Analysis: The Abolitionist Sisterhood

2988 Words12 Pages
“The Abolitionist Sisterhood” Papers 3 and 4 by History 3710 May 18, 2013 White American Women as well as African American women participated in the American Revolutionary war in unprecedented ways during Colonial life. All participants in the war had a common goal, freedom from the Mother Country. The triumphant win over the conflict with England awoke a new ideal in American women, one of justice and religious conviction and the goal of eliminating slavery and obtaining their own freedom. Not all women agreed with the movement for women’s rights, but for those who put forth the effort to further women’s rights had a monumental challenge ahead of them. Although many of the courageous women set in motion a movement to improve…show more content…
This liberty allowed them to turn their thoughts to political causes, not so much their own, but that of African American slaves. As American families prospered many families were now able to hire domestic staff to help around the house and women found they had time on their hands to do other things and involvement in their world was one such desire. Their counterparts, free African American women living in the North, although having freedom, did not have the financial liberty or the social accessibility white women were afforded, but they too sought to aid in the movement to free those still held in slavery. The African-American women also organized movements for the abolishment of slavery; however, they were involved in developing their own skills as well. Their desire for self-improvement was evident in their quest to be educated. Most were self-educated and they also sought economic autonomy. This was a significant difference between the black and white women of the antebellum era. The white women continued to be taken care of their husbands and family and continued with their comfortable lives; however the black women, survivors of slavery, out of the need for survival, drew strength from the horrific treatment they endured as slaves. The desire to become educated motivated the black women to learn to read, develop an understanding of the white woman’s culture, and work to support themselves as they developed skills that would prove to be invaluable. This was a distinct difference between black and white women as the African-American woman realized the path to a better life was through their
Open Document