Sarah Grimke

By Megan Kittler

November 26, 1792 - December 23, 1873

Childhood

Born on November 26, 1792 in South Carolina. She was brought up in a household that was a strong

believer in the minority of women and slavery. Her family also owned slaves. From a young age Sarah was against slavery. Sarah educated herself and illegally taught her slave

how to read.

She grew up with 13 siblings and grew close with her sister, Angelina.

1821- Sarah and Angelina moved to Pennsylvania.

Because of their voiced opinions against slavery and the minority of women the community was not accepting of them.

After living in the north for a year she wrote,

“After being gone for many months in Pennsylvania, when I went back it seemed as if the sight of the slaves conditions were insupportable. It busted my mind with new horror.”

1836- Sarah wrote and published a pamphlet, Epistle to Clergy of the Southern States. This pamphlet asked

southern churches to oppose slavery.

1836- After writing Epistle to Clergy of the Southern States she wrote and published An Address to Free Colored

Americans.

1837- After the pamphlets were published, Sarah and Angelina were publicly known and spoke publicly often.

The sisters speaking publicly caused much controversy. Many people said this was “out of place for a women.”

1837- This caused Sarah to write and publish The Equality of the Sexes. This linked slavery to the inequality of women.

Sarah said “That the condition of free women can be compared to that of slaves in suffering or degradation." Sarah did not want to say that slaves and women

suffered the same way just that the minority groups had similarities.

1845- The sisters opened up a coeducational boarding school in Raritan Bay community in New York.

Many abolitionists sent their children there including Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Sarah and Angelina’s brother, Henry had 2 children that were mulatto.

Sarah and Angelina took them in and raised them in Raritan Bay community in New York.

One of the children became a known author and educator and the other one became a known poet.

March 7, 1870- Sarah and Angelina declared women’s right to vote under the 14th amendment by participating in a local election.

Sarah, Angelina and a crowd of 40 marched to the voting place.

Sarah (79) and Angelina (66) were not arrested because of their ages.

After Sarah died she was a known as one of the first abolitionist, and women rights reformer to speak publicly about the issues of these two minority groups.

Bibliography

Encyclopedia of World Biography. http://www.bookrags.com/biography/sarah-moor

emily-grimke/. April 29, 2010.

Gale Centage Learning Center. http://www.gale.cengage.com/free_resourcwhm/bio/grimk_sisters.htm. May 1, 2010.

Sunshine for Women. http://www.pinn.net/~sunshine/whm2001/grimke6.html. April 28, 2010.

Women of Hall. http://www.greatwomen.org/women.php?action=viewone&id=70. April 28, 2010.

Women Working 1800- 1930. http://ocp.hul.harvard.edu/ww/people_grimke.html. April 28, 2010.