaohtml/exhibit/aopart3.html

Runaway Slave: Underground Railroad Conductor (1864) Retrieved December 6, 2009 from, http://americancivilwar.com/women/harriet_tubman.html

[1] America’s First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches

[2] America’s First Black Woman Political Writer: Essays and Speeches

[3] Legendary Delia Webster Opposing Slavery

[4] Delia Webster and the Underground Railroad

[5] Selected Letters of Lucritia Mott

[6] Aren’t I am Woman?

[7] Aren’t I am Woman?

[8] Century of Struggle: The Women’s Rights Movement in the United States

[9] Friends of Freedom: The Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society

[10] Abolition, Anti-Slavery Movements, and the Rise of the Sectional Controversy

[11] Abolition, Anti-Slavery Movements, and the Rise of the Sectional Controversy

[12] Runaway Slave: Underground Railroad Conductor

[13] Runaway Slave: Underground Railroad Conductor