Abolitionism and the Women's Rights Movement

In the pre-civil war era there were many progressive movements, abolitionism and women's rights were arguably the two most important. These two movements tied together because many women that were involved in early abolitionist movements went on to be important leaders in the early women’s rights and suffrage movements. The women’s rights movement applied arguments for human rights and equality also used in the abolition movement to their own lives and demanded equal rights for women. 

One particular connection between the abolitionist movement and the women's right movement appeared in George Bourne’s Slavery Illustrated in Its Effects upon Women, published in 1837. It highlighted the connections between the anti-slavery and women’s rights movements, as some women abolitionists, such as Sarah and Angelina Grimke, used the anti-slavery cause to address their own plight as women. The connections they drew were highly controversial, and many anti-slavery organizations were split over the issue of women’s rights. 

This image states, "Am I not a women and a sister?" , this was a twist on the 1787 phrase "Am I not a brother and a man?" a term that was used by founders of the Society for the Abolition of the Slave Trade.

Although it may seem as if this was the case, there were many discussions by abolitionists about the role of women and whether or not they should be considered subordinates or it it was even appropriate for them to take more public leadership in the movement. While the pre-civil war women’s rights movement had few major victories it set the ground work for the suffrage campaigns that would occur in the early 20th century, along with women’s rights, feminist and women of color movements that still continue today. 

Women involved in the early abolitionist movements also began to demand equal rights to their own lives and experiences, advocating for expanded education, employment and political rights including suffrage. The 1848 Seneca Falls convention was one of the key early moments in the suffrage and women’s rights movement in the US. The convention was organized primarily by a group of Quaker women during a visit by Lucretia Mott, a Quaker woman well known for her role in the abolition movement and advocacy for women’s rights. The convention brought together 300 people, men and women, and produced a strong Declaration of Sentiments advocating for women’s equality including the right to vote.

 Sojourner Truth an emancipated slave became a prominent abolitionist and women’s rights advocate. 

The role of Black women in the suffrage movement was also problematic at times. For example, both emancipated women who had previously been slaves and free women of color were active in the abolitionist movement, but as the women’s movement grew, there was often resistance on the part of the increasingly middle class, educated, white leadership to include Black women. For example, while Sojourner Truth spoke at the Women’s Convention in Akron Ohio in 1851 there were conflicting reports over how the speech was received. Some claimed delegates welcomed both the speaker and message, and others claimed that delegates were hostile to having a Black speaker address them. 

sources:
https://courses.lumenlearning.com/boundless-politicalscience/chapter/slavery-and-civil-rights/
http://www.nolo.com/legal-encyclopedia/content/truth-woman-speech.html