.4

Religious and Moral Training of Women

  • Establishment of the American Woman's Education Association by Catharine Beecher.

    • Goal: Promote female education to enhance women's work and morale.

    • Belief: Education would foster a sense of esprit de corps among women, providing them status in society.

Conceptions of Gender Roles by Prominent Women

  • Louisa McCord's Perspective:

    • Denied women's intellectual inferiority compared to men.

    • Argued women possess a different type of intellect, better suited for domestic life rather than political ambitions.

    • Critique of political aspirations:

    • Suggested the pursuit of political office leads women away from significant challenges found in domestic roles.

  • Sarah Grimke's Views:

    • Initially claimed women were superior to men due to the lesser intensity of sexual passion.

    • Later stated, "God has made no distinction between men and women as moral beings."

    • Exhibited ambivalence on moral equality of genders:

    • Strongly asserted women's intellectual equality with men.

    • Highlights an enduring tension in feminist thought:

    • Between the quest for gender equality based on sameness vs. the assertion of female superiority based on differences.

Moral Superiority of Women in Literature

  • Harriet Beecher Stowe's "Uncle Tom's Cabin":

    • First American novel to sell over one million copies.

    • Plot involves female characters saving their male counterparts from the moral evil of slavery.

    • Depicts moral men as being influenced positively by their virtuous female relatives.

    • Stowe addresses the public with urgency, akin to a prophetic warning, urging adherence to a national moral destiny.

Feminist Movements and the Cult of Domesticity

  • Emergence of a vocal minority seeking gender equality.

    • Rejection of the cult of domesticity and its associated legal and political inequalities.

  • The 1848 Seneca Falls Convention:

    • Organized by key figures like Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

    • Drafted the Declaration of Sentiments, modeled on the Declaration of Independence.

    • Critiques:

    • Compares wives to slaves.

    • Condemnation of male degradation of female self-esteem.

    • Demands include:

    • Women's suffrage (the ballot).

    • Expanded educational and career opportunities.

    • Repeal laws granting greater property rights to husbands.

Women's Rights Movement Outcome

  • Despite efforts by suffragettes such as Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and others, women's rights to vote weren’t secured until the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.

Relation of Women’s Rights Movement to the Second Great Awakening

  • The suffragettes were influenced by the Second Great Awakening.

    • Stanton’s Declaration of Sentiments encouraged women to “move in an enlarged sphere.”

    • Sarah Grimke argued women were created equal to men, only subject to God, lamenting the male desire for dominance post the fall of Adam and Eve.

Abolitionist Movement

  • Northern sentiments towards slavery began to shift.

    • Increasingly seen as a barrier to national progress.

    • Initial support for emancipation societies mostly from southern states, including the American Colonization Society (founded in 1817).

    • Purpose: Emancipation of slaves with relocation to Africa, led by prominent figures such as Madison and Monroe.

    • Majority of African-Americans opposed colonization, insisting on their rights in their native land, America.

    • By 1860, only about 10,000 African-Americans had emigrated to Liberia.

Radicalization of the Antislavery Movement

  • In the 1830s, abolitionism became more radical, especially in the North.

  • Establishment of the Liberator in 1831 by William Lloyd Garrison:

    • Opened with a direct call against moderation in the fight against slavery.

    • Notable quote: "I AM IN EARNEST--I WILL NOT EQUATE--I WILL NOT EXCUSE--I WILL NOT RETREAT A SINGLE INCH--AND I WILL BE HEARD!!!"

    • Resulted in threats against Garrison and physical confrontations.

Garrison's Advocacy and Tensions in Abolitionism

  • Garrison rejected gradual emancipation.

    • Critique of moderation likened to leaving a child in a burning building to be rescued slowly.

    • Argued slavery was against biblical and national principles (Declaration of Independence).

  • Response from Southern slaveholders:

    • Increased tensions led to publicity that exacerbated the abolition movement.

Formation of Antislavery Organizations

  • Establishment of the New England Anti-Slavery Society in 1832.

  • Forming of the American Anti-Slavery Society with financial aid from influential merchants:

    • Publication of milestones including 750,000 pieces of abolitionist literature by 1838.

    • Membership grew to 250,000 members urging immediate emancipation without compensation.

Division within the Abolitionist Movement

  • The society fractured in 1840 over:

    • Women's rights issues.

    • Political activism concerns.

    • Garrison's aggressive condemnation of clergy and traditional politics.

    • Garrison’s pursuit of equality for women versus opposition from Tappan brothers.

    • Garrison’s aversion to political engagement, fearing it would corrupt the abolitionist movement.

  • Competing factions emerged, including the American and Foreign Antislavery Society due to dissatisfaction with Garrison’s approach.