An Inspiring And Complicated History Of Women
March 16, 2000
University Park, Pa. – Popular 19th-century novelist Lydia Maria Childs, author of "Philothea: A Romance" and others, felt reborn with purpose after meeting leading abolitionist William Lloyd Garrison in 1831. "Old dreams vanished, old associates departed and all things became new," she later wrote. Childs’ active involvement in the abolitionist movement and the hardships she endured is one of the many stories told in a new book by Penn State historian Lori Ginzberg.
Ginzberg, an associate professor of history and women’s studies, says that Childs fell into poverty and isolation from elite society after the 1833 publication of her book, "An Appeal in Favor of that Class of Americans Called Africans." But despite this setback, her commitment to ending slavery inspired others to join the abolitionist cause.
Ginzberg’s book, "Women in Antebellum Reform," tells the story of how thousands of women became actively involved in reform movements before the Civil War — including temperance, charity for the poor, abolition and women’s rights. These women’s efforts to improve the world as they saw fit still provide plenty of fascinating lessons, says Ginzberg.
"The antebellum era was a time when people demonstrated great passion for trying to change the world. These were very real, ordinary people who refused to think small," notes Ginzberg. "The abolitionists, in particular, believed that ending slavery would effect a grand moral transformation in American society – they didn’t consider merely tinkering around the edges."
Ginzberg’s book examines the complex forces that encouraged women to become involved in reform movements yet also constrained their behavior. She describes 19th-century reform movements as an outgrowth both of Enlightenment, with its emphasis on human rights and, more particularly, of Protestant religious revivals. This movement compelled churchgoers, especially white, middle-class Protestants, to change society by volunteering to help those afflicted by social ills with the intention of converting them.
The book details how activism broadened women’s lives and opened them to experiences outside their domestic sphere. They formed organizations that provided assistance to poor women and their children, while others fought for women’s property rights and the right for a woman to divorce a drunken husband. According to Ginzberg, young girls were also encouraged to follow their mothers’ charitable efforts – women’s rights leader Elizabeth Cady Stanton was influenced by her schoolgirl visits to prisoners.
"Women who devoted themselves to charitable reform established long-term, stable and financially important institutions that exerted a strong presence in their communities," notes Ginzberg. "Many excelled in fundraising and management."
Although most middle- and upper-class white women limited their activism to socially approved movements like temperance and relief for the poor, a growing minority embraced more radical movements that championed the abolition of slavery and equal rights for women.
The public often reacted harshly to those who supported these controversial causes. Newspapers questioned their femininity, while others decried women who spoke about abolition in front of mixed crowds. In 1838, a mob set fire to Pennsylvania Hall during an anti-slavery convention held by women.
Ginzberg sees many parallels between the questions raised by antebellum reformers and those still being addressed in contemporary American society.
"Virtually all our ideas on welfare reform came from the nineteenth century, a time when the poor were divided into the virtuous and the lazy. Today, many of the poor are still blamed for their condition," she notes.
She adds that another similarity exists between the antebellum view of women as morally superior and the present-day pressures on women to become not only mothers, but also perfect mothers.
Ginzberg wrote this book the way she would teach her undergraduate students – with stories about real people that complement the necessary historical theories. Although this book is intended for undergraduates, it will also be available at general bookstores.
"I really think it’s important for academics to bring these stories and their interpretations of the past to a larger audience," says Ginzberg. "For all their limitations – and there were many, especially in terms of their moral solutions for economic inequities – these women lived inspiring and complicated lives that they devoted to causes larger than themselves. Their stories give students the perspective they need to understand the history of women’s rights and the ongoing movements for social change."
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Contact: Karen Trimbath, Department of Public Information, at (814) 865-7517 or at
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"Women in Antebellum Reform" is published by Harlan Davidson, Inc. Review copies are available by calling (847) 541-9720 or by e-mailing to
The company is also online at http://harlandavidson.com/