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assignment 1

In her “Class and Race in the Women’s Rights Campaign,” Angela Davis provides us (readers) with different accounts of what was going on during the abolitionist and women’s rights conventions that began during the 1830s. In the beginning of the chapter, Davis emphasizes the importance of the coalition between women and men in the abolitionist movement. Such union was very significant because it empowered and benefitted both groups who fought for women’s rights and anti-slavery, and ultimately strengthened their cause. Some abolitionist believed that the women’s fight was different than theirs because women would compare marriage to slavery, which makes the liberation movement seem mediocre and lose its original intent. However, I think that this union highly portrayed the seriousness and devotion that the two groups had and their ability to stand together and undermine their oppressors.

The Seneca Falls convention was very successful, however, the absence and exclusion of mill girls and African American women was a huge downfall. Many of their stories were unheard so their struggles remained eclipsed. One important figure of the Seneca Falls convention was Charlotte Woodward who worked at home. Her major concern was the decline in social and economic status of women especially after losing their jobs at home. I think that she was one of the most important figures in the convention, because unlike many of the other women, she represented most working women who belonged to a lower class. Another problem at the Seneca Falls convention was the absence of black women, and no mention of them at all, which shows another weakness of the movement at the time. It is very difficult for me to understand how such exclusion can take place at a convention that is both for women’s rights and anti-slavery. The convention’s disregard of enslaved black women is contradicting to the entire objective of the movement. On the positive side, the convention helped raise awareness and participation of more women especially black women.

At the first national convention, the efforts of Sojourner Truth, another ambitious activist, became the highlight of the convention because she represented black women and their stance on the movement. Her speeches and defense of the movement strengthened its caused and demonstrated her strong sense of leadership.

I think that Angela Davis is trying to emphasize the power of unity. As more people from various groups and backgrounds joined the movement, the movement became much more powerful and effective. In the beginning, the women’s movement joined the abolitionists and gained more support for their cause. And as time progressed, working women and black women also joined and created great momentum to the women’s rights movement. Without this solidarity, the movement would have not been as successful.