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| Lucretia Mott |
I’m sure that some of you are familiar with Nantucket, Massachusetts. If not, it is a small beautiful island off of Cape Cod. A hot vacation spot, most recently, Kourtney Kardashian and her family vacationed there. Now imagine this serene little island over 200 years ago, inhabited by Quaker, women’s rights activist, religious reformer, and abolitionist, Lucretia Mott, formerly, Lucretia Coffin. This brave woman was born on January 3, 1793 in Nantucket, Massachusetts.
By definition, a Quaker is, "a member of the Religious Society of Friends, a Christian movement founded by George Fox c. 1650 and devoted to peaceful principles. Central to the Quakers' belief is the doctrine of the “Inner Light,” or sense of Christ's direct working in the soul. This has led them to reject both formal ministry and all set forms of worship.”Mott’s parents influenced her Quaker upbringing which landed her at a Quaker boarding school in New York State at the age of thirteen. Upon working at the school as a teaching assistant, Lucretia met her husband, James Mott who greatly supported her religious beliefs and way of life.
Leaving Nantucket, and New York behind for Philadelphia becoming wed in 1811. Philadelphia suited their Quaker lifestyle very well, as the area was where William Penn influenced the area with Quaker beliefs. Mott became a Quaker minister in 1821. One of her strongest attributes being her articulate speaking abilities. 1827 brought the couple to chose a more progressive wing of faith. Her husband was so dedicated to Lucretia’s beliefs that he left the cotton trade around 1830.
Quakers were strong advocates against slavery and would boycott any products produced by slave labor. Mott’s “radical” views regarding slavery exposed her to several instances of violence. Mott helped found the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society in 1833, as their president. She took on an authoritative role in the national organization upon the admission of women. We have watched society succumb to racism, sexism, we have seen discrimination first hand. This time period would snicker at the thought of anyone other than a white male having equal rights, so one can only imagine the brutality Mott faced. She made tremendous strides, continuing on to when she was denied a seat in 1840 at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London because she was a woman. Mott and Stanton arrived at the Convention where they were neither greeted nor were they acknowledged at all. The twelve Boston women who made this 3,000-mile trip were appalled and patiently waited to hear whether they could be admitted to the Convention. Almost all of these women were in their twenties, so it was inspiring to see such young and diverse faces standing up for slavery, and what would turn out to be the suffrage movement as well. At 11 o’clock that morning, the announcement finally surfaced that the women were excluded from the Conference, but if they still wanted to partake then they could sit behind a curtained wall and listen quietly. Mott did not let this deter her, instead she used her exemplary public speaking skills to preach outside. This visit to London sparked Mott’s friendship with Elizabeth Cady Stanton. After the Conference, Mott and Stanton walked with interlocked arms discussing their newfound dream of hosting their own Conference back in the U.S which they did. The Anti- Slavery Convention was the main starting point for the women’s suffrage movement. The summer of 1848, Mott and Stanton organized the meeting at Seneca Falls, New York. This was the starting point of Women’s Rights in America. Mott became president of the group in 1852.
In 1850, Mott’s Discourse on Women was her life’s work, explaining her philosophy on women and feminism. One should high light one of the main points being that women’ roles in society were purely limited education, not innate inferiority. Mott advocated feminism in all forms, ranging from politics to economic opportunity and suffrage. Throughout Mott’s influential life, she was an amazing mother, wife, and home keeper. Five children and a husband is a job in and of itself, yet somehow this woman was able to do it all.
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| Lucretia Mott. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony Monument. |
Works
Cited
"Module 04: How Did Abolitionism Lead to the Struggle
for Women 's Rights?" Evidence Detail :: U.S. History. N.p., n.d.
Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
History.com Staff. "Lucretia Mott." History.com.
A&E Television Networks, 2009. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
"Lucretia Mott." Biography.com. A&E Networks Television, 02 Apr. 2014. Web. 14 Feb. 2017.
Photos: Google Images
