American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society facts for kids
The American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society was a group formed in 1840. Its main goal was to end slavery in the United States. This society was created after a disagreement within another group called the American Anti-Slavery Society.
The main reason for the split was a debate about whether women should be allowed to hold leadership roles in anti-slavery organizations. The American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society believed that women should not be in charge of these groups.
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Why the Society Was Formed
The split happened because some leaders had different ideas about how to fight slavery. Lewis Tappan and his brother, Arthur Tappan, were important figures in forming this new society. They wanted a group that focused only on ending slavery.
They did not want to mix the fight against slavery with other big social changes. For example, they disagreed with William Lloyd Garrison, who wanted to include other issues. Garrison believed in making many changes to society at once.
The Tappan brothers wanted a group that would work within existing rules. They did not want to challenge the government or churches directly. They also did not agree with calling the U.S. Constitution a "slave compact."
Key Members and Their Beliefs
The split became official around 1840. It happened partly because Abby Kelley was appointed to a committee in the original society. Many members also disagreed with combining the fight against slavery with early women's rights movements.
The Tappan brothers and many others left the American Anti-Slavery Society. They formed the new American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. Other important members included Henry Highland Garnet, Samuel Cornish, Edward Beecher, John Greenleaf Whittier, James G. Birney, Theodore S. Wright, and Amos A. Phelps.
Members of this new society believed that focusing on women's rights took attention away from ending slavery. They thought that topics about gender should be kept separate from the main goal of abolition.
African-American Involvement
Six African-American men also joined the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. They were concerned that the original society might focus too much on the rights of white women. They worried this would overshadow the needs of African-Americans.
Later, in 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association was formed. Some of its leaders, like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, made arguments that worried these men. These arguments seemed to confirm their fears about the focus on white women's rights. However, six black women did join the National Woman Suffrage Association after the Reconstruction era.
The American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society also had its own disagreements. Some members, like James G. Birney, wanted to form a national political party to fight slavery. Others did not agree with this idea.
See also
External links
- comprehensive list of abolitionist and anti-slavery activists and organizations in the United States, including the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society. Website includes historic biographies and anti-slavery timelines, bibliographies, etc.
