Angelina Grimke

Personal Statement
My name is Angelina Grimke and I was born on February 20, 1805 in Charleston South Carolina. I never attended school due to the help that was needed at home but did receive minimal tutoring at home. However, I managed to teach many classes once I became older. As I grew up I never let others tell me what I can and can't do, I thought I deserved my own voice and my own opinion. I am most notable for one of my written letters ti William Lloyd Garrison and when I gave a speech to abolitionists in Philadelphia. I am a political activist, abolitionist, women's right advocate, and a supporters of the woman's suffrage act. My sister Sarah and I both had very similar ideas relating to slavery and women's right's. We worked together to help achieve these goals through our jobs and our life experiences.

Issue(s)

Since Sarah and I didn't like the values of the south and their attitude towards the slaves and equality rights we moved up north into Philadelphia to join the Quaker family and became active members in the Society of Friends. As we entered the national spotlight as abolitionists, I wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison, the publisher of the abolitionist newspaper The Liberator. Garrison published my letter, which included me volunteering to help in the cause. "This is a cause worth dying for, " I wrote. Within a year, I issued my most famous pamphlet, I titled "Appeal to the Christian Women of the South," urging white Southern women to help end the scourge of slavery. I strongly fight for the minority (slaves and women) because we should all have the same say, we're all people aren't we?

Solution(s)
Our public speaking and involvement in the political sphere drew condemnation from religious leaders and traditionalists who did not believe that it was a woman's place to speak in public. We soon found ourselves fighting for equality of the sexes and women's rights, following women like Sojourner Truth in linking the rights of blacks and women. My pamphlet "Appeal to the Christian Women of the South," ultimately helped in the even to abolish slavery. I also have written books with my husband Theodore Dwight Weld, another abolitionist and supporter for equal rights. 

Relationship to Other(s)

Through my life experiences I have been through many groups. Anyone who believes in equal rights and anti-slavery I would love to talk to. However, I was banned from the Quaker society because I married a non-quaker. Also, I left the south because they believe slavery is a must and my ideas just don't match up with them. The most important reforms I feel that are happening are Abolition, Women's Rights, and Education.