Grimke Sisters Work Together to Abolish Slavery and Give Women Equality

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Sarah Grimke and Angelina Grimke, more commonly known as the Grimke Sisters, were among the first women to become active public speakers in the abolitionist movement in the United States in the 1800s. Having lived in a time when women were inferior, and discouraged from getting involved in political affairs, it was not difficult for them to become noticed by speaking out to the public, and writing on their beliefs that supported the movement to abolish slavery. In turn, this also began a new movement for women's rights to establish the right to effectively voice their opinions to the public. The two sisters shared the same views on these issues, and lived and worked together for much of their lives (Whipps).
The Grimke sisters were born into a wealthy, well established southern family in Charleston, South Carolina. Their father, John Grimke, was a plantation owner and well known judge who had previously been a lieutenant colonel in the Revolutionary War, as well as part of the South Carolina House of Representatives. Sarah and Angelina were two of fourteen children in the Grimke family. Sarah was born in 1792, making her the sixth child. She loved to learn and was well educated in the aspects of reading, writing, and simple mathematics. Although her education was full, and at a high capacity for a woman, she yearned for more. Sarah secretly borrowed her brother's history books and taught herself, hoping to one day go to college alongside her brothers. Having lived on a plantation her entire life, Sarah became well aware of the brutal treatment of slaves. At a young age, she witnessed many beatings and torture of the slaves. In a minor attempt to help, she secretly began to teach her maid to read so that she could read and learn t...

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...eenth century's most important woman's rights advocates, antislavery leaders, and feminist thinkers (Lerner). "Whatever is morally right for a man to do, it is morally right for a woman to do. I recognize no rights but human rights - I know nothing of men's rights and women's rights; for in Christ Jesus, there is neither male nor female" (Grimke, Angelina). "Here then I plant myself. God created us equal;- he created us free agents; - he is our Lawgiver, our King, and our Judge, and to him alone is woman bound to be in subjection, and to him alone is she accountable for the use of those talents with which Her Heavenly Father has entrusted her. One is her Master even Christ" (Grimke, Sarah). As women who spoke publicly against slavery and for women's rights, they continued to inspire female activists to not give up and keep fighting for all human beings to be equal.

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