Women in the "Antebellum Press"

Thus far, all we've learned about the abolitionist press has focused on the men who, through journalism, fought against slavery and the mistreatment of African-Americans.

Now, my question is, what about the women involved in the abolitionist press? Were there any? Was it allowed for women (black or white) to participate in the abolitionist movement via the press or petition? If so, what were their roles? Who were the key players? These are the questions I will attempt to address.

The first women in the U.S. to collectively petition Congress on a political issue petitioned in 1834, according to Susan Zaeske's book "Signatures of Citizenship". This sparked the interest in women to petition against congress during the era of slavery in the years after the first petition. Women throughout the North petitioned for immediate abolition, including Maria Weston Chapman, a leader in the anti-slavery petitioning. Not only was Chapman selected for the executive American Anti-Slavery Society in 1839, but she was also the editor-in-chief of the anti-slavery journal, "Non-Resistant." She also acted as editor of "The Liberator" in Garrison's absence. Other well-known women anti-slavery activists include Sojourner Truth, Julia Ward Howe, and Harriet Tubman, who has been coined "The Moses of her People". These women made their voices heard and acted as forces to create "interracial sisterhood".

Although her choice to become an anti-slavery activist may not have been a popular one at the time, Chapman will always be remembered as "Lady Macbeth" who broke through barriers to make strides towards the right of "liberty and freedom for all" in the U.S.