The documents that follow highlight two important ways in which involvement in the anti-slavery cause changed women's understanding of their own place within American society. The first section, Political Action, explores how women made inroads into what was commonly considered a "no-woman's land:" the male and masculine sphere of politics. Documents in the second section, Political Consciousness, provide evidence of how the act of entering the public sphere to protest the oppression experienced by enslaved blacks led white activist women to question their own subordinate status.
As you read the documents, pay careful attention to the language the writers used, how they justified their involvement in what many of their fellow citizens considered "unladylike" activities, and how their consciousness about their position as women in American society changed over time.
