Angelina E. Grimké, "Appeal to the Christian Women of the South" (1838)

Résumé du document

Analysis of Angelina E. Grimké's work Appeal to the Christian Women of the South, written in 1838 in New York.

Extraits

[...] In America black people were not trusted enough to use arms, as they could backfire on their masters. Besides, the main difference is that patriarchs did not used their slaves to perform menial works they could do on their own. Angelina Grimké wants to show that American people have distorted the Scriptures to give themselves good conscience, but if they looked deeper in the relationships between masters and slaves in the Old Testament they would have found dissimilarity between Jewish slavery, which would rather be qualified as servitude, and American slavery. [...]

[...] As it was expected, her speech was highly criticized, not because it defended the abolitionist cause but because it was considered improper for women to speak out on political issues. This made Angelina Grimké aware of women's oppression. A severe split developed in the abolition movement, with some anti-slavery people arguing that it was the "Negro's hour and women would have to wait." Hence the question of equality did not only shake the institution of slavery but also the role women played in the American society. [...]

[...] Angelina Grimké wants to show the illegitimacy of Noah's prophecy in the Old Testament which is often taken as an example by slave holders to justify slavery. It was commonly believed that black people were the descendant of Canaan who had been punished by his grand father after having seen him naked. His punishment was a curse on his offspring who was to be condemned to slavery. This biblical event has always been used to justify slavery. Black people were made to be slaves. [...]

[...] Angelina Grimké concludes that if Canaan prophecy can excuse American people to enslave black people, Moses prophecy can also excuse the Egyptian for having treated badly the Jews. Here Angelina Grimké denies the fact that Holy Scriptures should be followed do know that prophecy does not tell us what ought to which is a rather dangerous thing to do as their tenets were considered as immutable truths. What she is trying to do is to put the blame on American people for having fulfilled voluntary this prophecy, and she does it by quoting the Bible so as to show that she does not deny completely the Scriptures “hear what our Saviour says on this subject; it must needs be that offences come, but woe unto that man through whom they come”. [...]

[...] Therefore She uses rhetorical questions, which induce the assent of the addressees: patriarchal servitude then like American slavery?”, this lie Southern slavery?” She wants to impress and make women react by showing them that she herself is a woman and has the ability to take part in a conflict even though men do not allow women to be part of the political sphere. So this speech not only aimed at defending the abolitionist cause but also at involving women in the American political scene. Angelina Grimké's Appeal to the Christian Women of the South rejects two major pro slavery biblical arguments that are the prophecy of Canaan and the patriarchal servitude. [...]