Comparing Angelina Grimké And Sojourner Truth

The anti-slavery and women’s rights movements of the mid-nineteenth century in America brought forth many voices that had hitherto been silenced by patriarchal institutions. Two such voices, those of Angelina Grimké and Sojourner Truth, became so vociferous they are still heard over 175 years later. Through written and spoken word, Grimké and Truth called for the end of oppression and the beginning of equality. By drawing on the promises listed in the Declaration of Independence, as well as scriptural references from the Bible, both Grimké and Truth established strong foundations for what they viewed as essential human rights. Although two very different women from opposing social backgrounds, Grimké and Truth were both adamant that all Americans,

In order to convince the readers of her Appeal of the unlawful nature of slavery, Grimké draws primarily on the two texts that have been the foundation of America: the Declaration of Independence and the Bible. She argues first that slavery is “contrary to the declaration of our independence” (Grimké 798), in that slavery opposes the notion that all men are created equal. She contends that “slavery in America reduces a man to a thing, a ‘chattel personal’, robs him of all his rights as a human being, fetters both his mind and body and… throws him out of the protection of the law” (Grimké 798). As such, she argues that slaves have been denied “the first charter of human rights given to Adam, and renewed to Noah” (Grimké 798). Drawing on the Bible, Grimké suggests to her readers that slavery is sinful, that it is a “crime against God and man” (800), and that nowhere is slavery condoned within the Bible. She does not, however, force her beliefs on her readers, but bids them to read scripture and “Judge for yourselves whether he sanctioned such a system of oppression and crime” (Grimké 800). If they should decide that that slavery is a sin, she urges them to

By speaking publicly on these social issues, both Grimké and Truth not only step out of the private sphere in which they were expected to remain, but also refuse to be silenced by the more authoritative American men. Although from very different social groups, both women share the common belief in God that gives credence to their ideas, and allows them, through substantial scriptural evidence, to make strong points in support of equality for all. They both reveal the resources with which change can be effected, and declare that both oppressive systems – slavery and the patriarchy – can and will be demolished. Finally, they both evince that (white) men can no longer go on believing themselves to be the superior social group, as Truth puts it: “Man is in a tight place, the poor slave is on his, woman is coming on him, and he is surely between a hawk and a buzzard”