The XIX century was a period when there were some profound societal, political and economic transformations in the USA. Some of the movements such as abolitionism or women’s suffrage would not have been successful, if there had not been strong advocates in the civil society. One of such figures was Angelina Grimke, who was White, but the racial issues did not stop her from participating in the public debate concerning slavery and women’s rights. Her activity was unconventional for the mid-XIX century and it is important to investigate why her name should be written in the U.S. history books.
In this research paper I intend to focus on several significant issues that together will show that Angelina Grimke was a unique person who was brave enough to stand up for the people she was not related to in the very conservative and indifferent society. Firstly, the situation with the slavery in the South and North of the USA in the XIX century will be assessed. Secondly, the issue with the women’s rights will be analyzed in order to show that the equal right problems were not only associated with the people who suffered from slavery and the American society was fragmented. Thirdly, it is important to focus on Angelina Grimke and her motives of becoming a famous political activist. In order to analyze Angelina Grimke’s contribution to the anti-slavery and women’s suffrage movements, one should focus on her educational and family background and the years when Angelina Grimke moved to the North of the USA and participated in the various political events that made her famous. In addition, the ideas that she strived for should be presented in this paper in order to see what exactly she offered to the public.
Therefore, the paper will consist of three parts – analysis of slavery, analysis of the situation with the women’s rights, factors that influenced the development of Angelina Grimke as a political activist and her main achievements. I intend to show that initially Angelina Grimke was very far from the politics, but her dissatisfaction with the state of the American society and some personal issues made her be involved in the political activism. For a woman it was an unprecedented way of life and this is why her achievements became a vital part of the American history.
In order to write this paper 5 sources will be used. Information concerning Angelina Grimke will be taken from the book Sisters Against Slavery: A Story About Sarah and Angelina Grimké by Stephanie McPherson (1999) and the scholarly journal article Angelina Grimké: Asceticism, Millenarianism, and Reform by Foletta, M. (2007). These two sources provide plenty of useful information about her private life that influenced her political views. What is more, the development of slavery in the USA in the XIX century will be analyzed and the article Slavery for Historical Statistics of the United States Millennial Edition by Engerman, Sutch, and Wright (2003) will be used as the main source. Finally, the text Emergence of the Women’s Rights Movement by Saylor Foundation and the book Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic by Rosemarie Zagarri will be used in order to show in what kind of society Angelina Grimke and other women lived in the XIX century. These sources also suggest that the women’s rights movement grew very quickly starting from the 1840s’ and the women were focused on many different issues such as abolition, suffrage, women’s education, etc. Therefore, Angelina Grimke was one of the first activists, but not the only one who popularized the abolitionist ideas. By means of the mentioned above sources, I intend to carry out the in-depth research and prove that Angelina Grimke was a historical figure that together with the other women contributed to the development of the democratic society in the USA.
Works Cited
McPherson, S. Sisters Against Slavery: A Story About Sarah and Angelina Grimké.
Minneapolis: Lerner Publishing Group. 1999. Web.
Foletta, M. Angelina Grimké: Asceticism, Millenarianism, and Reform. New England
Quarterly: A Historical Review of New England Life and Letters, Vol.80(2). June 2007. Web.
Engerman, S., Sutch, R., Wright, G. Slavery for Historical Statistics of the United States
Millennial Edition. Policy Studies Institute University of California. March 2003. Web.
Women’s Sphere and the Emergence of the Women’s Rights Movement. Saylor Foundation.
2012. Web.
Zagarri, R. Revolutionary Backlash: Women and Politics in the Early American Republic.
