Background
Sarah Grimké was born in South Carolina, the sixth of 14 children and the second daughter of Mary Smith and John Faucheraud Grimké.
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book
Letters on the equality of the sexes, and the condition of woman
(This book was digitized and reprinted from the collection...)
This book was digitized and reprinted from the collections of the University of California Libraries. It was produced from digital images created through the libraries mass digitization efforts. The digital images were cleaned and prepared for printing through automated processes. Despite the cleaning process, occasional flaws may still be present that were part of the original work itself, or introduced during digitization. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found online in the HathiTrust Digital Library at www.hathitrust.org.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B006RRTT70/?tag=2022091-20
The Public Years of Sarah and Angelina Grimke
(Sarah Moore Grimke and Angelina Emily Grimke were the fir...)
Sarah Moore Grimke and Angelina Emily Grimke were the first women in America coming from a southern slave-holding family to speak publicly on behalf of the abolition of slavery. This book contains a collection of eloquent political writings. It includes a introduction situating the Grimkes' in an historical and political context.
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On Slavery and Abolitionism: Essays and Letters (Penguin Classics)
(A collection of historic writings from the slave-owner-tu...)
A collection of historic writings from the slave-owner-turned-abolitionist sisters portrayed in Sue Monk Kidds novel The Invention of Wings Sarah and Angelina Grimkés portrayal in Sue Monk Kidds latest novel, The Invention of Wings, has brought much-deserved new attention to these inspiring Americans. The first female agents for the American Anti-Slavery Society, the sisters originally rose to prominence after Angelina wrote a rousing letter of support to renowned abolitionist William Garrison in the wake of Philadelphias pro-slavery riots in 1935. Born into Southern aristocracy, the Grimkés grew up in a slave-holding family. Hetty, a young house servant, whom Sarah secretly taught to read, deeply influenced Sarah Grimkés life, sparking her commitment to anti-slavery activism. As adults, the sisters embraced Quakerism and dedicated their lives to the abolitionist and womens rights movements. Their appeals and epistles were some of the most eloquent and emotional arguments against slavery made by any abolitionists. Their words, greeted with trepidation and threats in their own time, speak to us now as enduring examples of triumph and hope. For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators. From the Trade Paperback edition.
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Sarah Moore Grimké
Edit ProfileEducation
She was educated by private tutors on subjects considered appropriate for a young southern woman of her class, including French, painting with watercolors, playing the harpsichord, and doing embroidery. Her father allowed Sarah to study geography, history and mathematics from the books in his library, and to read his law books; however, he drew the line at her learning Latin.
Career
From her youth, Sarah believed that religion should take a more proactive role in improving the lives of those who suffered most. Her religious quest took her first to Presbyterianism; she converted in 1817. After moving to Philadelphia in 1821, she joined the Quakers, whom she had learned about in an earlier visit with her father. There, she became an outspoken advocate for education and suffrage for African Americans and women.
She returned to Charleston in the spring of 1827 to “save” her sister Angelina from the limitations of the South. Angelina visited Sarah in Philadelphia from July to November of the same year and returned to Charleston committed to the Quaker faith. After leaving Charleston, Angelina and Sarah traveled around New England speaking on the abolitionist circuit, at first addressing women only in large parlors and small churches. Their speeches concerning abolition and women's rights reached thousands. In November, 1829, Angelina joined her sister in Philadelphia. They had long had a close relationship; for years, Angelina called Sarah "mother", as Sarah was both her godmother and primary caretake.
In 1836, Sarah published Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States. In 1837, Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the Condition of Women was published serially in a Massachusetts newspaper, The Spectator, and immediately reprinted in The Liberator, the newspaper published by radical abolitionist and women's rights leader William Lloyd Garrison. The letters were published in book form in 1838.
When the sisters were together in Philadelphia, they devoted themselves to charity work and to the Society of Friends. During the Civil War, Sarah wrote and lectured in support of President Abraham Lincoln. She was the author of the first developed public argument for women's equality. She worked to rid the United States of slavery, Christian churches which had become “unchristian, ” and prejudice against African Americans and women.
Achievements
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Sarah Grimke was categorized as not only an abolitionist but also a feminist because she challenged the Society for Friends, which touted women's inclusion but denied her. It was through her abolitionist pursuits that she became more sensitive to the restrictions on women.
Her writings gave suffrage workers such as Lucy Stone, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott several arguments and ideas that they would need to help end slavery and begin the women’s suffrage movement.
Works
book
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On Slavery and Abolitionism: Essays and Letters (Penguin Classics)
(A collection of historic writings from the slave-owner-tu...)
-
The Public Years of Sarah and Angelina Grimke
(Sarah Moore Grimke and Angelina Emily Grimke were the fir...)
-
Letters on the equality of the sexes, and the condition of woman
(This book was digitized and reprinted from the collection...)
-
On Slavery and Abolitionism: Essays and Letters (Penguin Classics)
Religion
Sarah Grimke's view on abolition is clear based on her activism and she was a major female player in the abolition movement. These views were rooted in her Quaker faith and she believed, similar to her sister, that slavery was contrary to God's will. Similarly, her views on women's rights were rooted in the Bible. She had strong opinions especially on the story of creation. She believed Adam and Eve were created equally, unlike many who believed Eve was created as a gift for Adam.
Politics
Sarah became very involved in the anti-slavery movement and published volumes of literature and letters on the topic. When she became well known, she began lecturing around the country on the issue. At the time women did not speak in public meetings, so Sarah was viewed as a leader in feminist issues. She openly challenged women’s domestic roles.
Views
Sarah and Angelina had come to loathe slavery and all its degradations. They had hoped that their new faith would be more accepting of their abolitionist beliefs than their former had been. However, their initial attempts to attack slavery caused them difficulties in the Quaker community. The sisters persisted despite their belief that the fight for women's rights was as important as the fight to abolish slavery. Although Sarah had the desire to ‘equip women for economic independence and for social usefulness’ , they continued to be attacked, even by some abolitionists, who considered their position extreme.
Connections
References
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Born
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Died
February 23, 1873 (aged 81) -
Nationality
American -
Religion
Quaker