Fall River Female Anti-Slavery Society facts for kids

The Fall River Female Anti-Slavery Society was a group in Fall River, Massachusetts, that worked to end slavery. It started in 1835. This was the second group of its kind for women in the city. Elizabeth Buffum Chace (1806–1899) was one of the people who helped start it.

How the Group Started

This group formed after a big disagreement. The original group was called the "Fall River Anti Slavery Sewing Society." Three free Black women wanted to join as full members. Some of the white women in the group did not want them to join.

Elizabeth Buffum Chace supported the Black women. She said the other women cared too much about old rules. They were happy to help the Black women in other ways. But they did not think it was "proper" to invite them to join the group.

Elizabeth Buffum Chace and her sisters allowed the Black women to become members. The women who did not agree left the society. The group then changed its name. They replaced "Sewing" with "Female." The first group wanted to end slavery. But Elizabeth Buffum Chace and her sisters also wanted to end all unfair practices against Black people.

What They Did

The Fall River Female Anti-Slavery Society often held a special fair. They sold handmade items like sewn and embroidered goods. These items had anti-slavery messages on them. They sold these things in Fall River or in Boston.

They also raised money by asking other women in Fall River for donations. This money helped them print and share more anti-slavery writings.

The group would read and talk about anti-slavery books and papers. They did this while they sewed and embroidered. These activities were seen as more acceptable for women at the time. But they also wrote a petition to the United States Congress. They also asked other women in Fall River to learn the truth. They wanted wives, mothers, and daughters to understand what was happening to enslaved women in the South.

Connecting with Other Groups

A member from the Fall River Female Anti-Slavery Society went to a big meeting. It was called the Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women. This meeting happened in May 1838 in Pennsylvania. Many women from different anti-slavery groups came together. They talked about the rights of African-American women. They also wrote about how to work for social change and end slavery.

Sarah G. Buffman was the delegate from Fall River. She was one of the four secretaries for the meeting. In this role, she signed all three statements made by the convention.

Another delegate from Fall River, Laura Lovell, shared what happened at the meeting. She talked about different speakers. One free African American man told his personal story. Poetry was also read at the event.

The Fall River society also connected with other women's anti-slavery groups. These included the New Bedford Female Anti Slavery Society. They also connected with the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society. For example, Elizabeth Buffum Chace and Maria Weston Chapman (who led the Boston group) wrote letters to each other.