Research Paper on Charlotte Forten Grimke

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Re 1st Quarter Project Research Paper: Charlotte Forten Grimke By: Akenke Cousins and other sources… Akenke Cousins Ms. Lang US History Honors 12 October 2012 Research Paper: Charlotte Forten Grimke (1837-1914) Charlotte Forten Grimke was “one of the most influential antislavery activists of her time...” according to the National Women’s History Museum (http://www.nwhm.org/education-resources/biography/biographies/charlotte-forten-grimke/). She was born as a free individual who worked hard trying to end slavery. She was an influential activist who had many roles in the societal, economic, and movement for political change during the Reconstruction and Civil War era. She worked diligently and achieved many accomplishments during her time. Charlotte was born in Philadelphia in 1837. She was born into a wealthy family full of abolitionists. Her grandfather was James Forten Sr., who was a well-known successful abolitionist, sail maker and a leading businessman. Her father and mother, Robert Bridges and Mary Woods Forten, were members of the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. The Fortens were active abolitionists and their home was open to many visitors who supported their cause. Charlotte attended Higgins Grammar School along with the white students and later the Normal School in Salem, Massachusetts at the age of 16. She was very determined about school, books, and studying so she can give back to slaves by “changing the condition of the oppressed and suffering people” as Esther M. Douty wrote in Free Black Teacher. This lead to her being one of the first African American teacher in Salem to be hired, where she even taught white students. During teaching career, she recorded the events in her life, events in that era, and her idols like Fredrick Douglass, and Harriet Tubman in her personal journals. Her journals

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