Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women

The Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women was a three-year series of gatherings organized by women active in the American abolitionist movement. The first convention met in New York City from May 9 to 12, 1837, bringing together approximately 175 women connected with female antislavery societies in ten states. It was an important organizational and political event because women from a wide geographic area met specifically to coordinate opposition to slavery and to expand antislavery work among women. The meetings also created an early public setting in which women debated their own political authority, religious responsibilities, and participation in reform movements. The first convention elected Mary S. Parker of Boston as president, with Lucretia Mott serving as temporary chair. Lydia Maria Child, Abby Ann Cox, Grace Douglass, Sarah Moore Grimké, Mott, and Ann C. Smith served as vice-presidents. Mary Grew, Angelina Grimké, Sarah Pugh, and Anne Warren Weston served as secretaries. Delegates represented female antislavery societies from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maine, Connecticut, Ohio, and South Carolina. Their resolutions addressed slavery’s incompatibility with Christian principles, northern complicity in the institution, the responsibilities of churches and reform organizations, and the need for women to use their influence, resources, and public speech against slavery. The conventions attempted to remain interracial, although participation by Black women was limited by poverty, discrimination, segregation, and the difficulty and expense of travel. Sarah Grimké actively encouraged Black women’s societies to send delegates, and five Black women attended the first convention. Their presence exposed both the possibilities and limitations of interracial abolitionist organizing. The conventions’ discussions connected the fight against slavery with the rights and treatment of free Black people, making the 1837 meeting an important precursor to later women’s-rights organizing. The second convention met at Pennsylvania Hall in Philadelphia on May 15, 1838. It adopted resolutions supporting petitions to Congress for emancipation, urging churches to reject pro-slavery principles, and extending the movement’s commitment to nonresistance. Racial hostility escalated during the meeting. A large mob surrounded Pennsylvania Hall, while local authorities declined to provide effective protection. The building was ultimately burned, but the women continued their proceedings in a schoolhouse associated with Sarah Pugh. The episode demonstrated the physical danger faced by interracial abolitionists and reinforced the convention’s commitment to continue its work despite intimidation. The third convention met at the Hall of the Pennsylvania Writing School on May 1, 1839. Delegates continued petitioning campaigns, promoted education and occupational preparation for free Black people, and debated the morality and practicality of purchasing goods produced by enslaved labor. The three conventions helped strengthen networks among women’s antislavery societies, increased petitioning activity, and provided experience to reformers including Lucretia Mott, Sarah and Angelina Grimké, Lydia Maria Child, Mary Grew, and others. Several participants later became important figures in the women’s-rights and suffrage movements. The convention series was not a commercial brand or continuing company; it was a historical abolitionist institution and event network that ended after its 1839 meeting.

The convention series emerged from the expanding network of female antislavery societies in the 1830s. Correspondence among organizers, including Mary Grew and Anne Warren Weston, helped develop the idea of a national gathering that could coordinate local women’s work. The first meeting took place in New York City in May 1837. Its delegates represented organizations across the free states and included women from varied social positions, along with a small number of Black women and women connected by family to slaveholding communities. The organizers treated abolition as both a moral and political obligation. Resolutions invoked Christian ethics, condemned churches and missionary organizations that accepted slaveholders’ money, criticized northern laws and practices that protected slavery, and encouraged women to circulate petitions and appeals. Because women could not vote, petitioning, fundraising, household consumption, correspondence, and public moral persuasion were central forms of activism. The convention also debated whether women should create an independent executive structure or work within the male-dominated American Anti-Slavery Society. The interracial character of the meetings was an explicit principle, but it was difficult to realize in practice. Black women faced limited access to antislavery organizations, unequal economic resources, segregation, and discrimination during travel and lodging. Sarah Grimké nevertheless regarded Black women’s participation as essential and solicited delegates from Black female antislavery societies. The small number who attended revealed the structural barriers within reform networks while also helping place the rights and experiences of African Americans at the center of the proceedings. The 1838 convention at Pennsylvania Hall became the most dramatic episode in the series. Public hostility focused especially on interracial cooperation and fears that abolitionists threatened racial and economic hierarchies. A mob surrounded the building, and officials did not provide adequate protection. After the hall was set on fire, the women reconvened at Sarah Pugh’s schoolhouse. Their decision to continue, including prayer for both their allies and the rioters, reflected the movement’s commitment to nonresistance and its refusal to abandon interracial organizing under threat. At the 1839 meeting, delegates maintained the petition campaign and broadened their program to include education and vocational preparation for free Black people. They also revisited the use of goods produced by enslaved labor, a form of consumer activism based on the belief that purchasing such products helped sustain slavery. The proposal faced practical objections, but the debate showed the movement’s attempt to connect personal consumption with national politics. The conventions’ historical significance extends beyond abolition. They trained women in chairing meetings, drafting resolutions, organizing committees, circulating petitions, and speaking publicly. Lucretia Mott, the Grimké sisters, Lydia Maria Child, Mary Grew, and other participants later contributed to women’s-rights campaigns. The 1837 gathering has consequently been described by historians as an early major convention in which women discussed women’s rights, particularly in relation to Black women, before the more explicitly women’s-rights-focused Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Delegates Mary Grew and Lucretia Mott later attended the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London, where women delegates were excluded from full participation. The Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women was therefore a short-lived but influential organizational forum rather than a continuing institution.

• 1840

  Participants attend the World Anti-Slavery Convention

  [1]Anti-Slavery Convention of American Womenen.wikipedia.org

  Mary Grew and Lucretia Mott were among the American women involved in the London convention, where women delegates were denied equal seating and participation.

• 1839

  Third convention held in Philadelphia

  [1]Anti-Slavery Convention of American Womenen.wikipedia.org

  Delegates renewed petitioning, debated free-labor consumption, and supported education and trade preparation for free Black people.

• 1838

  Second convention and Pennsylvania Hall fire

  [1]Anti-Slavery Convention of American Womenen.wikipedia.org

  Delegates met in Philadelphia, supported congressional petitions and antislavery church principles, and continued their proceedings after a mob burned Pennsylvania Hall.

• 1837

  First convention held in New York City

  [1]Anti-Slavery Convention of American Womenen.wikipedia.org

  Approximately 175 women from ten states and twenty female antislavery societies met, elected officers, adopted resolutions, and organized communications and appeals.

Interracial women-led abolitionist organizing, petitioning, moral reform, and public advocacy against slavery.

• 1838

  Mob attack and destruction of Pennsylvania Hall

  A large anti-abolitionist mob surrounded the interracial convention, and Pennsylvania Hall was burned. The incident exposed violent opposition to abolitionism and interracial cooperation; a Philadelphia grand jury and city authorities did not hold the rioters appropriately accountable.

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• 1839Free-labor consumption and Black education advocacy

  United States

  Delegates encouraged avoidance of goods made through enslaved labor and supported educational and occupational opportunities for free Black people.

  Outcome. The resolutions preserved consumer-based abolitionism while acknowledging disagreement over its practicality.

  Source
• 1838Congressional and church petition campaign

  United States

  Delegates promoted petitions to Congress to end slavery and urged churches and religious organizations to reject pro-slavery principles and support abolition.

  Outcome. The campaign continued despite public hostility and the destruction of Pennsylvania Hall.

  Source
• 1837Women’s antislavery petitioning and correspondence

  United States

  The convention organized communications with absent female antislavery societies, appeals to American women, and petitions intended to spread abolitionist arguments beyond existing activist circles.

  Outcome. Women’s antislavery petitions increased substantially during 1837, strengthening local organizing and public engagement.

  Source

• 1839

  Expand support for free Black communitiesStrategy

  Background

  Delegates viewed abolition as requiring practical support for people living outside slavery as well as emancipation itself.

  Action taken

  The convention endorsed education and skills training intended to improve opportunities for free Black people.

  Aftermath

  The decision broadened the convention’s program from protest and petitioning to community development and racial justice.

  Source

• 1838

  Continue interracial meetings despite threatsStrategy

  Background

  The Pennsylvania Hall Association and others warned that the presence of Black women increased danger from hostile crowds.

  Action taken

  Delegates rejected proposals to exclude Black women and continued meeting together despite the threat of violence.

  Aftermath

  Pennsylvania Hall was burned, but the convention continued in a schoolhouse, making interracial solidarity a defining feature of the movement.

  Source

• 1837

  Adopt coordinated women-led abolitionist operationsStrategy

  Background

  Women’s antislavery societies were active across multiple states but needed stronger communication and coordination.

  Action taken

  Delegates created committees for correspondence, appeals, addresses to free Black people, and outreach to other female antislavery societies.

  Aftermath

  The convention helped build an interstate network and expanded women’s role in abolitionist public work.

  Source

1. 1Anti-Slavery Convention of American Womenen.wikipedia.org