Abolitionist Views
The beliefs Angelina expressed in her writing and speaking stemmed from her
upbring and from a sense of humanitarianism. She felt that only those who had
lived in a place where slavery was accepted could see the ultimate wrongs of the
system (Birney 73-75). She asked, “Is there any suffering so great as that of
seeing the rights and feelings of our fellow creatures trodden under foot,
without being able to rescue them from bondage?” (Birney 85). This lead her to
believe in the equality of blacks (Blacfax) and that they were moral beings who
deserved equal treatment and rights the same as white men (Struggle Against
279). Angelina also reversed her childhood idea that slavery was condoned by the
Bible and instead argued that it was condemned by the Bible and God in “Do
unto other as you would have them do unto you” (Birney 86). Another part of
her argument against slavery was that “[M] an, who was created in the image of
his Maker, never can properly be termed a thing”
(Struggle Against 278). Her religious background and especially her
association with Quakerism helped to embed these views in the abolitionist
woman. Angelina then applied her humanitary views to a pamphlet directed at
white, Southern, slaveholding women. In her “Appeal to the Christian Women of
the South,” she urged women to break the bonds of slavery by either setting
their slaves free or by educating them and paying them for their work (Struggle
Against 278-79). This piece was ment to inspire Southern women to take a
stand and eventually led Angelina into her campaign for women’s rights.
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Last updated March 2, 2001