Summary Of Angelina's Appeal To Christian Women

In Angelina’s Appeal to the Christian Women of the South she gives an intellectual and moral argument against slavery and the Christian women of the south to get involved in seeking to eliminate it. She makes an argument based on analysis of the bible and the principles of natural rights, that claims of biblical justifications for slavery are misinterpretations, that bible and teachings of Jesus support the freedom and well-being of people, and that the removal of slavery is instrumental to God’s plan. She argues that slavery is unchristian, immoral, violates the principles of natural rights, brings harm and degradation to those it enslaves, it corrupts and impedes the development of the community, and get in the way of god’s prophecies.

Among her arguments she used an analysis of Genesis to argue that men and women were created as equals and that the unequal conditions of the sexes was the product of a fallen state. She argued that the moral and intellectual duties of women to god precluded men from being a superior or intermediate. The forces which acted to place women as inferior, deny them their equal right act as moral and intellectual beings, and deny them participation religion, education, public matters, and professions, were unjust and should be corrected. She proclaimed the system of gender relations to be “derogatory to men and women as moral and intellectual beings”. The subjecting of women is a problem of condition that keeps people from fulfilling their potential and keeps moral ideals from being lived, so we must recognize our divine obligation and work to rectify it.

Sarah’s Letters made a similar moral and intellectual appeal for the equality of women as Angelina made for the freeing of the slaves. Moral ideals and the intelligent evaluation of scripture and life are legitimate matters. The conditions of life leave humanity in a fallen state where they must struggle to overcome evil and ignorance. People have a moral obligation to set themselves right and work to advance the moral reform of the world in order to

For both, the disciplined life and focus on individual moral guidance of the Quaker church was appealing. In it they found a degree of temporary refuge from the outside world. In which they directed their inquiries toward theological analysis. In time they would expand their focus back into the broader world. In regaining contact with Thomas, they gained contact a symbol of the religious and intellectual promises of their youth; the man who had the education and career Sarah dreamed of and who had turned to social activism. Their discussions on issues and attempts to convince Thomas to embrace abolitionism demonstrate the rise of the arguments that they would later use in their abolitionist activism. The news stories, in papers like The Liberator, showed them the glories of reform activists, and helped support the idea that people could challenge problems, work to positively change the world, and stand up to violent oppressive forces. The letter to Liberator helped express praise for such forces, condemnation for the supporters of slavery, and an argument against slavery. During their training they admired the activist who helped bring them into activism, and grew to differentiate their highest opinion toward the most idealistic and radical of the reformers. And throughout the thirties they grew highly interested ideas of Christian perfectionism;