In the majority of countries, discrimination on the basis of race and gender is prohibited. Before discrimination was recognized as a social problem, the members of the abolitionist and suffrage movements had to work hard in order to improve the distribution of political power. The abolitionist movement impacted the suffrage movement by helping to increase the presence of female speakers and activists.
To some degree, the suffrage movement was inspired by anti-slavery activism, and the causes to create them were interrelated. The abolition movement was established in order to prevent oppression based on unchangeable characteristics and stop “morally wrong” actions, and the suffrage movement pursued similar goals. However, the role of women in the anti-slavery political struggle remained unclear. That dilemma encouraged the most progressive social groups to take a new look at women’s position and recognize barriers to their political participation, including a lack of voting rights. Basically, both movements in question were created to prevent such characteristics as race and sex from defining a person’s ability to contribute to political life or make decisions on their own. The official reasons to limit black people’s or women’s rights could be reduced to some categories’ assumed poor decision-making abilities. Despite disagreements between particular abolitionists and women’s suffrage organizations, for instance, the AWSA, they remained allies and provided each other with support since more participants meant higher chances of success.
Being members or supporters of the abolitionist movement, women got new opportunities to speak publicly and express their concerns. For instance, in 1832, the first anti-slavery society led by women was formed to speak on behalf of the oppressed racial minority. Later, the experience of forming unions to fight against slavery added to women’s self-awareness and readiness to change social norms. In particular, the activities of African-American female activists encouraged white women to join the struggle despite differences in interests and social position. Female anti-slavery advocates, including Grimke, were among the first to draw parallels between race- and sex-based oppression. Also, ideological disagreements between male and female abolitionists helped the latter to realize the need for female-led organizations focused on women’s problems, including access to voting rights.
The influence of the abolitionist movement was enormous since many of its members and supporters became women’s election rights activists. As an example, believing that women’s issues were put on the back burner, Elizabeth Stanton and Susan Anthony, along with their male supporters, formed the U.S. Equal Rights Association. One of the causes of that discontent was discrimination against female anti-slavery activists. The achievements of the abolitionist movement also informed suffragist leaders’ public rhetoric, and they protested against being “politically inferior to the lowest classes of men.”
To sum it up, women’s participation in anti-slavery efforts increased their readiness to initiate changes for females who wanted the right to vote. Although the key problems of men and women were drastically different, the anti-slavery and suffrage movements were ideologically united. Basically, abolitionism helped to engage more women in political life and better understand the manifestations of oppression.