Lift Up Thy Voice
The Grimké Family's Journey from Slaveholders to Civil Rights Leaders
New York : Viking, 2001.
Format: Book
Description: xxiii, 406 pages ; 24 cm
THE STORY OF RACE CONSCIOUSNESS AND POLITICS IN AMERICA TOLD THROUGH THE LIVES OF ONE EXTRAORDINARY FAMILYBy the beginning of the 19th century, the American south encompassed two strikingly different societies: one lived as wealthy slaveholders, and the other lived under the lash. Daughters of a prominent slaveholding family in Charleston, South Carolina, Sarah and Angelina GrimkÉ, vowed to change the dynamics of their harsh society. The sisters (mostly in secret) began to educate their slaves as best they could, by teaching them reading and religion-and the basic rights to which all humans are entitled. Eventually they moved to the north, where they dedicated their lives to abolitionism and advocacy of women's rights.In 1868, Angelina and Sarah discovered that their deceased brother had had children with a slave. True to their ideals, the GrimkÉ sisters invited their nephews into their lives, helped educate them, and gave them the means to start a new life. Archibald and Francis GrimkÉ continued their aunts' fight for racial equality into the early decades of the 20th century, involving themselves in the founding of the NAACP and becoming two of the most notable African-Americans of their time. The GrimkÉs' work helped to lay the groundwork of the civil rights movement to follow-and, as Perry notes, helped to shape many kinds of American social activism.At once an inspiring social history and a fascinating group biography, LIFT UP THY VOICE: The GrimkÉ Family's Journey from Slaveholders to Civil Rights Leaders illustrates how the question of race dominates American history. This family saga, which spans 150 years, is a book for anyone interested in women's history, African-American history, the Civil War-for anyone who cares about making America a better place to live.
Subjects:
Grimké family.
Racially mixed people -- United States -- Biography.
Abolitionists -- United States -- Biography.
Social reformers -- United States -- Biography.
Grimké family.
Racially mixed people -- United States -- Biography.
Abolitionists -- United States -- Biography.
Social reformers -- United States -- Biography.
ISBN:
0670030112 (alk. paper)
Availability | |||
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Call Number | Location | Shelf Location | Status |
BIOGRAPHY Grimke Family | Main (Downtown) | Third Level, Biography | In |
Includes bibliographical references (pages [381]-393) and index.