Worcester Women's History Project (cont)

It was thought that a woman's place was behind a man
This follows what a woman's sphere near the bottom of the
article.

Willaim Lloyd Garrison

The Convention of 1850 was also organized by Abby Kelly Foster; she was also an abolitionist, both her and her husband Stephen had followed William Lloyd Garrison. Garrison was quite extremists in his thinking of how African Americans should be freed; Abby Kelly Foster was also like that, when she was younger, she was quite radical in her thinking. She had gotten interested in women's rights when she met Lucy Stone. At the convention itself, Foster was one of the speakers, here is an excerpt from her speech "Then, again, let every woman feel that she is equally responsible with man for the immortality, for the crime that stalks abroad in our land, and will she not be up and doing, in order to put away that vice?  Let every woman understand that it is for her to see that disease be not seek out means to do it away? If she feels that she is as competent to banish supersitition, and prejudice, and bigotry, from the world as her brother, will she not be up and doing? Here is the great barrier to woman's obtaining her rights. Mary Wolstonecraft was the first woman who wrote a book on 'Woman's Rights': but a few years later, she wrote another, entitled 'Woman's Duty' and when woman shall feel her duty, she will ger her rights.We, who are young on this question of Woman's Rights, should entitled our next book,Women's Duties'. Impress on our daughters their duties; impress on thier wives, their sisters, on your brothers, on your husbands, on the race, their duties, and we shall all have our rights." (http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/WomansRights/akfoster_1851.html) As stated in the first part of the blog, William Lloyd Garrison could not attend the Convention, but he have lecturing of his own. Garrison was one of the more prominent abolitionists, but not only was he an abolitionist but he also believed women's rights. Here is an excerpt of a letter that he had sent saying that he could not go: "Much as I should love to listen to the debates of that Convention, I cannot attend it-nor can my wife. She is in New York, and sick. My excessive business compels me to refuse almost every invitation to attend public meetings, especially if they are not in my own country." (http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/WomansRights/pamphlet.html)

Belle and Gaston from Beauty and the Beast: "It's not right for a
woman to read, soon she starts getting ideas and thinking."
Women had their separate sphere which would include not going
into the same areas as men, there were also subjects that women could
not talk about.

The convention also had arguments that supported the movement itself, one of them came from articles that was called Woman's Rights in Church and State written by H.H Van Amringe. Here is an excpert from it: "It is commonly said by thosee who appeal to Reason against the equality of the rights of woman, that she has a sphere of her own, the sphere of tenderness, modesty, retirment, and usefulness. But the assertion thus made, proves nothing; for what 'woman's sphere'. Is, is the very matter in dispute. In different climates and among different races of men and conditions of social progress, woman's sphere differs immensely. In a laborious, and repugnant work without thanks, extreme sufferings without pity, remitting drudgery without reward. In China, her sphere is drag the plough, while her husband sows the seed, and appropriates the crrop. In India, her sphere, is to be entirely subject to the will of her husband, during his life, and at his death, to be burnt upon his funeral pile. What is not the sphere of woman? Anything or everything as the varying caprice of power and of public opinion may determine. One fact, surely, is worthy of remark-that is precisely as a nation advances in intelligence, arts science and Christian character, the rights of woman approach more nearly to those men; and hence we may infer, that, when a true state of society shall be reached, their rights will be one and the same. By 'spheres', however, is properly meant the orbits or circuits of employment and action. These certainly will vary for the sexes, as the vary for the different individuals, male or female, of the human race, according to organizations, relative endowments, or combinations of talent, education and circumstances. But although each one has thus an individual sphere, our rights are not unequal."(http://www.wwhp.org/Resources/WomansRights/pamphlet.html)

Ariel and King Triton "You went upto the surface again? Didn't
you? You could have been seen by one of the barbarians by one
of those humans? As long as you live under my ocean you obey
my rules." Women could not go outside their sphere, neither could
men go into a woman's shere.

In  1994, the Worcester Women's Historical Project was created, this was started by a small group of women and they had created this group was to help spread the word, that over a hundred-fifty years ago, almost three hundred peopler from all over the country had met together and discuss their views on women's rights and on abolition.

Many of the accomplishments that have been written about the Worcester Convention, this would also include a one woman play that was written about Abby Kelly Foster. One of the major accomplishments were the statues that are in Mechanics Hall. There is also the workshop that celebrates the accomplishments of women in American history; this group also has had many awards recieved from the Telegram and Gazette. The group has hosted many different events and exhibits from talking about women's suffrage as a whole or about people who were in the women's rights movement or about abolitionism.

The reason that people would like this group is because this group shows the community about the fight for women's rights; it also gives a glimpse what the country was like in 1850, and how busy Worcester during that time. This group makes people aware of the fight that many people did to get women the right to vote; the reason that I would join this group is not just because of the historical aspect but it also gives good glimpses of what these men and women had to go through of getting people aware of the fight for women's suffrage. This group also allows not just historians to know about these people but also the community; it shows the community throught exhibits and special events about the Convention and why it was so important.