Amy and Isaac Post facts for kids
Isaac and Amy Post were a husband and wife team from Rochester, New York. They were Quakers who believed strongly in fairness and equality. They became important leaders in the 1800s, fighting to end slavery and gain women's rights. They were also among the first people to believe in Spiritualism, a new religious movement at the time.
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Early Life of Isaac and Amy Post
Isaac Post was born on February 26, 1798, in Westbury, New York. His family were Quakers. Amy Kirby Post was born on December 20, 1802, in Jericho, New York. She also came from a Quaker family. Quakers often believed in helping others and making society better. This belief shaped Isaac and Amy's later work.
Around 1821, Isaac married Amy's older sister, Hannah. In 1823, they moved to a farm in Scipio, New York. Amy soon joined them there. Sadly, Hannah became sick and died in 1827. Amy then helped care for Hannah's two children.
In 1827, a Quaker leader named Elias Hicks said that the Quaker group had lost its way. This caused a split, and Isaac Post joined the "Hicksite" Quakers. In 1829, Amy Kirby married Isaac Post. Because Isaac was a "Hicksite," Amy faced criticism and left her original Quaker meeting. Amy became a mother to her niece and nephew, and later had four more children with Isaac: Jacob (born 1830), Joseph (1834), Matilda (1840), and Willet (1847). The family moved to Rochester in 1836.
Fighting to End Slavery
Once in Rochester, Isaac and Amy quickly became involved in important social causes. Amy Post was very active in her Quaker group, the Genesee Yearly Meeting of Hicksite Friends (GYM). She and Isaac worked to give both men and women equal rights within their Quaker meetings.
In 1837, Amy Post signed her first petition against slavery. This went against some Quaker elders who didn't like radical ways of fighting slavery. In 1842, Amy and Isaac Post helped start the Western New York Anti-Slavery Society (WNYASS). This group was not just for Quakers. It included people from different religious backgrounds. Amy Post helped organize fundraising events and meetings for the society.
Even though Quakers were against slavery, some elders in Rochester thought Amy was too involved in "worldly" efforts. But Amy ignored their concerns. She kept working to end slavery, even using the official papers of the American Anti-Slavery Society. For the Posts, their religious beliefs as Quakers and their political actions against slavery were connected.
By the early 1840s, the Posts' home became a meeting place for people fighting slavery. Famous speakers like William Lloyd Garrison, Frederick Douglass, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth visited and spoke there. Frederick Douglass became a close friend. The Posts helped him settle in Rochester, where he published his newspaper, "The North Star."
The Posts also helped enslaved people escape to freedom through the Underground Railroad. Their home was a safe stop. They sometimes sheltered as many as 20 escaped slaves at once. Amy Post once wrote about a night when 15 tired and hungry people arrived at their door, escaping slavery. They stayed until they could safely cross the lake to Canada, where they would be free.
In 1848, the Posts left their Quaker group (GYM) because of pressure to stop their anti-slavery work. They helped form a new group called the Yearly Meeting of Congregational Friends (YMCF). This new group was very different. They had no ministers or elders, believing everyone was equal. They felt it was important to do whatever was needed to end slavery. The YMCF also believed in complete equality for all people, regardless of race or gender. Their motto was "common natures, common rights, and a common destiny."
Working for Women's Rights
In 1848, Amy Post also became a leader in the women's rights movement. She strongly believed in equality for women. She attended the historic Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 in Seneca Falls. She and her stepdaughter, Mary Post, were among the 100 people who signed the Declaration of Sentiments. This important document called for equal rights for women.
Just two weeks later, Amy and other women from the Seneca Falls Convention organized the Rochester Women's Rights Convention. Amy Post was chosen as the temporary leader. At Seneca Falls, a man had led the convention. But the Rochester organizers bravely suggested a woman, Abigail Bush, to be president.
When the convention started on August 2, Amy Post opened the meeting. She read the list of suggested leaders. Some women's rights leaders present were against having a woman president, fearing it was too soon. But Abigail Bush was elected anyway. This made the Rochester Convention the first public meeting in the U.S. led by a woman. Amy Post continued to attend women's rights conventions. In 1853, she signed "The Just and Equal Rights of Women" resolution in Rochester.
Amy Post also traveled to Canada with Lucy Coleman to visit communities of formerly enslaved people. She became good friends with Harriet Jacobs, an escaped slave. Amy encouraged Harriet to write her life story, which was published as Incidents in the Life of a Slave Girl in 1861.
Amy helped her community in many practical ways. During the Civil War, she collected food, medicine, and clothes for freed slaves. After the war, she joined groups like the Equal Rights Association and the National Woman Suffrage Association. In 1872, Amy Kirby Post successfully registered to vote. However, unlike Susan B. Anthony, she was not allowed to cast her vote. Despite this, Amy continued her work for women's equality. In 1885, she helped start the Women's Political Club. In 1888, she traveled to Washington D.C. for the International Council of Women, which was the largest women's convention at that time.
Belief in Spiritualism
In 1848, the Posts welcomed the Fox sisters, Kate and Margaret, into their home. These sisters seemed to be able to talk to spirits through rapping sounds. The Posts introduced the sisters to their friends, and many of them became strong believers in Spiritualism. Isaac Post himself became known as a medium. In 1852, he wrote a book called Voices From the Spirit World. He said the book contained messages written by spirits of famous people like Benjamin Franklin.
Family Life
Isaac's brother, Joseph (1803–1888), was also against slavery. He supported other Quakers who were criticized for speaking out against slavery. Joseph lived his whole life in the house where he was born.
Legacy
Isaac Post passed away in April 1872. Amy Post passed away on January 29, 1889. They are both buried in Mount Hope Cemetery in Rochester, New York. Amy Kirby Post is remembered for her tireless efforts to end slavery and her deep involvement in women's rights. Her strong beliefs and actions inspired many future activists.
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