Grimké Sisters: Breaking Laws, Changing History

Sarah and Angelina Grimké were born into a slave-owning family in South Carolina. In the 1800s, they broke the law by teaching slaves to read and write, which was prohibited by South Carolina law. They also defied social conventions by speaking publicly about abolition and women's rights, addressing mixed-gender audiences and advocating for racial equality.

Teaching slaves to read

Sarah and Angelina Grimké were born into a slave-owning family in South Carolina. They had a large number of slaves, both at home and on their extensive farm properties. The sisters were not shielded from the reality of slavery, as their father required his sons and daughters to pick cotton on the plantation, bringing them into contact with the field labourers. This early exposure to slavery seems to have influenced their later views.

Sarah Grimké recalled that, from a young age, she felt uneasy about societal inequality: "We had many outdoor enjoyments... I, however, always had one terrible drawback. Slavery was a millstone about my neck, and marred my comfort from the time I can remember myself." She also wrote in her diary about the "almost malicious satisfaction" she took in teaching her handmaid, a slave, to read at night.

South Carolina law barred teaching slaves to read, but this did not stop Sarah. She taught her handmaid to read in secret until her father caught her and lectured her on the impropriety and illegality of her actions. Despite this, Sarah continued to rebel against the idea that slaves were forced to hear the Gospel from others rather than read it for themselves.

Angelina Grimké also wrote about the importance of teaching slaves to read in her 1836 tract, 'Appeal to the Christian Women of the South'. She encouraged Southern women to teach slaves "the common branches of an English education" whenever it was possible to do so, despite this being an illegal and subversive act.

The Grimké sisters were among the first nationally known white American female advocates for abolitionism and women's rights. They were also early activists in the women's rights movement. They led the way for women's public participation in politics, becoming some of the first American-born women to make a public speaking tour.

Writing abolitionist letters and pamphlets

Sarah and Angelina Grimké were born into a slave-owning family in South Carolina. They were the daughters of Judge John Faucheraud Grimké, a prominent judge and former mayor of Charleston, and Mary Smith Grimké. The sisters grew up in the Episcopal Church and were taught to read the Bible from a young age. Despite their privileged upbringing, both sisters developed a distaste for slavery from an early age. In violation of South Carolina law, Sarah taught one of her father's slaves to read.

In 1819, Sarah travelled to Philadelphia with her father, where she was introduced to the Society of Friends, or the Quakers. The Quakers' views on slavery and gender equality resonated with her, and she moved to Philadelphia permanently in 1821. Angelina joined her in 1829, and the sisters became active members of the Quaker community.

The sisters entered the national spotlight as abolitionists when Angelina wrote a letter against slavery to William Lloyd Garrison, the publisher of the abolitionist newspaper *The Liberator*. Garrison published the letter without Angelina's permission, and it included her volunteering to help in the abolitionist cause. "This is a cause worth dying for," she wrote.

In 1836, Angelina published her most famous pamphlet, titled "Appeal to the Christian Women of the South". This document is significant because it was written by a woman on a controversial topic and because it was addressed to Southern women, with an appeal to their moral authority and their ability to influence society more broadly. Angelina urged her readers to ignore wrongful laws and do what was right: "Consequences, my friends, belong no more to you than they did to [the] apostles. Duty is ours, and events are God's."

In addition to their pamphlets, the Grimké sisters also wrote and published several letters. In response to an attack by Catharine Beecher on her public speaking, Angelina wrote a series of letters to Beecher, later published with the title *Letters to Catharine Beecher*, staunchly defending the abolitionist cause and her right to speak publicly for the cause. By the end of 1836, the sisters were being denounced from Congregationalist pulpits. The following year, Sarah responded to the ministers' attacks by writing a series of letters addressed to the president of the abolitionist society that sponsored their speeches. The series became known as *Letters on the Equality of the Sexes*, in which she defended women's right to the public platform.

Speaking publicly about abolition

Sarah and Angelina Grimké were born into a slave-owning family in South Carolina. They became prominent anti-slavery campaigners and women's rights advocates, speaking and writing about these issues publicly.

The sisters entered the national spotlight as abolitionists when Angelina wrote a letter against slavery to William Lloyd Garrison, the publisher of the abolitionist newspaper *The Liberator*. Angelina's letter included her volunteering to help in the cause: "This is a cause worth dying for," she wrote.

In 1836, Angelina issued her most famous pamphlet, titled "Appeal to the Christian Women of the South", urging white Southern women to help end the scourge of slavery. She encouraged women to submit petitions to state legislatures and denominational governing bodies, and to teach slaves to read and write. Angelina's appeal to Southern women as women is particularly interesting. She notes that her readers do not make the laws that perpetuate slavery, but they are the wives and mothers, sisters and daughters of those who do.

In the same year, Sarah published "An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States" on slavery and a collection of "Letters on the Equality of the Sexes", which examined the conditions and roles of women in the church and around the world.

Around this time, both sisters took up regular speaking engagements, first appearing at the Anti-Slavery Convention in New York in 1837. They embarked on a lecture tour in New England, speaking before audiences that increasingly included both men and women, whites and blacks. This public activity prompted antislavery efforts across New England to blossom, especially among women.

The Grimké sisters were among the first female public speakers in the United States. They challenged social conventions in two ways: first, by speaking for the antislavery movement at a time when it was unpopular to do so, and second, by the very act of their public speaking, which was considered unsuitable for women.

The sisters' public speaking drew condemnation from religious leaders and traditionalists who did not believe that it was a woman's place to speak in public. Each attack fuelled the Grimké sisters' determination. They responded to criticism by writing letters defending their right to speak publicly for the abolitionist cause.

By the end of 1836, the sisters were being denounced from Congregationalist pulpits. The following year, Sarah responded to the ministers' attacks by writing a series of letters addressed to the president of the abolitionist society that sponsored their speeches. The series became known as "Letters on the Equality of the Sexes", in which she defended women's right to the public platform. By 1838, thousands of people came to hear their Boston lecture series.

Speaking to mixed-gender audiences

Sarah and Angelina Grimké were born into a slave-owning family in South Carolina. They became well-known as the first nationally recognised white American female advocates of abolitionism and women's rights. They were also educators and writers.

The sisters began their public speaking careers by addressing "parlor meetings" or "sewing circles" of women only, adhering to the contemporary rules of gender propriety. However, as they attracted larger audiences, they began to speak in front of mixed-gender audiences, challenging social conventions.

In 1837, the Grimké sisters went on a lecture tour of the Northeast, arranging talks in 67 cities. They spoke to packed audiences, including both men and women, whites and blacks. This was unheard of for women of the time. Their lectures were part of their abolitionist campaign, advocating for the end of slavery and urging their audiences to locate and root out race prejudice in their own lives and communities.

The fact that the Grimké sisters were women speaking before mixed-gender audiences created an uproar, even among abolitionist sympathizers. Many religious leaders rejected the idea of women speaking from pulpits and public stages. In 1837, the Congregational Churches issued a "Pastoral Letter" warning their congregations of "the dangers which at present seem to threaten the female character with widespread and permanent injury" and called women to remember their "appropriate duties and influence... as clearly stated in the New Testament".

Despite the backlash, the Grimké sisters continued to speak out. They understood that their public voices were integral to their fight against slavery and for women's rights. In doing so, they paved the way for women's public participation in politics and inspired future generations of female activists.

Founding a private school

Founding a school was not the Grimké sisters' first foray into education. In Philadelphia, Angelina taught classes at a school started by her widowed sister Anna Frost. However, she was unhappy with her experience there and considered other options, including attending and teaching at the Hartford Female Seminary. Ultimately, she remained in Philadelphia, teaching at an infant school.

In 1848, Angelina and Sarah, along with Angelina's husband Theodore Dwight Weld, founded a co-educational boarding school out of their home in Belleville, New Jersey. The school was a struggle and did not make much money. In 1854, the trio moved to a farm in New Jersey and established the Eagleswood Military Academy at the Raritan Bay Union cooperative. They also taught at the school, which continued operating even after the cooperative failed. In 1862, the family moved to Boston to continue their teaching careers.

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