| Abby Kelley |
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| CATEGORIES ABOUT ABBY KELLEY | |
| american abolitionists | |
| kelley, abby | |
| american womens rights activists | |
| american tax resisters | |
| 1811 births | |
| 1887 deaths | |
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Abby Kelley was born in Pelham, Massachusetts on January 15th, 1811. She grew up in Worcester and Millbury, Mass where her Quaker family farmed. In 1836, she moved to Lynn, Massachusetts where she was a teacher. She was interested in the health theories of Sylvester Graham and had a general interest in the abolition of slavery. She held the common view that the freed slaves would colonize Liberia . Her views changed, however, when she heard the speech of Angelina Grimke . Abby became an “ultra” proposing not only the abolition of slavery but also full civil equality for Negroes. The influence of William Lloyd Garrison also caused her to take on the position of “non-resistance”. Non-resistants went beyond opposing war to opposing all forms of government coercion. They refused to serve on juries or in the militia and even to vote. This is somewhat ironic considering Abby’s future work. As an agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society , she traveled around the country speaking against slavery and recruiting people to become active abolitionists. Among her recruits were Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony . A young attractive woman speaking to “promiscuous audiences” (audiences of both men and women) was shocking. Women going beyond the bounds of propriety were said to be victims of “Abby Kelleyism”. Embracing the title they would refer to themselves as “Abby Kelleyites”. The role of women in the movement became an area of controversy causing the abolitionist movement to split. Abby chose the radical wing sometimes referred to as the Garrisonians. Fighting for women’s rights became a priority for the ultra abolitionists. Abby helped organize and was a key speaker at the first national woman’s rights convention in Worcester, Mass in 1850 (The better known convention in Oneida, New York in 1848 was not national). A fictionalized version of her role in the convention was included in the play “Angels and Infidels” performed in Worcester on the 150th anniversary of the convention. She was a leader in the movement. She would subsequently split with Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton by supporting the 15th Amendment giving ex-slaves the right to vote without extending the franchise to women. She married Stephen Foster, another radical abolitionist, in 1845. Somehow she managed to combine motherhood and working on a farm in Worcester with continued activism. She often shared her platform with ex-slaves despite the additional scorn this entailed. "I rejoice to be identified with the despised people of color. If they are to be despised, so ought their advocates to be". Sojourner Truth ’s first speaking engagement was with Abby Kelley. Despite health difficulties she remained a radical after abolition. In 1874 she and Stephen risked losing their farm by refusing to pay taxes, since they constituted taxation without representation, since she couldn’t vote. She died January 14th 1887, one day before her 76th birthday. SEE ALSO SOURCES: EXTERNAL LINKS
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