Town Hall Post

 

Today I enjoyed the privilege of listening to and learning about the facts of several key figures’ life stories during our “Town Hall”. These speakers included the likes of formidable names such as Harriet Tubman, Frederick Douglass, as well as Harriet Jacobs, who we as a learning community have had the privilege of learning about in our other class. However, one of the aspects of our town hall that I really enjoyed was the fact that we got the opportunity to hear about life stories that we would’ve otherwise never even hear about. These included names such as Lucretia Mott, Richard Allen, and William Lloyd Garrison. So, rather than reflect on names that everyone already knows of, in this post, I am choosing to educate of the knowledge I’ve gained on the not so well known figures that I learned about.

Lucretia Mott was born on January 3^rd, 1793, in Nantucket, Massachusetts. Mott was born into a Quaker family. This was crucial in her development into who we know her as today because Quakers prioritized values such as equality and peace. Mott was allowed a highly advanced education compared to her female counterparts during this era. After completing her education, Mott decided to become a teacher, which was one of very few options available to women as a career at the time. In the year 1811 she got married to a man by the name of James Mott who was also a Quaker as well as being an abolitionist. Lucretia and James had six children. Mott’s on the job experience as a mother was also one of the guiding life principles that helped her become as we know her now. Because of her upbringing, Mott believed that slavery was a moral evil, and she attested this to the fact that all living individuals possessed an “inner light”. In the early 1830’s she helped found the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. This was one of the first groups of its kind. The group helped promote abolitionism as well as raise awareness about the struggles that enslaved individuals faced. Through her work and teachings, Mott herself began to see the parallels between the plights of those who were enslaved and women and began to draw similarities to how those two things related to one another.

Richard Allen was born as a slave in Philadelphia who was able to purchase his own freedom at the ripe age of 26. Allen, soon after buying his freedom, decided to become a part of the Methodist church. Around this time, Richard Allen began to become widely known for his fiery preaching style. However, due to the times he and his black clergy were in, Allen faced a lot of discrimination and racism from people withing the very churches he spoke at. In 1787, it is reported that Allen and his congregation, decided to walk out of their then church of St, George’s, and begin working on the establishment of a new kind of church. In the year 1816, Allen launched the First General Conference of the African Methodist Episcopal Church in Philadelphia. He was the first ever bishop for the AME church. Under the leadership of Allen, the AME church advocated for civil rights and took a hard stance against slavery. The AME church is one of the largest black denominations today largely in part from the genius of Richard Allen.

William Lloyd Garrison was born on December 12, 1805, in Newburyport, Massachusetts. Due to his limited education, Garrison began his work as a printer’s apprentice. In the year 1831, Garrison founded “The Liberator”. This was a newspaper which became one of the loudest voices in the abolitionist movement. Garrison and The Liberator’s views were seen as radical at the time due to Garrison’s takes on slavery which included calls for immediate emancipation without compensation for slave owners. Garrison also was a strong advocate for women’s rights; even going as far as attending the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, which was the first women’s rights convention in the United States. Garrison also supported the Declaration of Sentiments which called for the equal rights of women, this included women’s suffrage. Garrison believed that the same moral principles which called for the immediate ending of slavery also demanded an opportunity for women’s rights and ultimately, equality. Garrison also helped found the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833.