Angelina Emily Grimké Weld
William Weld
William Floyd Weld is an American attorney, businessman, and Republican politician who served as the 68th Governor of Massachusetts from 1991 to 1997. Weld is running for the Republican nomination for President of the United States in 2020.
What did Angelina Grimke and Catherine Beecher agree on?
What did Angelina Grimke fight for? Angelina Emily Grimké Weld (February 20, 1805 – October 26, 1879) was an American abolitionist, political activist, women's rights advocate, and supporter of the women's suffrage movement. She and her sister Sarah Moore Grimké are the only white Southern women who became abolitionists. Click to see full answer.
What did Angeline Grimke encourage women to do?
By Debra Michals, PhD | 2015. Although raised on a slave-owning plantation in South Carolina, Angelina Emily Grimké Weld grew up to become an ardent abolitionist writer and speaker, as well as a women’s rights activist. She and her sister Sarah Moore Grimké were among the first women to speak in public against slavery, defying gender norms and risking violence in doing so.
How did Catherine Beecher and Angelina Grimke agree?
Feb 26, 2015 · Two early and prominent activists for abolition and women’s rights, Sarah Grimke (1792-1873) and Angelina Grimke Weld (1805-1879) were raised in the cradle of slavery on a plantation in South Carolina. The Grimke sisters, as they were known, grew to despise slavery after witnessing its cruel effects at a young age.
What did Catharine Beecher and Angelina Grimke diagree about?
The first woman to address a state legislature (Massachusetts in 1836), Angelina Grimke fearlessly traveled across New York and New England, speaking out against slavery at a time when women were scarcely seen and never heard in the public arena. In order to lecture about this sensitive issue she had to first fight for her right, as a woman, to participate in the abolionist …
What did Angelina Grimké do to end slavery?
In 1835, Angelina joined the interracial Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, which had been founded two years earlier. In 1836, she wrote a powerful “Appeal to the Christian Women of the South,” which urged southern women to violate social custom to “read,” “pray,” “speak,” and “act” on the issue of slavery.
What is Angelina Grimke best known for?
Angelina's greatest fame was between 1835, when William Lloyd Garrison published a letter of hers in his anti-slavery newspaper The Liberator, and May 1838, when she gave a speech to abolitionists with a hostile, noisy, stone-throwing crowd outside Pennsylvania Hall.
What did Angelina Grimke do in the Civil War?
By the time of the Civil War Angelina Grimke Weld had spent three decades fighting the institution of slavery. The Civil War and especially the Emancipation Proclamation which went into effect on January 1, 1863, seemed inevitably to bring her work to her desired conclusion.Jun 10, 2010
Why did Angelina Grimke opposed slavery?
Two early and prominent activists for abolition and women's rights, Sarah Grimke (1792-1873) and Angelina Grimke Weld (1805-1879) were raised in the cradle of slavery on a plantation in South Carolina. The Grimke sisters, as they were known, grew to despise slavery after witnessing its cruel effects at a young age.Feb 26, 2015
What is the black finger about?
“The Black Finger” is a short poem that was written by Angelina Weld Grimke around the Harlem Renaissance period, which was an era in which stood for change and the persistence for African American rights. This is why Weld's poetry demonstrates strong characteristics of African Americans in her writings.
What was Angelina Weld Grimke accomplishments?
Grimké is best known for her small body of poetry, which has been anthologized in Negro Poets and Their Poems (1923), The Poetry of the Negro (1949; edited by Langston Hughes), and Caroling Dusk (1927; edited by Countee Cullen), among others.Feb 23, 2022
Was Angelina Grimké successful?
Back again in New York, this time in Poughkeepsie, the sisters spoke for the first time to a mixed-gender audience. Although skeptics had warned that two women speaking in public on political issues would damage the already controversial anti-slavery movement, the Grimkes' first tour was widely regarded as successful.
What did Harriet Beecher Stowe do to end slavery?
In 1852, author and social activist Harriet Beecher Stowe popularized the anti-slavery movement with her novel Uncle Tom's Cabin. While slavery was prominent in the South, many Americans did not encounter slavery daily; therefore, many did not fully grasp its appalling nature.Aug 31, 2015
What did John Brown do to end slavery?
In May 1858, Brown held a secret anti-slavery convention in Canada. About 50 black and white supporters adopted Brown's anti-slavery constitution. In December, Brown moved beyond talk and plans. He led a daring raid from Kansas across the border into Missouri, where he killed one slave owner and freed 11 slaves.
Why do you think it was necessary for Angelina and Sarah Grimke to move to the north?
Grimké was warned that her daughters would be prevented from ever visiting Charleston again. In 1836, Angelina and Sarah moved to New York (against the advice and without the permission of the Philadelphia Quakers) to begin work as agents for the abolitionist cause.
Who founded the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833?
William Lloyd GarrisonThe American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS) was founded in 1833 in Philadelphia, by prominent white abolitionists such as William Lloyd Garrison and Arthur Lewis Tappan as well as blacks from Pennsylvania, including James Forten and Robert Purvis.
Was Angelina Grimke educated?
She moved to join her sister in Philadelphia, and she and Sarah set out to educate themselves. Angelina was accepted at Catherine Beecher's school for girls, but their Quaker meeting refused to give permission for her to attend. The Quakers also discouraged Sarah from becoming a preacher.Jun 2, 2019
Why was Angelina expelled from the Quaker meeting?
Because the wedding was not a Quaker wedding and her husband was not a Quaker, Angelina was expelled from the Quaker meeting. Sarah was also expelled for attending the wedding. Angelina and Theodore moved onto a farm in New Jersey and Sarah moved in with them.
Who helped Angelina and Sarah speak?
Angelina and Sarah received many invitations to speak, first at anti-slavery conventions and then at other venues in the north. Fellow abolitionist Theodore Weld helped train the sisters to improve their speaking skills. The sisters toured, speaking in 67 cities in 23 weeks.
What did the Grimké plantation produce?
The Grimké plantation produced rice until the invention of the cotton gin made cotton more profitable. The family enslaved people, including those forced to work in the field and household servants. Angelina, like her sister Sarah, was offended by enslavement from an early age.
What did Angelina mention in the letter?
Angelina mentioned in the letter her first-hand knowledge of enslavement. To Angelina's shock, Garrison printed her letter in his newspaper. The letter was reprinted widely and Angelina found herself famous and at the center of the anti-slavery world. The letter became part of a widely-read anti-slavery pamphlet .
Why did Angelina refuse confirmation?
At age 13, Angelina refused confirmation in the Anglican church of her family because of the church's support for enslavement.
What did the sisters do in the Civil War?
When it was held, Angelina was among the speakers. The sisters and Theodore moved to Boston and became active in the women's rights movement after the Civil War.
Where did Angelina and Theodore move to?
In 1854, Angelina, Theodore, Sarah, and the children moved to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, operating a school there until 1862.
Who were the Grimke sisters?
Two early and prominent activists for abolition and women’s rights, Sarah Grimke (1792-1873) and Angelina Grimke Weld (1805-1879) were raised in the cradle of slavery on a plantation in South Carolina. The Grimke sisters, as they were known, grew to despise slavery ...
Who were the Stantons' friends?
The Stantons were good friends of the Grimkes: Elizabeth’s husband Henry served as best man at the wedding of Angelina Grimke and Theodore Weld, sent their oldest sons to the Grimke-Weld boarding school, and, in honor of Angelina’s husband, named their fourth son Theodore Weld Stanton. Last updated: February 26, 2015.
Early Life
in Philadelphia
- Within two years, Angelina gave up hope of having any impact while remaining at home. She moved to join her sister in Philadelphia, and she and Sarah set out to educate themselves. Angelina was accepted at Catherine Beecher's school for girls, but their Quaker meeting refused to give permission for her to attend. The Quakers also discouraged Sarah from becoming a prea…
Abolitionism
- The sisters turned to the growing abolitionist movement. Angelina joined the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, which was associated with the American Anti-Slavery Society, founded in 1833. On August 30, 1835, Angelina Grimké wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison, a leader of the American Anti-Slavery Society and the editor of the aboliti...
Speaking Career
- Angelina and Sarah received many invitations to speak, first at anti-slavery conventions and then at other venues in the north. Fellow abolitionist Theodore Weldhelped train the sisters to improve their speaking skills. The sisters toured, speaking in 67 cities in 23 weeks. At first, they spoke to all-woman audiences, but then men began to attend the lectures as well. A woman speaking to …
Marriage
- Angelina married fellow abolitionist Theodore Weld in 1838, the same young man who had helped prepare the sisters for their speaking tour. The marriage ceremony included friends and fellow activists both Black and White. Six formerly enslaved people of the Grimké family attended. Weld was a Presbyterian; the ceremony was not a Quaker one. Garrison read the vows and Theodore r…
'American Slavery as It Is'
- In 1839, the Grimké sisters published "American Slavery As It Is: Testimony From a Thousand Witnesses."The book was later used as a source by Harriet Beecher Stowe for her 1852 book "Uncle Tom's Cabin." The sisters kept up their correspondence with other anti-slavery and pro women's rights activists. One of their letters was to the 1852 women's rights convention in Syrac…
Death
- Sarah died in Boston in 1873. Angelina suffered several strokes shortly after Sarah's death and became paralyzed. She died in Boston in 1879.
Legacy
- Grimké's activism had a profound effect on the abolitionist and women's rights movements. In 1998, she was posthumously inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.
Sources
- Browne, Stephen H. "Angelina Grimke Rhetoric, Identity, and the Radical Imagination." Michigan State University Press, 2012.
- Grimké, Sarah Moore, et al. "On Slavery and Abolitionism: Essays and Letters." Penguin Books, 2014.
Overview
Angelina Emily Grimké Weld (February 20, 1805 – October 26, 1879) was an American abolitionist, political activist, women's rights advocate, and supporter of the women's suffrage movement. She and her sister Sarah Moore Grimké are the only white Southern women who became abolitionists. The sisters lived together as adults, while Angelina was the wife of abolitionist leader Theodore …
Family background
Grimké was born in Charleston, South Carolina, to John Faucheraud Grimké and Mary Smith, both from wealthy planter families. Her father was an Anglican lawyer, planter, politician, and judge, a Revolutionary War veteran, and distinguished member of Charleston society. Her mother Mary was a descendant of South Carolina Governor Thomas Smith. Her parents owned a plantationand were major slaveholders. Angelina was the youngest of 14 children. Her father believed women …
Early years and religious activity
Both Mary and John Grimké were strong advocates of the traditional, upper-class, Southern values that permeated their rank of Charleston society. Mary would not permit the girls to socialize outside the prescribed elite social circles, and John remained a slaveholder his entire life.
Nicknamed "Nina", young Angelina Grimké was very close to her older sister Sarah Moore Grimké, …
Activism
The Grimké sisters joined the Orthodox Meeting of the Philadelphia chapter of the Quakers. During this period, they remained relatively ignorant of certain political issues and debates; the only periodical they read regularly was The Friend, the weekly paper of the Society of Friends. The Friend provided limited information on current events and discussed them only within the context of the Quaker community. Thus, at the time, Grimké was unaware of (and therefore uninfluence…
Major writings
Two of Grimké's most notable works were her essay "An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South" and her series of letters to Catharine Beecher.
"An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South", published by the American Anti-Slavery Society, is unique because it is the only written appeal made by a Southern woman to other Southern women regarding the abolition of slavery, written in the hope that Southern women would not b…
Personal life
In 1831, Grimké was courted by Edward Bettle, the son of Samuel Bettle and Jane Temple Bettle, a family of prominent Orthodox Friends. Diaries show that Bettle intended to marry Grimké, though he never actually proposed. Sarah supported the match. However, in the summer of 1832, a large cholera epidemic broke out in Philadelphia. Grimké agreed to take in Bettle's cousin Elizabeth Walton, who, unbeknownst to anyone at the time, was dying of the disease. Bettle, who regularly …
Archival material
The papers of the Grimké family are in the South Carolina Historical Society, Charleston, South Carolina. The Weld–Grimké papers are William L. Clements Library, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI.
Legacy
History of Woman Suffrage (1881) is dedicated to the memory of Sarah and Angelina Grimké, among others.
Grimké, like her sister Sarah, has begun to receive the recognition she deserves in more recent years. Grimké is memorialized in Judy Chicago's The Dinner Party.
In 1998, Grimké was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame. She is also remembered …