Plantation Mistress Rhetorical Analysis

Plantation Mistress Turned Abolitionist
In antebellum America, cotton became an extremely important economic factor in the South, as well as the rest of the United States. Cotton was the oil of the nineteenth century. As its importance grew, so did the emergence of plantations and the need for slavery. Those who owned plantations were usually very wealthy and could afford a large portion of land, and the labor to maintain it. Gender roles on plantations were somewhat different than what would be seen in a New England household. Plantation mistresses were needed to manage the property in the absence of the male. Therefore, these women had some power over what when on around the plantations. For some women, this was not always a power they wanted.

Plantation mistresses were not only responsible for managing the physical property, but they also were accountable for the slaves that lived on the plantation. Therefore, when a slave would misbehave it was the plantation mistress’s duty to punish the slave, and many women were not keen on this. Angelina Grimké grew up on a plantation in South Carolina and saw the nightmare that was slavery. In 1838, Grimké used her knowledge from being a plantation daughter to preach abolition to Northerners in her speech at Pennsylvania Hall.
Angelina Grimké was a devout abolitionist. Her and her sister Sarah joined the abolition movement after converting to Quakerism and were not shy about giving speeches criticizing slavery. In antebellum America, women speaking in public settings about such serious and “crude” issues was not something people were happy about. Many people valued the ideas of the cult of domesticity, where women were to occupy the sphere of the home and stay away from political issues. People epically were not happy when Grimké began to discuss the issue of slavery in the South, where the whole economy was based off of slave labor. Grimké moved to the North in hopes of expanding the abolitionist movement. In her speech, she is addressing “a large crowd” with an angry mob outside at Pennsylvania Hall. The issue of slavery is so pressing to Grimké she continues her speech even as bricks are being thrown through windows.
In her speech, Grimké uses her southern upbringing to paint the picture of what slavery looked like in the South.

Grimké stated, “I witnessed for many years its demoralizing influences, and its destructiveness to human happiness. It is admitted by some that the slave is not happy under the worst forms of slavery. But I have never seen a happy slave.” Grimké said this to debunk the idea that slavery really was not that bad, and that slaves were even happy being slaves. Grimké does her absolute best to illustrate the horrendous practice of slavery in the South so people will react. Grimké asks the question, “what has the North to do with slavery,” to make her audience feel like they need to take action on the issue. At another point in her speech, Grimké discusses how southern hospitality sometimes masks the issue of slavery to Northerners who visit. She says many who go to the south go and are “hospitably entertained”. However, she states the people that visit do not always get to witness the audacity of slavery, and she says “they know nothing of the dark side of the picture”. Grimké does this to show the audience how easily slavery could be looked over if someone was not playing close enough attention. She also paints slave holders to be extremely manipulative. It was extremely important to Grimké that Northerners not only realize how terrible slavery was in the South, but also react and want to join her in the abolition

reform.
During the duration of Grimké’s speech, there is a massive mob outside that is being extremely violent. In the transcript of the speech, it is written that stones were thrown into windows, there was loud shouting coming from outside the hall, and people shouting profane language. Although the mob was disruptive, Grimké was undaunted and kept her speech going through all of the turmoil. Her actions spoke volumes to her audience. Grimké wanted her audience to hear what she had to say so badly she did not let the mob affect her, and that showed the crowed how serious she was about abolition. At one point in her speech, rocks are thrown at a window and the crowd is startled. Grimké says this in response, “What if the mob should now burst in upon us, break up our meeting and commit violence upon our persons -- would this be any thing compared with what the slaves endure? No, no: and we do not remember them "as bound with them," if we shrink in the time of peril, or feel unwilling to sacrifice ourselves, if need be, for their sake.” Grimké is telling her audience that even if the mob were to break in and harm them, it would be nothing compared to what slaves go through on a daily basis. She tells the audience that they must stand up for what they believe in although they may be afraid for the sake of those who cannot stand up for themselves. Grimké then continues on with her speech unaffected by the mob outside.
During this time period, women were normally confined to the domestic sphere of their homes and were not to engage in politics. However, reform movements in the mid-nineteenth century allowed some of these women to escape the confines of the home. In her speech, Grimké urged women to join the abolition reform movement. Grimké made the statement,” Men may settle this and other questions at the ballot-box, but you have no such right.” Women had no actual say in politics because they did not have the vote, however she urged women to petition to the legislature and tell them slavery was wrong. Grimké was definitely an early feminist.
Historians can look to this document to gain a better understanding of what the abolition movement looked in 1838. Angelina Grimké was very passionate about preaching her anti-slavery message and was willing to come into harms way to deliver it. The document also shows that there was tension toward abolition in the North. People were not sure what abolition would do to America and the uncertainty caused Americans to panic. Grimké also shows signs of being an early feminist, which a historian would take interest in. She urges Northern women to join the abolition movement and make a difference. This speech is loaded with details that help historians, as well as the reader, understand the time period better.
Angelina Grimké’s speech displays what the abolition movement looked like in 1838. Due to her southern upbringing, Grimké saw how devastating slavery was first hand and made it her mission to expand abolition reform. In her speeches, Grimké not only wanted to educate people of the North about slavery, but she wanted them to be so moved that they would join the cause. The speech also shows that there is tension toward abolition in the North. Grimké’s speech gives a southern perspective to slavery to the abolition movement.