Angelina Grimke

Personal Statement: My name is Angelina Emily Grimké and I was born on February 20, 1805 in Charleston, South Carolina. I am the daughter of a wealthy slave owner and a judge and I am the youngest out of 14 children. I was educated at home but neither my sister nor I were satisfied with our education and the limitation on it. After my family refused to discuss slavery with me, my sister and I moved out of Charleston. I am most notable for my written letter to the abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison where I denounced a recent mob attack on him in Boston and stated my sympathy. I’m also notable for my tract An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South which widely circulated the north as the first antislavery piece written by a southern woman. I am political activist, supporter of the woman's suffrage act and a abolitionist. My sister and I share a lot of the same ideas regarding slavery and women’s right and we've worked together to achieve some of these goals regarding these issues.

Issue(s): Growing up, I began to realize that my rights, as well as other, were limited. Women and blacks were a minority in my society. Disagreeing with the way people’s actions and beliefs, my sister and I decided to move to Pennsylvania and join the Quaker family. There we occupied themselves with charitable and religious work while gradually moving closer to the antislavery movement. I joined the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1835. Later that year, my letter to the abolitionist leader William Lloyd Garrison got published on The Liberator. In 1836 my pamphlet circulated the North. It was titled An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South which encouraged women to help end the slavery in the South. I am a strong supporter of the minority and believe that they should have the same rights and equal opportunities as the rest of the society.

Solution(s): I wanted to spread my ideas to the rest of the society and have other people see what my sister and I see. I began to speak before small groups of women in New York City. As the time went on, those groups also included men and more and more people began listening to me. We’ve been attacked by the press and the clergy but we have defended our right as women to speak in public. My sister and I are known as pioneers in the women’s rights movement. I believe there should be equality in race and in gender and many people, including my husband and sister as well as many others, agree with me in this cause.

Relationship to Others: I left the south because of their ideas regarding slavery. I believe in equality and they did not. Most of my ideas did not match up with theirs but in my life I've been a part of many groups. I would get along with anyone that has the same beliefs as me. Someone who is against slavery and believes in equal rights just like me. I feel the most important reforms that can happen are Women’s Rights, Abolition, and Education.

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