Kyra's Blog : Angelina Grimke Abolitionist Post

Hi everyone, I am Angelina Grimke and I am here on behalf of all abolitionists, to speak out on the issue of slavery. I was born to a judge and a slaveholder on February 20, 1805 in Charleston, SC. My family was well established and we had significant influence. I was one of fourteen children. My dad John Faucheraud was a judge for thirty plus years. While my mother Mary Smith was a slaveholder, my passion to end slavery came from my parents who were slave owners. I witnessed many people being treated unjustly and inhumanely. I had a difficult time understanding how people could treat others with such a high level of hatred. My sister’s actions to educate enslaved people on my parent’s plantation gave me the passion to fight against slavery. I strived to end the injustice that I saw suffered by those around me. I was determined to make a change for the better. The moment that I knew I was going to make a change was when I went with my sister to give an address at the American Anti-Slavery Society. The address was given to bring light on thoughts and anger towards slaveholders and to speak out against the injustice. The speech I gave was known as the Appeal to Christian Women of the South. The purpose of this speech was to let women of the South know we can make a difference, while also recognizing the immoral actions of slavery and fighting against it. During my time as an abolitionist I wrote many books that spoke out against slavery. The utmost important book I wrote was the Anti-Slavery Appeal to Christian Women of the South in 1836. This book became one of the most important writings for Southern white women. In 1838 I married another abolitionist named Theodore Dwight Weld. Together we collaborated on a book to fight against slavery. I assisted my husband at the school he founded in Belleville, NJ from 1848-1862. Where I then moved to Massachusetts in 1863 to fight for women's rights after the Civil War. I illegally voted in 1870 as part of a protest. The protest I voted in was held in Hyde Park. The action taken in Hyde Park would lead to the founding of the Massachusetts Women's Suffrage Association. The group of my fellow activists went to vote, however our votes were not counted, but even so it got us one small step closer to fighting for women's rights. The fight for women's rights continued for many years until the 19th amendment was passed in 1919. Sadly, I was never around to see the 19th amendment ratified, but the work I had done years prior was a stepping stone for the years to come. The time spent fighting against injustices with my sister came to an end, after she passed away in 1873. My health began to take a turn for the worst, I had numerous strokes, which left me paralyzed. I was laid to rest in 1875.