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Sarah Grimké November 26, 1792 – December 23, 1873 American Abolitionist; Feminist Location South Carolina

Sarah Grimke was the daughter of Mary and John Grimke and was born and raised in Charleston, South Carolina. She grew up in a wealthy family, her father being a politician, judge and attorney. The young Sarah always dreamed of becoming an attorney just like her father, but at the time women were refused of this position. Women had very little rights and the idea of having such a successful job was "unwomanly" influencing her feminists beliefs in the future. Her early education also impacted her ideas of abolitionism and feminism. She wanted the slaves on her plantation to receive an education like her. At the time teaching slaves to read was against the law, so Sarah could only read them scripture passages herself.
 * Early Life:**

Sarah became a Quaker in 1818 after the death of her father. The members involved wished to ban slave ownership completely. As a member of the Quaker society Sarah and her sister Angelina wished to voice their opinions against the issue publicly but were often discouraged because of their gender. They were outspoken, causing them to develop further arguments against American Society. Not only was slavery unfair, but the treatment of females was unacceptable as well. They hoped to gain a voice in society, and spread the severity and harshness of slavery to eventually abolish it. This was a success because her bravery led her to publish her thoughts, and present lectures and speeches publicly. Sarah wrote two famous pieces //An Epistle to the Clergy of the Southern States// and //An Address to Free Colored Americans.// Southerners were fond of the Grimke family so the letters were popular among the southern region. The writings were respected by many and the sisters were invited to travel throughout the Northeast to share their thoughts.
 * Criticism of American Society:**

The goals of completely abolishing slavery were not impossible, but it was difficult to achieve in such an area were many relied on slaves for most of their daily needs. Men still refused to allow females their freedom, so this was in a similar position as slavery. Sarah Grimke did not see the immediate changes that she proposed, but her ideas and courage contributed to the Women's Rights Movement and the fight against slavery. A bigger authority, like the president, could have supported Sarah Grimke spreading even further awareness to American citizens. Such action could have also caused an uproar for the Americans in favor of slavery so the government did not tend to get involved in the earlier stages.


 * References**
 * 1.** Elizabeth Cady Stanton- Although they did not directly associate, Grimke's work impacted Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It influenced herr ideas on woman suffrage and provided several arguments to oppose the treatment of women.
 * 2.** Theodore Dwight Weld- He married Sarah's sister Angelina. He was a strong abolitionist, but it has been known that Sarah and Theodore had a rocky relationship. He was not in favor of the women's rights as much as the fighting sisters had been. He apparently wrote a letter to Sarah "out of love" describing her inadequacies for speaking.

1818, and as Sarah turned. "Gale - Free Resources - Women's History - Biographies - Sarah Grimké, Angelina Grimké." //Gale - Home//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. .

"Periscope Page." //Welcome to Knowitall.org//. N.p., n.d. Web. 4 Oct. 2011. .