Worcester Women's History Project

Abby Kelly Foster

This group the Worcester Women's History Project, was started in 1994, who wanted to teach people about the National Convention for Women's Rights. This convention, was started by a group of abolitionists who also believed in women's suffrage (the right to vote). This group was organized by Lucy Stone and Abby Kelly Foster; the Worcester Women's History Project had been created to make people aware of the importance of this convention. This group is basically is an educational group that helps to get the public interested in women's history and to promote research on historic events of women's history.

The first convention was held in Senecca Falls New York, and it was organized by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.This convention was held in 1848.  The president or the chairwoman who had been elected by the majority of the people of the group was Lucretia Mott. The majority of the people that were there were abolitionists like in the Worcester Convention of 1850; however the major difference was that men were not allowed to come to the Senecca Falls Convention of 1848. At this convention, suffragists had the Declaration of Sentiments, this is similar to the Declaration of Independence. Here is an excert from the Declaration of Sentiments written by Elizabeth

Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: "In entering upon the great work before us, we anticipate no small account of misconception, misrepresentation, and ridicule; but we shall use every instrumentality within our power to effect our object. We shall employ agents, circulate tracts, petition the State and national Legislatures, and endeavor to enlist the pulpit and the press in our behalf. We hope this Convention will be followed by a series of Conventions, embracing every part of the country."(An Age of Reform Vol.1 Eighth Edition written by Robert D. Marcus, David Burner and Anthony Marcus. Publisher Bedford/St. Martin's in Boston and New York).

Lucy Stone

Lucy Stone had been a teacher and went to Oberlin College, she graduated with honors and had wanted to create a convention in Worcester. Worcester at this time was just as busy as Boston and many of the important issues that had been talked about in Boston had also been talked about in Worcester. Lucy Stone had married Henry Blackwell (Elizabeth Blackwell's brother), however, she got married she did not take her husband's last name (she kept her own). The reason for this was because she did not want to become a relic (a relic is a woman who is widowed but has no property of her own). Lucy Stone, then with Abby Kelly Foster had hastily orangized a convention for 1850 in Worcester. At the 1850 convention, the elected chairwoman was Paulina Wright Davis.

At the 1850 Convention, there was 267 members, and this inluded Lucretia Mott; and William Lloyd Garrison. At the convention, peopled lectured on women's rights and abolitionistism; some of the people would include Wendell Phillips, Abby Kelly Foster, and Paulina Wright Davis. Paulina Wright Davis was the editor and publisher of The Una (A Paper Devoted to the Elevation of Woman).  An excerpt from Paulina Wright Davis's speech on higher education: "Oberlin in Ohio, and the Central College of New York, are the only institutions of the higher grade which admit women to their advantages. Medical colleges are so numerous and so easily established, that we find three or four in Ohio, one or two in New York, and one in Vermont, which no question of sex with their pupils. But this gain is so recent that it has a yet afforded but small fruits, and not much even in the way of assurance for the future. Among the older medical institutions, Geneva College opened her doors to one female student {Elizabeth Blackwell}, but closed them behind her as soon as she had honorably won the diploma and opened the dangerous example to her sex." (http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/WomansRights/davis_1851_address.html)

Paulina Wright Davis

There were also critiques and newspaper articels about the Worcester Convention, including one from Elizabeth Blackwell and Parker Pillsbury a newspaper editor from Concord NH. Excerpt from Elizabeth Blackwell's critique: "But I think you did perfectly right to act on the Education Committee, and if I can send you any information I will gladly do so. But I feel a little perplexed by the main Convention--Women's Rights. The great object of education has nothing to do with woman's rights, or man's rights, but with the development of the human soul and body. But let me know how you mean to treat the subject, and I will render you what aid I can..." ( http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/WomansRights/blackwell_comments.html)

Parker Pillsbury

Parker Pillsbury

 Parker Pillsbury had written an article about women's rights and the abolitionist movement; the abolitionists were especially upset at this time because of the Compromise of 1850 (this allowed California to come into the Union as a free state, however it had another portion this was the Fugitive Slave Act of 1850: if a slave had ran away then would be federal officals to catch the run away slave and send him or her back to the plantation, even if they were in a free state.) Excerpt from the North Star lettter that was written by Parker Pillsbury "We have predescribed our colored brethren, every way---every where; and under the late Fugitive Slave Law, every colored man is to be presumed a slave, unless there is proof positive to the contrary; and if any one is only claimed and sworn to as a slave, such proof is at once made  impossible. Before this law was enacted, his life was a lingering torture--before, we were killing him by exclusion and oppression; now we are murdering him with fear. We have barbed the iron arrows that pierced him. We have posioned fangs which were already tearing him in pieces---we have heated red hot chains that bound him as in adamant before. We have separated him from us by a gulf which has neither shore nor bottom. So far as human sympathy and regard are concerned, almost everywhere the horse and hound are as human as he." (http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/WomansRights/pillsbury_letter.html)