Sarah Moore Grimke

Gaby Wielgus

Early Influences

• Born in 1792 to a very wealthy plantation family in South Carolina• Became appalled by the treatment of slaves on

the plantation• Oppressed by traditional women’s roles in

society, especially regarding education• Began publicly rebelling against slavery and the

societal status of women as a teenager

Career

• In 1821, left home for Philadelphia to become a Quaker minister• Was rejected because of her sex, but later

traveled around New York with her sister giving speeches on abolition and women’s rights• Eventually became a prominent speaker at a

time when women were not allowed to speak publicly

Career

• Went on to publish several books• An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States• Slavery As It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses• Letters on the Equality of the Sexes and the

Condition of Women

• Concerned the importance of personal religion in people’s lives and the importance of abolitionism and women’s rights

Career

• In 1836, joined the American Anti-Slavery Society• However, faced disapproval and exclusion because

of her stance on women’s rights

• Continued to be asked to speak publicly despite disapproval• Retired from public advocacy around 1840

Legacy

• First to publish cohesive work on women’s rights• Encouraged many others to become active in

society regarding women’s rights and abolition• Viewed as a “feminist ground breaker” • Had very large public influence on issues which

were hotly debated• Expressed enormous influence as an advocate

not only of abolition but also racial and gender equality