Read Part One HERE
In this story I will continue to focus on a woman named Betsy Mix Cowles She lived from 1810 - 1876. Betsy became actively involved in a number of abolitionists organisations, often serving in leadership positions. Beginning in 1835, she served as the secretary of the Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society, which was one of the largest in the state with more than four hundred members. In 1846 and 1847 Betsy helped produce anti-slavery fairs and attended anti-slavery fairs and meetings in Boston, Massachusetts.
Betsy began speaking in public about the evils of slavery, and gained a reputation for her ability to articulate the importance of the anti-slavery cause. Not everyone approved of her popularity, however, Many people believed that women should not speak in public, and she was openly criticised for her speeches. Despite this concern, she continued to participate in the anti-slavery movement and opened her home to fugitive slaves as a station on the Underground Railroad in Ohio.
African American were not treated as equals to white people in the new state of Ohio (1803). Enacted in 1804 and 1807, Ohio Black Codes were meant to discourage Blacks from moving to Ohio. One of these laws required Blacks to pay a $500 bond signed by two White men within 20 days of arrival in order to remain in the state. Betsy spoke out against the Black Laws, and resigned one teaching position when the school at which she was working refused to admit black students.
Read Part One Hundred and Seven HERE
No comments:
Post a Comment