Sarah Grimké
American abolitionist and feminist (1792–1873), held to be the mother of the women's suffrage movement.
At a glance
Main ideas
Equality from creation, Adam's greater blame, Scripture for women's rights …
See all 4Books to start with
An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States, Letters on the Equality of the Sexes, and the Condition of Woman
See all 2Connections
Also on this page: Key facts · Links · Sources · Related pages
- Grimké was an American abolitionist and feminist, born into a wealthy slave-owning planter family in South Carolina.
- She moved to Philadelphia and became a Quaker, as did her younger sister Angelina.
- The sisters spoke on the abolitionist lecture circuit, telling what they knew of slavery first-hand, and argued for women's rights too.
- Their speeches to mixed audiences of men and women drew harsh attacks.
Why it matters
- She wrote the first developed public argument for women's equality, and her writings gave arguments to Lucy Stone, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott.
Key facts
- Born
- 26 Nov 1792, South Carolina1
- Died
- 23 Dec 18731
- Religion
- Became a Presbyterian in 1817; joined the Quakers after moving to Philadelphia1
- American Anti-Slavery Society
- Joined in 1836, with her sister Angelina1
- Civil War
- Wrote and lectured in support of President Abraham Lincoln1
- Honours
- National Women's Hall of Fame, with her sister (1998); Boston's Grimké Sisters Bridge (2019)1
Main ideas
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Equality from creation1
Adam and Eve were created equal; Eve was not made as a gift for Adam.
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Adam's greater blame1
Adam, tempted by an equal, bears more blame for the Fall than Eve, tempted by a supernatural evil.
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Scripture for women's rights1
She answered ministers who cited the Bible against her with the Bible itself.
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Abolition and women's rights together1
She held the fight for women's rights to be as important as the fight against slavery.
Books to start with
The line under a date fills as it gets older: empty when new, full at 2 years.
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An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States1
An appeal against slavery.
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Letters on the Equality of the Sexes, and the Condition of Woman1
Her case for the equality of the sexes, serialised in 1837.
Connections
Links
Sources
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