Lucy Stone Facts & Worksheets

• To broaden the reach of their petitions, women abolitionists gathered in New York City and declared that all moral beings shared certain rights and responsibilities. Later, the state conference of congregational ministers released a pastoral letter denouncing women taking on men's roles as public reformers. Stone was furious about the letter while attending the conference as a spectator. She was appalled by the notion that women should be confined to traditional gender roles and denied the opportunity to actively engage in important societal issues.
• At 21 years old in 1839, Stone decided to seek further education and became a student at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary. However, due to the opposition of the founder of the seminary, Mary Lyon, to women's rights and anti-slavery beliefs, Stone left after one term. She then enrolled at Wesleyan Academy because it better aligned with her preferences.
• After reading about Abby Kelley in the media, Stone chose to follow her example three years later. Kelley had stood firm in defending her right to speak freely and to vote. When a deacon was banished from Stone's church in 1843 due to his antislavery actions, Stone extended her hand in support of Kelley.
• After the initial vote for the deacon’s removal, Stone showed her solidarity by raising her hand. Despite being a church member, the minister dismissed her vote on the grounds that she was not eligible to participate. Undeterred, like Kelley, she continued to raise her hand in defiance for the subsequent five votes.
• After a year at the coeducational Monson Academy, Stone learned that Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in the country to admit both women and African Americans. To prepare for the entrance exams at Oberlin, she enrolled at Quaboag Seminary in Warren, studying Latin and Greek grammar. In August 1843, at the age of 25, Stone began attending Oberlin College.
• As Stone matured into a young adult, she began to question the societal norms that limited women's opportunities and rights. Exposure to early feminist thinkers strengthened her commitment to women's rights and resolve to drive change. 
• For instance, the writings of the English author and proponent of women's equality, Mary Wollstonecraft, had a significant influence on her. Wollstonecraft's seminal work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman," challenged the prevailing norms and argued for women's education and political rights. Stone found inspiration in Wollstonecraft's ideas and her call for women to be regarded as rational beings deserving of the same rights and opportunities as men.
• Additionally, Stone's correspondence with Angelina and Sarah Grimké, renowned abolitionists and early feminist writers, provided her with valuable insights into the systematic oppression of women and the interconnectedness of various social justice causes. The Grimké sisters' writings on women's rights deeply resonated with Stone and reinforced her determination to challenge gender-based discrimination.

Abolitionism

• Stone's commitment to the abolitionist cause was closely connected to her support for women's rights. As she explored the injustices of slavery, she saw the similar challenges experienced by women in a male-dominated society. She argued that the struggle against slavery and the push for women's rights were linked, both grounded in the belief in equal treatment for everyone.
• In June 1848, she became a paid speaker for the Massachusetts Anti-Slavery Society to gain experience in public speaking before advocating for women's rights. She spoke at women's rights conventions in Seneca Falls and Rochester and received support from progressive reformers in the Garrisonian wing of the abolitionist movement. In April 1849, she was invited to speak by the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. She spearheaded petition drives for women's suffrage and the right to run for public office with backing from abolitionists.
• Stone travelled extensively, delivering powerful speeches that garnered attention and support for the abolitionist cause. She passionately argued for the immediate freedom of enslaved people and equal rights for all, regardless of race or gender.
• As a prominent figure within the abolitionist movement, she worked closely with William Lloyd Garrison, the renowned abolitionist and publisher of "The Liberator." Garrison's fervent advocacy for the immediate and unconditional emancipation of enslaved individuals resonated with Stone's beliefs, and together, they campaigned for the abolition of slavery.
• Additionally, Stone's collaboration with Frederick Douglass, a prominent African American abolitionist, expanded the reach and impact of her advocacy. Douglass promoted the rights and liberation of enslaved people in alignment with Stone's convictions, and their partnership greatly strengthened the abolitionist movement's efforts to effect social and political change.
• In 1850, Stone co-founded the Woman's Journal, a publication that served as an outlet for both the abolitionist and women's rights movements. The newspaper provided a space for her to advocate for the equality of women and to denounce the inequalities perpetuated by a society that condoned both slavery and the subjugation of women.
• In her anti-slavery writings, Stone attacked West Brookfield's First Congregational Church as well as other churches that refused to oppose slavery. She was banished from the church in 1851. After talking with Abby Kelley at Oberlin, she later converted to Unitarianism.

Women’s Rights Advocacy

• As Stone continued her activism, she became a leading voice in the fight for women's rights. In 1850, she and Paulina Wright Davis coordinated a national convention for women's rights with the help of abolitionists. The inaugural National Women's Rights Convention took place in Worcester, Massachusetts, on 23-24 October.
• In 1851, Stone participated in the health-reform campaign by wearing the Bloomer dress, a novel fashion statement. The outfit consisted of an airy blazer, oversized pants, and a knee-length skirt. It was a response to the Water-Cure Journal's request for women to embrace a style that would allow them to use their legs freely. The Bloomer quickly gained popularity in the following months, with women from Toledo to New York City and Lowell, Massachusetts, organising reform-dress social events and festivals.