Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Mott was born on January 3, 1793, on Nantucket Island, Massachusetts. The second of five children, Mott was raised as a quaker, a religion that focused on equality of all people among God. After moving to Philadelphia in 1809, Mott married her father's business partner in 1811, with whom she would have 15 children. In 1815, Mott's father passed, leaving immense debt on Mott and her mother. As a result, Mott became a teacher, her mother ran a shop, and her husband ran a textile business. Through the support of her husband, she became a member of William Lloyd Garrison's abolitionist movement, through which she would also express her ideas regarding women's rights.
In 1833, Mott founded the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society, but through that program, she received a lot of backlash and criticism for behaving in ways that were not "appropriate" for her sex. However, this criticism did not deter her, rather led to her participation in the World Anti-Slavery Convention in 1940 (in London), which then led her to meet Elizabeth Cady Stanton, with whom she would eventually launch the Women's Rights Movement with. Although both Mott and Stanton were constantly blocked from participating in certain proceedings, they both made a promise to hold a women's rights convention when they got back to the United States. This promise held true, as eight years later, they organized the Seneca Falls Convention, attended by hundreds of people including fellow abolitionist Frederick Douglass. During the meeting, Stanton presented the "Declaration of Sentiments", which was a list of demands for women, and would later fuel the launch of the Women's Suffrage Movement.
Not only was Mott extremely influential during the Women's Rights Movement, but she also played a role in abolishing slavery, protesting the Slave Fugitive Act and helping a slave escape bondage. In 1866, Mott became the president of the American Equal Rights Association, and dedicated herself to all forms of human equality and freedom, whether it be for women or African-Americans. She fought for suffrage, education, and financial aid. Mott also joined Susan B. Anthony and Stanton in decrying the 14th and 15th amendment for allowing black men but not women to vote.
During the latter part of her life, Mott founded Swarthmore College and continued to attend women's rights conventions. When the movement split into two factions in 1869, she attempted to bring them back together. Mott passed away on November 11, 1880, but her legacy remains through the women's rights movement that lives on today and the many reforms that have been passed throughout American history.
Sources:
I thought your blog post was very interesting and brought attention to an undermined woman in society that fought for the rights we have today. I like how you added background information about her family life before going into her famous intervention in the abolitionist movement and the Seneca Falls Convention. To add to your last paragraph where you state Mott founded Swarthmore College, you can also add how she ensured that it was coeducational.
ReplyDeletesources - https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott
ReplyDeleteI found it very interesting because the question of equality has always been important in our society. Being interested in the personality of this woman, I found some extra facts about her life:
- The Mott's housed several fugitive slaves at their home, becoming part of the legendary ‘Underground Railroad’
- Lucretia was featured on a 1948 postal stamp, along with Carrie Chapman Catt and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, commemorating the Seneca Falls Convention.
I liked that you described how Lucretia Mott impacted the Women's Rights Movement and also the things she did past that. I also found it interesting how you included the years before she became influential and how those formative years led her to where she ended up.
ReplyDelete