Historical Anti Slavery Activist: Abby Kelley Foster

 The Woman Who Split The Abolitionist Movement And Never Apologized For It

Abby Kelley Foster

Good morning everyone, 

 My name is Abby Kelley Foster and I am here tonight because I believe that I have a responsibility to speak about slavery, not tomorrow, not when it becomes convenient, but now. 

 I know that some of you may ask, "why should we involve ourselves in this issue? Why should we challenge something that has existed for generations?"

 My answer is simple: because slavery is wrong. 

 I have spent years traveling throughout this country, speaking to communities about slavery. I have seen how uncomfortable this subject makes people. I have heard the arguments that slavery is necessary, that it is part of our economy, that it is protected by law, or that ending it would cause too much disruption. 

But I ask you: Since when does something become right simply because it is profitable, legal, or traditional? A human being cannot be property. 

When I first began speaking publicly against slavery, I was told that a woman should not stand before an audience and speak about political or social issues. But I could not remain silent. I stood before audiences because I believed that if I knew something was wrong, I had a responsibility to speak about it.

And that is what I ask of this town tonight: to look at the reality of slavery

Enslaved people are denied their freedom. Families can be separated. People are forced to work without the ability to control their own lives. They are treated as property rather than as human beings.

How can we call ourselves a nation founded on liberty while millions of people are denied that liberty?

Some may say, “But what can one person possibly do?”

I understand that question because I have asked it myself.

My answer has always been: act.

I once said, “I have no weapon but the gospel of truth in its simplicity.” I did not have political office or great wealth. What I did have was a voice, and I decided to use it.

 I have written petitions. I have raised money. I have traveled from community to community. I have spoken to people who disagreed with me. I have faced angry crowds and hostility. Yet I continued speaking.

Why?

Because I believe silence helps injustice continue.

And I do not believe that ending slavery should be postponed simply because the task is difficult.

We have to create a society where freedom is not reserved for some people while denied to others. I believe African Americans deserve not merely freedom from slavery, but the same rights and opportunities as white Americans. That belief is central to the abolitionist cause.

So tonight, I am asking this community to consider what side of history we want to stand on.

Do we want to defend a system simply because it has existed for a long time?

Or do we want to challenge it because we recognize that human beings deserve freedom?    

I have learned that change does not happen because people sit quietly and wait for someone else to act. It happens because ordinary people decide that they will no longer accept injustice.

Years ago, I said, “Action, action, is eloquence!” I believe those words apply to the fight against slavery as well. It is not enough to say that slavery is unfortunate. It is not enough to privately disagree with it. If we truly believe slavery is wrong, then our actions must demonstrate that belief.

So I ask you tonight: Will you speak? Will you petition? Will you support the abolitionist cause? Will you challenge the people and institutions that continue to defend slavery?

The choice is yours.

But I believe that someday, people will look back on this period and ask how a nation that claimed to value liberty could allow slavery to continue.

I want us to be able to say that when we recognized the injustice, we did not turn away.

We acted.

We spoke.

And we fought for freedom.

Thank you.

Sources:

https://www.ebsco.com/research-starters/biography/abby-kelley-foster

https://socialwelfare.library.vcu.edu/womens-suffrage/kelley-abby/

AI DISCLOSURE: AI was used to help shape my blog post into a professional speech. I used Claude AI to help format my research into a script for my town hall meeting which I then incorporated into my blog post.