Sarah and Angelina
Grimké
By Brett Ransegnola and Mark Brown
A Short Bio
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Sarah GrimkéNov. 26, 1792
Angelina GrimkéFeb. 20, 1805
Born into wealth- Charleston, South
Carolina on a plantation
o Grew up owning slaves, even had a slave girl
"companion"
Rejected slavery from early ages
A Short Bio (cont.)
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1821-Sarah moves to Philadelphia and
converted to Quakerism
1829- Angelina follows
Completely devoted to abolitionism and
later to women's rights
Sarah died on Dec. 23, 1873
Angelina died on Oct. 26, 1879
Abolitionism
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Movement to end slavery in the U.S.
Late 1700's to 1863
o Fight to end discrimination continued for over
100 years after
Grimke Sisters wanted to end both racial
discrimination and slavery
o They were pioneers in this struggle, which was
considered extremely radical at the time
Contributions
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Angelina and Sarah first entered the
spotlight in 1835
o Angelina wrote a powerful letter to William
Garrison regarding slavery
o Garrison published the letter,
bringing Sarah and Angelina to
public attention
1836- Began publishing Anti-slavery
pamphlets and appeals
Contributions (cont.)
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1837- Began a speaking tour throughout the
U.S. voicing abolitionism
Feb. 1838- Spoke before Mass. legislature
against slavery
Aided many abolitionist such as Elizabeth
and Henry Stanton
Effects
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With her letter to Garrison, much positive
emotion from anti-slavery activists was
created
Set a lot of groundwork for abolitionist
arguments
Expanded reach of abolitionist information
and influence with their tours
Woman's Rights Movement
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Sought women's suffrage and equality to
men
Officially began in 1848 with the Seneca
Falls Convention
Included Susan B. Anthony and Sojourner
Truth
Contributions
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Precedents:
o Made speeches as women against slavery
o Encouraged women as abolitionists
o Made speeches to mixed-gender
audiences
o Feb. 1838-Speech in front of legislature
o Various pamphlets and letters
Contributions (cont.)
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"An Appeal to the Christian
Women of the South"- Asserted
the power of women to change
laws and the effects of slavery
on marriage
Also, "Letters on the Equality
of the Sexes and the Condition
of Woman"
Challenged the 15th
Amendment, and attempted to
vote in the 1870 election
Effects
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Set major precedents for future women to
follow
Aroused much activity in the field of
women's rights
Started sparks for the Women's Rights
Movement
Influence On History
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Very large part in advancements of the
abolitionist movement
Shaped the abolitionist ideology with
perspective
Letters appealed to specific groups of
people and persuaded many
Influence on History (cont.)
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Basically set the ball rolling for the
Women's Rights Movement and the Seneca
Falls Convention
Mentored important abolitionists and
Women's Rights activists
Works Cited
"Aboliitionism." United States HISTORY. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.u-s-history.com/pages/h477.html>.
"Angelina (1805-1895) and Sarah Grimke (1792-1873)." National Women's
History Museum. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2013. <http://www.nwhm.org/onlineexhibits/youngandbrave/asgrimke.html>.
"Grimke Sisters." National Park Service. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.nps.gov/wori/historyculture/grimke-sisters.htm>.
"People & Ideas: Angelina and Sarah Grimké." PBS. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.
<http://www.pbs.org/godinamerica/people/angelina-grimke.html>.
"Sarah Grimké, Angelina Grimké." Gale Cengage Learning. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr.
2013.
<http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resources/whm/bio/grimk_sisters.htm>.
"Sarah Grimké (1792–1873) and Angelina Grimké Weld (1805–1879)." Harvard
University Library Open Collections Program. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr. 2013.
<http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/grimke.html>.
"The Seneca Falls Convention." National Portrait Gallery. N.p., n.d. Web. 3 Apr.
2013. <http://npg.si.edu/col/seneca/senfalls1.htm>.