Grimké sisters facts for kids
Sarah Moore Grimké (1792–1873) and Angelina Emily Grimké (1805–1879), known as the Grimké sisters, were important American women. They were among the first white women in the United States to speak out publicly against slavery. They also fought for women's rights.
The Grimké sisters grew up in South Carolina on a large plantation where their family owned many enslaved people. As young adults, they moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. There, they joined the Quakers, a religious group known for its strong beliefs against slavery and for equality.
They became very active in the movement to end slavery. They traveled around the country, sharing their personal stories about growing up with slavery. This helped many people understand how terrible slavery was. Because they were women speaking in public, which was unusual at the time, they also became early leaders in the fight for women's rights. Later in their lives, they even started a private school.
After their brother passed away, they learned he had three sons with an enslaved woman. The sisters helped these boys get an education in the North. Two of the sons, Archibald and Francis J. Grimké, stayed in the North. Francis became a Presbyterian minister.
Early Life and Beliefs
The Grimké sisters' father, Judge John Faucheraud Grimké, was a wealthy plantation owner. He had many enslaved people. He was also a judge in South Carolina. Sarah was his sixth child, and Angelina was his thirteenth.
Sarah showed her strong feelings against slavery from a young age. When she was only five, she saw an enslaved person being whipped. She wanted to leave for a place where slavery did not exist. Later, she secretly taught her personal enslaved helper to read, even though it was against the law.
Sarah was very smart and loved to read books from her father's library. She wanted to become a lawyer like her father. But her father would not let her study Latin or go to college. He told her that if she had been a man, she would have been a great lawyer.
Sarah asked her parents if she could be Angelina's godmother. She became a role model for her younger sister. Sarah and Angelina were very close throughout their lives. Angelina often called Sarah "mother." Sarah became an abolitionist, someone who wanted to end slavery, in 1835.
Fighting for Change
When Sarah was 26, she went with her sick father to Philadelphia. There, she met the Quakers. She was impressed by their simple way of life and their strong beliefs against slavery and for gender equality. After her father died, Sarah returned to South Carolina. But her anti-slavery views grew even stronger. She also influenced Angelina.
Sarah moved to Philadelphia for good in 1821. Angelina joined her in 1829. The sisters became very involved with the Quaker community. In 1835, Angelina wrote a letter to William Lloyd Garrison, who published an anti-slavery newspaper called The Liberator. He published her letter without her permission.
The Quakers were very strict about public behavior. They were upset that Angelina's letter was published without their approval. The sisters had to choose: either follow the Quaker rules or actively work against slavery. They chose to fight slavery. This decision made them feel free to speak out more.
Theodore Dwight Weld, another abolitionist, helped train them to be public speakers. The Grimké sisters were among the first women in the United States to speak in public. At first, they spoke only to groups of women. But soon, men started sneaking into their meetings.
Because they came from a wealthy, slave-owning family, their stories about slavery got a lot of attention. As more people came to hear them, the sisters began speaking to mixed audiences of both men and women. This was very unusual and was criticized. Many people believed women should not speak in public.
A group of ministers even wrote a letter saying the sisters were stepping out of "woman's proper place." This "proper place" was seen as quiet and obedient. But the sisters realized that women were not treated fairly. They understood that without power, women could not fix society's problems. So, they became strong supporters of women's rights.
Angelina Grimké wrote an important essay called Appeal to the Christian Women of the South (1836). She wanted to encourage Southern women to join the anti-slavery movement. She argued that slavery went against the United States Declaration of Independence and the teachings of Jesus. She urged women to teach enslaved people to read and to free any enslaved people they owned. Even though laws made these actions difficult, she told her readers to ignore unfair laws and do what was right.
The sisters caused more debate when Sarah published Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States (1836). Angelina also republished her Appeal in 1837. That year, they went on a speaking tour in the Northeast. They spoke against slavery and also against prejudice based on race. They even said that white women and enslaved Black women shared a special bond. These ideas were very advanced for their time.
Their public speaking continued to draw criticism. But each attack made the Grimké sisters more determined. Angelina wrote letters defending her right to speak publicly. Sarah also wrote letters defending women's right to speak in public. These letters became known as Letters on the Equality of the Sexes. By 1838, thousands of people came to hear them speak in Boston.
In 1839, the sisters, along with Theodore Weld, published a book called American Slavery as It Is: Testimony of a Thousand Witnesses. This book shared many true stories and advertisements from Southern newspapers about slavery.
Later, the sisters and Theodore Weld lived on a farm in New Jersey. They ran a boarding school. Many abolitionists, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, sent their children there. Even though they no longer traveled to give speeches, they continued to work privately for both the end of slavery and women's rights.
The Grimké sisters did not plan to become feminists at first. But they felt it was necessary. Their strong religious beliefs guided their work. Both their anti-slavery views and their support for women's rights came from their deep faith. Sarah focused more on women's rights, while Angelina remained mostly interested in ending slavery. Both were powerful writers. Their arguments against slavery helped lead to the American Civil War. Sarah's writings discussed many issues that are still important to the women's rights movement today.
Before the Civil War, the sisters learned that their late brother Henry had children with an enslaved woman named Nancy Weston. They had three sons: Archibald, Francis, and John. The sisters helped the two older nephews move North to get an education. Francis J. Grimké became a Presbyterian minister. Archibald's daughter, Angelina Weld Grimké (named after her aunt), became a famous poet.
When Sarah was almost 80, she and Angelina tried to vote. They wanted to test the Fifteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave Black men the right to vote. But they were not allowed to vote.
Legacy
The Grimké sisters left a lasting impact on American history. Their bravery helped pave the way for women to speak out on important issues. They showed the strong connection between fighting for the rights of enslaved people and fighting for the rights of women.
The book The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd is a story based on the life of Sarah Grimké. It is set during the time before the Civil War.
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