Abby Kelley Foster: Pioneer Suffragist

Abby Kelley Foster - A Pioneer Suffragist

• Born January 15, 1811 – January 14, 1887
• Early life: A Quaker from Massachusetts, educated as a teacher
• Opposition to slavery: Abby became an outspoken abolitionist influenced by William Lloyd Garrison's lectures. She actively spoke against slavery, holding meetings outdoors, despite criticism and challenges.
• Public speaking: A powerful and persuasive public speaker, often criticised for her outspoken views. Audiences, particularly white men, were not used to women speaking publicly, even on important social issues
• Mob violence: Abby and other speakers faced physical threats and violence, like being pelted with rotten fruit and stones, for protesting slavery and women's rights.
• Advocacy for equal rights: Abby advocated for African American rights and for granting full civil rights to African Americans.
• Teaching position in Lynn, Massachusetts: This is where she encountered the teachings of William Lloyd Garrison and became deeply involved in the abolitionist movement.
• Public lecture halls: Abby and other antislavery speakers were often met with hostility. She and other speakers held meetings outside and in public places as a result. In 1838, a Philadelphia mob attacked an antislavery meeting Abby was involved in.
• Refusal of entrance to public places: She and other female speakers were often denied access to churches and town halls for speaking against slavery.
• Building Burning: An angry mob burned down a lecture hall where Abby spoke.
• 1843 Seneca Falls Convention: Abby was a figure before the convention, who led antislavery meetings there five years prior in 1843. This shows her early leadership in women's rights.
• Opposition to taxation without representation: In 1873, she and her husband protested taxation without representation by refusing to pay property taxes, sparking a seven-year legal battle in Massachusetts. This is a significant example of her challenging authority to protest inequality.

Suffrage Movement

• Public speaking as a key strategy: Women used speaking tours, lectures, and meeting attendance to spread their message. Lyceums and other organizations supported speakers, although payment was sometimes a problem.
• Historical context: Public speaking for women, especially for women of color, was not common in early 19th century US society. This makes Abby's dedication and actions even more significant.
• Organizations crucial for supporting the movement: Speaker's bureaus, called Lyceums, were organizations that played a vital role in supporting speakers by paying them, and helping to spread the messages of the suffrage movement. Organizations and individuals like Angelina and Sarah Grimké played essential roles as well.
• Early Suffragists: Women like Abby, Angelina, and Sarah Grimké, and Lucretia Mott were pioneers in pushing for equal rights and in challenging the status quo for women.
• Long-term Impact: Abby's actions and lessons paved the way for future suffragists, including Susan B. Anthony, inspiring future female speakers and activists to speak out against injustice. This, in turn, helped the suffragist movement move forward.