Grimke Sisters Essay
Inferior Status of Women
Women sought for liberty and equality that was granted to men during the early nineteenth century in the United States. Women questioned differences in rights and roles compared to men. Sarah Grimke was the daughter of a wealthy slave-owner in Charleston, South Carolina. She despised slavery and inequality of women and moved to Philadelphia. She became a Quaker and leader for abolition and women’s rights. Sarah Grimke published Letters on the Equality of the Sexes in 1838 that criticized inequality of women. However she believed achieving equality of the sexes was possible. She argued that God had made both genders equal, but men created inferiority among women and denied them opportunity. She insisted that women gain rights and duties to be able to participate in education, religion and urged that marriage should not limit women’s rights. She believed Americans could achieve equality of the sexes by allowing women to get equal educational opportunities, holding rights during marriage equal to men, and by receiving equal salary as men. To begin with, Sarah Grimke suggested that equality could be achieved through education for women. For instance, she claims “their education is miserably deficient” and “little time allowed them for reading and by the idea being constantly inculcated” (Grimke 223 and 224). She complained of the amount of education women were allowed and stressed that women purposely being held away from education, for they feared that women would be influenced and demand more. This is essential because Grimke wanted to bring awareness to this situation because it is unjust. Also, their “education consists so almost exclusively in culinary and other manual operations” (Grimke 224). Women’s education was limited to certain subjects and mostly included tasks like household operations. Therefore, she insisted women “devote some portion of their time to mental cultivation” (Grimke 224). Her solution to this issue was to
Women sought for liberty and equality that was granted to men during the early nineteenth century in the United States. Women questioned differences in rights and roles compared to men. Sarah Grimke was the daughter of a wealthy slave-owner in Charleston, South Carolina. She despised slavery and inequality of women and moved to Philadelphia. She became a Quaker and leader for abolition and women’s rights. Sarah Grimke published Letters on the Equality of the Sexes in 1838 that criticized inequality of women. However she believed achieving equality of the sexes was possible. She argued that God had made both genders equal, but men created inferiority among women and denied them opportunity. She insisted that women gain rights and duties to be able to participate in education, religion and urged that marriage should not limit women’s rights. She believed Americans could achieve equality of the sexes by allowing women to get equal educational opportunities, holding rights during marriage equal to men, and by receiving equal salary as men. To begin with, Sarah Grimke suggested that equality could be achieved through education for women. For instance, she claims “their education is miserably deficient” and “little time allowed them for reading and by the idea being constantly inculcated” (Grimke 223 and 224). She complained of the amount of education women were allowed and stressed that women purposely being held away from education, for they feared that women would be influenced and demand more. This is essential because Grimke wanted to bring awareness to this situation because it is unjust. Also, their “education consists so almost exclusively in culinary and other manual operations” (Grimke 224). Women’s education was limited to certain subjects and mostly included tasks like household operations. Therefore, she insisted women “devote some portion of their time to mental cultivation” (Grimke 224). Her solution to this issue was to