Abby Kelley facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Abby Kelley
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Abby Kelley Foster
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| Born | January 15, 1811 |
| Died | January 14, 1887 (aged 75) |
| Occupation | American abolitionist and women's suffragist |
| Spouse(s) | Stephen Symonds Foster |
Abby Kelley Foster (born January 15, 1811 – died January 14, 1887) was an American abolitionist and a strong supporter of social change. She worked from the 1830s to the 1870s. Abby became a key person for the American Anti-Slavery Society. She helped raise money, gave speeches, and organized committees. She worked closely with William Lloyd Garrison and other leaders. Abby married Stephen Symonds Foster, who also fought against slavery. Together, they worked for equal rights for women and for enslaved people in America.
Her old home, Liberty Farm in Worcester, Massachusetts, is now a special National Historic Landmark.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Abigail (Abby) Kelley was born on January 15, 1811. She was the seventh daughter of Wing and Lydia Kelley, who were farmers in Pelham, Massachusetts. Abby grew up helping on the family farms in Worcester, Massachusetts. She had a loving but strict Quaker upbringing. Her family belonged to the Quaker Meeting in nearby Uxbridge, Massachusetts.
Abby started school in a small, one-room schoolhouse in Worcester. Later, she attended a good private school for girls in Worcester. In 1826, because there was no high school for girls in Worcester, Abby went to the New England Friends Boarding School in Providence, Rhode Island. After her first year, she taught for two years to earn money for more schooling. In 1829, she finished her education. This was the best education a woman of her background could get in New England at that time.
Becoming an Activist
Abby returned home to teach in local schools. In 1835, she helped her parents move to Millbury, Massachusetts. Then, in 1836, she moved to Lynn, Massachusetts to teach. There, she met other Quakers who believed in healthy eating, peace, and ending slavery.
She became very interested in ending slavery after hearing a speech by William Lloyd Garrison. He was the editor of an anti-slavery newspaper called The Liberator. Abby joined the Female Anti-Slavery Society of Lynn. She was soon chosen to help collect signatures for petitions. These petitions asked the government to end slavery in the District of Columbia. Abby worked hard and, in 1837, collected signatures from almost half the women in Lynn.
Fighting for Change
Abby Kelley's ideas became stronger as she worked with other abolitionists, like Angelina Grimké. She became an "ultra" abolitionist. This meant she wanted not only to end slavery but also to give black people full civil rights. She also believed in "non-resistance," which meant opposing all forms of government force and war.
Radical abolitionists, led by Garrison, refused to be on juries, join the military, or vote. Abby's strong support for these ideas made some people angry. They called her names because her ideas challenged how society was set up. But many other abolitionists praised her public speaking and dedication. Her influence was so great that activist women were sometimes called "Abby Kelleyites." Her radical ideas became known as "Abby Kelleyism."
Anti-Slavery Work
After some financial difficulties in 1837, Abby took charge of fundraising for the Lynn Female Society. She gave a lot of her own money to the American Anti-Slavery Society. With encouragement from Angelina Grimke, Abby became the Lynn Female Society's first delegate to the national Anti-Slavery Society meeting in New York. There, she spoke about fundraising and helped write the Society's declaration to end slavery. After this meeting, Abby became even more involved. She distributed petitions, raised money, and attended conferences to make people aware of the issue.
In 1838, Abby gave her first public speech to an audience of both men and women. This was at the first Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women in Philadelphia. At that time, it was very unusual for women to speak in public to mixed groups. Despite loud protesters, Abby spoke clearly about ending slavery. In the following months, she spoke to more mixed crowds, like at the New England Anti-Slavery Convention. She also worked on a committee with both men and women.
Later in 1838, she moved to Connecticut to spread the anti-slavery message. By 1839, Abby was fully dedicated to the Anti-Slavery Society. She followed Quaker tradition by not taking payment for her work. However, in 1841, she left the Quakers. This was because they would not allow anti-slavery speakers in their meeting houses. The group then disowned her.
In 1843, Abby spoke at the Liberty Party convention in Buffalo, New York. This made her the first woman in America to speak at a national political convention.
In the years that followed, Abby continued to lecture and raise money for the Anti-Slavery Society. People often objected to her public work as a woman, especially working closely with men. But Abby kept going. She often shared her stage with formerly enslaved people, even if some in the audience disapproved. She once said, "I rejoice to be identified with the despised people of color. If they are to be despised, so ought their advocates to be." In 1849, she wrote to a friend, "We know our cause is steadily onward."
Some male members of the Society disagreed with the ideas of Garrison, Kelley, and other radicals. When Abby was elected to the national business committee, conservative members left in protest. The two groups of abolitionists officially separated. The Anti-Slavery Society was then controlled by pacifist radicals. They wanted complete equality for everyone, without help from any government. In 1854, Abby became the Society's main fundraiser. In 1857, she became the general agent, in charge of scheduling lectures and conventions.
In 1853, Abby and her husband, Stephen Symonds Foster, helped reorganize the Michigan Anti-Slavery Society in Adrian, Michigan. They worked with Sojourner Truth, Jonathan Walker, and others.
Women's Rights
Fighting for women's rights became a new goal for many abolitionists, and Abby was one of them. She spoke about women's rights in Seneca Falls (CDP), New York five years before the famous Seneca Falls Convention was held there. Abby inspired future suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone. She encouraged them to become active in politics. She helped organize and was a main speaker at the first National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts, in 1850. (The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 was the first women's rights convention, but it was not national).
After the American Civil War, Abby supported the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. This amendment gave African American men the right to vote. Some women activists did not like this amendment because it did not include women's right to vote. Abby disagreed with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton because of their strong opposition to the amendment. After the amendment passed and the Anti-Slavery Society ended, Abby continued to work for equal rights for both African Americans and women.
In 1872, Abby and her husband, Stephen Symonds Foster, refused to pay taxes on their farm. They argued that since Abby could not vote, she was a victim of "taxation without representation." Their farm was taken and sold, but friends bought it back for them. Abby continued her activism despite money problems and poor health. She wrote letters to other activists and political figures until she died in 1887.
Family Life
After dating for four years, Abby married fellow abolitionist Stephen Symonds Foster in 1845. In 1847, they bought a farm in Worcester, Massachusetts, and named it "Liberty Farm." Their only daughter was born in 1847. The farm was a safe place for enslaved people on the Underground Railroad and a refuge for other reformers. Abby continued to lecture and raise money across the North until 1850. Then, her health declined, and she had to travel less. She kept up her work through letters and local meetings.
Abby Kelley Foster died on January 14, 1887, just one day before her 76th birthday.
Legacy and Honors
Liberty Farm in Worcester, Massachusetts, the home of Abby Kelley and Stephen Symonds Foster, is a National Historic Landmark. This is because of their important work for abolitionism. It is a private home and not open to visitors.
Abby's House, a shelter for women that opened in Worcester in 1976, is named in her honor.
In 2011, she was added to the National Women's Hall of Fame.
The Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School, a K-12 school in Worcester, Massachusetts, opened in 1998 and is named after her.
See also
In Spanish: Abby Kelley para niños
