Abby Kelley Foster (January 15, 1811 – January 14, 1887) was an American
abolitionist
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
and radical social
reformer active from the 1830s to 1870s. She became a fundraiser, lecturer and committee organizer for the influential
American Anti-Slavery Society, where she worked closely with
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper '' The Liberator'', which he foun ...
and other radicals. She married fellow abolitionist and lecturer
Stephen Symonds Foster, and they both worked for
equal rights for women
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
and for Africans enslaved in the Americas.
Her former home of
Liberty Farm in
Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
has been designated a
National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
.
Early life
On January 15, 1811, Abigail (Abby) Kelley was born the seventh daughter of Wing and Lydia Kelley, farmers in
Pelham, Massachusetts
Pelham is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 1,280 at the 2020 census. Its ZIP Code is shared with Amherst.
Pelham is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.
History
P ...
. Kelley grew up helping with the family farms in
Worcester
Worcester may refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England
** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament
* Worcester Park, London, Engla ...
where she received a loving, yet strict
Quaker
Quakers are people who belong to a historically Protestant Christian set of Christian denomination, denominations known formally as the Religious Society of Friends. Members of these movements ("theFriends") are generally united by a belie ...
upbringing. Kelley and her family were members of the
Quaker Meeting in nearby
Uxbridge, Massachusetts
Uxbridge is a town in Worcester County, Massachusetts first colonized in 1662 and incorporated in 1727. It was originally part of the town of Mendon, and named for the Earl of Uxbridge. The town is located southwest of Boston and south-southe ...
.
She began her education in a single-room schoolhouse in the Tatnuck section of Worcester. Foster's daughter later wrote that Abby "attended the best private school for girls in Worcester." In 1826, as Worcester had no high school for girls and her parents could not afford a private seminary, Kelley continued her education at the
New England Friends Boarding School in
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of the U.S. state of Rhode Island. One of the oldest cities in New England, it was founded in 1636 by Roger Williams, a Reformed Baptist theologian and religious exile from the Massachusetts Bay ...
. After her first year of school, Kelley taught for two years to make enough money to further her education. In 1829, she attended her final year of schooling, having received the highest form of education any
New England
New England is a region comprising six states in the Northeastern United States: Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, and Vermont. It is bordered by the state of New York to the west and by the Canadian provinces ...
woman of her relatively moderate economic standing could hope to obtain.
Abby returned to her parents' home to teach in local schools and, in 1835, helped her parents move to their new home in
Millbury. Then in 1836, she moved to
Lynn, Massachusetts
Lynn is the eighth-largest municipality in Massachusetts and the largest city in Essex County. Situated on the Atlantic Ocean, north of the Boston city line at Suffolk Downs, Lynn is part of Greater Boston's urban inner core. Settled by E ...
, where she taught at a local school. There she met fellow Quakers who preached the ideas of dietary restriction, temperance, pacifism, and
antislavery
Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people.
The British ...
. She became interested in the health theories of
Sylvester Graham and gained a general interest in the abolition of slavery after hearing a lecture by
William Lloyd Garrison
William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper '' The Liberator'', which he foun ...
, editor of the abolitionist publication ''
The Liberator''. Kelley joined the Female Anti-Slavery Society of Lynn and was soon elected to a committee charged with collecting signatures for petitions to the Federal government to end
slavery in the District of Columbia
The slave trade in the District of Columbia was legal from its creation until 1850, when the trade in enslaved people in the District was outlawed as part of the Compromise of 1850. That restrictions on slavery in the District were probably coming ...
. Kelley passionately carried out her assignment, and in 1837 collected the signatures of nearly half the women of Lynn.
Radicalization
Kelley's views became progressively more radical as she worked with abolitionists such as
Angelina Grimké
Angelina Emily Grimké Weld (February 20, 1805 – October 26, 1879) was an American abolitionist, political activist, women's rights advocate, and supporter of the women's suffrage movement. She and her sister Sarah Moore Grimké were co ...
. She became an "ultra", advocating not only the abolition of slavery but also full
civil equality for blacks. In addition, Garrison's influence led her to adopt the position of "non-resistance", which went beyond
opposing war to opposing all forms of government coercion. Radical abolitionists led by Garrison refused to serve on juries, join the military or vote. The Garrisonian call for the end of slavery and the extension of civil rights to African Americans caused controversy. Kelley's advocacy of the radical abolitionist movement prompted some opponents to call her a "Jezebel", as what she proposed threatened their sense of social structure. On the other hand, many fellow abolitionists praised her public speaking skills and her dedication to the cause. Kelley's influence was shown by activist women being called "Abby Kelleyites". Radical abolitionism became known as "Abby Kelleyism."
Anti-slavery activity
Following the financial
Panic of 1837, Kelley took charge of fundraising for the Lynn Female Society. She donated a generous portion of her own money to the
American Anti-Slavery Society. With the encouragement of Angelina Grimke, Abby served as the Lynn Female Society's first delegate to the national convention of the Anti-Slavery Society in New York. There she spoke out about fundraising and participated in drafting the Society's declaration for abolition. After the convention, Kelley became even more engaged in the Anti-Slavery Society, for which she distributed petitions, raised funds, and participated in conferences to raise public awareness.
In 1838, Kelley gave her first public speech to a "promiscuous" (mixed-gender) audience at the first
Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women, in
Philadelphia
Philadelphia, often called Philly, is the largest city in the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, the sixth-largest city in the U.S., the second-largest city in both the Northeast megalopolis and Mid-Atlantic regions after New York City. Sinc ...
. At this time women generally did not address such audiences in public forums. Despite vociferous protesters, Kelley eloquently proclaimed the doctrine of abolitionism. In the following months, she further established herself as a public figure by speaking to more mixed-gender crowds, such as that at the New England Anti-Slavery Convention.
She also worked on a committee composed of both genders.
Later in 1838, she moved to
Connecticut
Connecticut () is the southernmost state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It is bordered by Rhode Island to the east, Massachusetts to the north, New York to the west, and Long Island Sound to the south. Its cap ...
to spread the anti-slavery message. By 1839, Kelley was fully involved in the Anti-Slavery Society, while still acknowledging Quaker tradition by refusing payment for her efforts. In 1841, however, she resigned from the Quakers over disputes about not allowing anti-slavery speakers in meeting houses (including the Uxbridge monthly meeting where she had attended with her family), and the group disowned her.
In 1843, Kelley addressed the attendees at the
Liberty Party convention in
Buffalo, New York
Buffalo is the second-largest city in the U.S. state of New York (behind only New York City) and the seat of Erie County. It is at the eastern end of Lake Erie, at the head of the Niagara River, and is across the Canadian border from South ...
, becoming the first woman in America to speak at a national political convention.
In the following years, Kelley contributed to the Anti-Slavery Society as a lecturer and fundraiser. Although she encountered constant objections to her public activism as a woman working closely with and presenting public lectures to men, Kelley continued her work. She often shared her platform with formerly enslaved Africans despite disapproval by some in the audience. "I rejoice to be identified with the despised people of color. If they are to be despised, so ought their advocates to be". In October 1849, Kelley wrote to her friend, Milo Townsend, and told of the work she was doing for the anti-slavery society: "We know our cause is steadily onward".
Some male members of the Society objected to the ideas propounded by Garrison, Kelley, and other radicals. As a result, when Kelley was elected to the national business committee of the Anti-Slavery Society, conservative members left in protest. The two groups of abolitionists officially severed. Pacifist radical abolitionists controlled the Society, who promoted complete egalitarianism, to be obtained without the aid of any government, as all such institutions were constructed on the violence of war. In 1854 Kelley became the Anti-Slavery Society's chief fundraiser and general financial agent, and in 1857 she took the position of general agent in charge of lecture and convention schedules.
Kelley and her husband
Stephen Symonds Foster—along with
Sojourner Truth,
Jonathan Walker,
Marius Robinson
Marius Robinson (1806–1878) was an American minister, abolitionist, and newspaper editor of the antislavery newspaper '' The Philanthropist'' and ''The Anti-Slavery Bugle''. He helped establish a school for African Americans in Cincinnati, Ohio ...
, and
Sallie Holley
Sarah (Sallie) Holley (February 17, 1818 - January 12, 1893) served as an educator to African Americans during the mid-1800s, becoming an avid member of the American Anti-Slavery Society. Specifically, Holley worked closely with Caroline Putn ...
—reorganized the
Michigan Anti-Slavery Society The Michigan Anti-Slavery Society, also called Michigan State Anti-Slavery Society was founded on November 10, 1836, in Ann Arbor of the Michigan Territory (1805–1837). The first meeting was held at the First Presbyterian Church on East Huron St ...
in 1853 in
Adrian, Michigan.
The state society was founded in 1836 in
Ann Arbor, Michigan
Ann Arbor is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan and the county seat of Washtenaw County, Michigan, Washtenaw County. The 2020 United States census, 2020 census recorded its population to be 123,851. It is the principal city of the Ann Arbor ...
.
Women's rights
Fighting for
women's rights
Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...
soon became a new priority for many ultra abolitionists and Kelley was among them speaking on women's rights in
Seneca Falls, New York
Seneca Falls is a town in Seneca County, New York, United States. The population was 8,942 at the 2020 census.
The Town of Seneca Falls contains the former village also called Seneca Falls. The town is east of Geneva, New York, in the nor ...
five years before the
Seneca Falls convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention. It advertised itself as "a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of woman".Wellman, 2004, p. 189 Held in the Wesleyan Chapel of the tow ...
would be held there.
[ Kelley influenced future suffragists such as ]Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...
and Lucy Stone by encouraging them to take on a role in political activism. She helped organize and was a key speaker at the first National Women's Rights Convention
The National Women's Rights Convention was an annual series of meetings that increased the visibility of the early women's rights movement in the United States. First held in 1850 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the National Women's Rights Convention ...
in Worcester, Massachusetts in 1850. (The Seneca Falls Convention, the first women's rights convention, held in 1848, was not national).
After the American Civil War
The American Civil War (April 12, 1861 – May 26, 1865; also known by other names) was a civil war in the United States. It was fought between the Union ("the North") and the Confederacy ("the South"), the latter formed by states th ...
, Kelley supported passage of the 15th Amendment to the Constitution. Some female activists resisted any amendment that did not include women's suffrage. Kelley split with Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...
and Elizabeth Cady Stanton due to their strong opposition to the amendment. After the amendment passed and Garrison dissolved the Anti-Slavery Society, Kelley continued to work for equal rights for both African Americans and women.
In 1872, Kelley and her husband Stephen Symonds Foster refused to pay taxes on their jointly owned property; they argued that as Kelley could not vote, she was a victim of taxation without representation. Although their farm was consequently seized and sold and repurchased for them by friends,[ Kelley continued her activism in the face of financial difficulties and poor health. She wrote letters to fellow radicals and other political figures until her death in 1887.
]
Marriage and family
After a four-year courtship, Kelley married fellow abolitionist Stephen Symonds Foster in 1845. In 1847, she and her husband purchased a farm in the Tatnuck region of Worcester, Massachusetts and named it "Liberty Farm". She gave birth to their only daughter in 1847.[ The farm served both as a stop on the ]Underground railroad
The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. ...
and as a refuge for fellow reformers. Kelley continued her efforts as a lecturer and fundraiser throughout the North until 1850, when declining health forced her to reduce traveling.[ She carried on an active correspondence and local meetings to work for the cause.
Abby Kelley Foster died January 14, 1887, one day before her 76th birthday.
]
Legacy and honors
Liberty Farm in Worcester, Massachusetts
Worcester ( , ) is a city and county seat of Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. Named after Worcester, England, the city's population was 206,518 at the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, making it the second-List of cities i ...
, the home of Abby Kelley and Stephen Symonds Foster, was designated a National Historic Landmark
A National Historic Landmark (NHL) is a building, district, object, site, or structure that is officially recognized by the United States government for its outstanding historical significance. Only some 2,500 (~3%) of over 90,000 places listed ...
because of its association with their lives of working for abolitionism. It is privately owned and not open for visits.[
Abby's House, a shelter for women that opened in Worcester in 1976, is named in her honor.
In 2011, she was inducted into the National Women's Hall of Fame.National Women's Hall of Fame]
/ref>
Abby Kelley Foster Charter Public School, a K-12 school in Worcester, Massachusetts that opened in 1998, is named in her honor.
See also
* List of civil rights activists
* List of suffragists and suffragettes
This list of suffragists and suffragettes includes noted individuals active in the worldwide women's suffrage movement who have campaigned or strongly advocated for women's suffrage, the organisations which they formed or joined, and the public ...
* List of women's rights activists
This article is a list of notable women's rights activists, arranged alphabetically by modern country names and by the names of the persons listed.
Afghanistan
* Amina Azimi – disabled women's rights advocate
* Hasina Jalal – women's empowerm ...
* Come-outer Come-outer is a phrase coined in the 1830s which denotes a person who withdraws from an established organization, or one who advocates political reform.
History
The term was first applied during the Second Great Awakening to a small group of Americ ...
Citations
References
*
*
* Pease, Jane, William Pease. "Foster, Abby Kelley." American National Biography. Feb. 2000 .
*
*
*
*
*
External links
* Worcester Women's History Project:
*
Abby Kelley Foster Timeline
*
*
, National Historic Landmark, former home of Abby Kelley Foster, National Park Service
- Assumption College
Abby Kelley Foster papers
fro
Haverford College Quaker & Special Collections
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kelley, Abby
1811 births
1887 deaths
American Quakers
American suffragists
American tax resisters
American women's rights activists
People from Millbury, Massachusetts
People from Pelham, Massachusetts
People from Uxbridge, Massachusetts
People from Worcester, Massachusetts
American social reformers
Underground Railroad people
Burials at Hope Cemetery (Worcester, Massachusetts)
Activists from Massachusetts
Quaker abolitionists
Quaker feminists
Women civil rights activists