The Exclusion of African Americans
The Exclusion of Slaves and Women
Satory Adams
History 147
Professor Cristóbal Borges
27 October 2014
The Exclusion of Slaves and Women Many different groups of people were excluded during the 1800-1861 time period. Americans did not welcome people of different backgrounds very well, or people with mindsets that were out of the norm. These types of people were the ones that suffered from racism and exclusion. Women and slaves are not the only groups of people that experienced it either, Native Americans, immigrants from Europe, and other ethnic groups faced their own types of exclusion. Many of these groups challenged their exclusion from full citizenship by rioting, public speaking, and rebelling against the government. Women were a very large and important group that experienced a lot of exclusion from full citizenship. They were denied the right to vote and were not given any higher education than simply knowing how to read and write. They also were restricted from professions simply because of their gender. Women were expected to only care for children and do other household tasks. They almost had nothing without their husbands. The first challenge against their exclusion was the first women’s rights movement that began in the 1830’s when two sisters, Angelina and Sarah Grimké, started a speaking tour to change views on women’s rights. Although the speaking tour discussed this topic, it did not begin as a women’s rights movement. “What began as a tour to promote the abolition of slavery ended by introducing the new concept of women’s rights into American public life.”1 The two sisters were brave enough to speak publicly to large groups of men and women not only on their views about their rights as women but about the abolition of slavery as well. Angelina Grimké stated, “It is through the tongue, the pen, and the press, that truth is principally propagated.”2 The sisters used their public speaking ability to reach
Satory Adams
History 147
Professor Cristóbal Borges
27 October 2014
The Exclusion of Slaves and Women Many different groups of people were excluded during the 1800-1861 time period. Americans did not welcome people of different backgrounds very well, or people with mindsets that were out of the norm. These types of people were the ones that suffered from racism and exclusion. Women and slaves are not the only groups of people that experienced it either, Native Americans, immigrants from Europe, and other ethnic groups faced their own types of exclusion. Many of these groups challenged their exclusion from full citizenship by rioting, public speaking, and rebelling against the government. Women were a very large and important group that experienced a lot of exclusion from full citizenship. They were denied the right to vote and were not given any higher education than simply knowing how to read and write. They also were restricted from professions simply because of their gender. Women were expected to only care for children and do other household tasks. They almost had nothing without their husbands. The first challenge against their exclusion was the first women’s rights movement that began in the 1830’s when two sisters, Angelina and Sarah Grimké, started a speaking tour to change views on women’s rights. Although the speaking tour discussed this topic, it did not begin as a women’s rights movement. “What began as a tour to promote the abolition of slavery ended by introducing the new concept of women’s rights into American public life.”1 The two sisters were brave enough to speak publicly to large groups of men and women not only on their views about their rights as women but about the abolition of slavery as well. Angelina Grimké stated, “It is through the tongue, the pen, and the press, that truth is principally propagated.”2 The sisters used their public speaking ability to reach