An Appeal to the Christian Women of the South was an essay written by Angelina Grimké, published in 1836. She wrote this essay in order to support the abolition of slavery and directed her essay to appeal to other Southern women in America. It is interesting to analyze, as this essay was written by a woman for other women, which was not common at the time.
In this essay, Grimké takes an anti-slavery stance, appealing for the abolition of slavery in the Southern states. She hoped that women of the South would understand and agree with an appeal written by another woman, and therefore felt she was in a unique position to appeal to this demographic.
Grimké's appeal consists of a few key arguments, including that slavery goes against the Declaration of Independence, so it therefore has no legal or constitutional basis. She also appeals against slavery on religious grounds, saying that slavery is contrary to the bible, to Hebrew Law, and the teachings of Jesus. Finally, she makes a human appeal, saying that slavery was unethical and immoral, as it treated human beings as objects.
