African American History and Women

What's included? See note below timeline.

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Women and African American History: 1840-1849

1840

• Lucretia Mott, Lydia Maria Child, and Maria Weston Chapman were the executive committee of the Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society

• World Anti-Slavery Convention in London would not seat women or allow them to speak; Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton met over this issue and their reaction led directly to organizing, in 1848, the first woman's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York

• Abby Kelley's new leadership role in the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS) led some members to secede over women's participation

• (-1844) Lydia Maria Child and David Child edited Anti-Slavery Standard

1841

1842

• Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin born (journalist, activist, lecturer)

• Maria Weston Chapman organized the Anti-Slavery Fair in Boston

1843

• Sojourner Truth began her abolitionist work, changing her name from Isabella Van Wagener

• or 1845 (July 4 or 14) Edmonia Lewis born

1844

• Maria Chapman became an editor on National Anti-Slavery Standard

• Edmonia Highgate born (fundraiser, after the Civil War, for the Freedman's Association and the American Missionary Society, for educating freed slaves)

1845

• or 1843 (July 4 or 14) Edmonia Lewis born

1846

• Rebecca Cole born (second African American woman to graduate from medical school, worked with Elizabeth Blackwell in New York)

1847

1848

• (July 19-20) Woman's Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York, included among its attendees Frederick Douglass and other male and female antislavery activists; 68 women and 32 men signed the Declaration of Sentiments

• (July) Harriet Tubman escaped from slavery, returning repeatedly to free more than 300 slaves

1849

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[1492-1699] [1700-1799] [1800-1829] [1830-1839] [1840-1849] [1850-1859] [1860-1863] [1864-1869] [1870-1879] [1880-1889] [1890-1899] [1900-1909] [1910-1919] [1920-1929] [1930-1939] [1940-1949] [1950-1959] [1960-1969] [1970-1979] [1980-1989] [1990-1999] [2000-]
[Biographies of Notable African American Women]

Events in this timeline include:

• events featuring African American women
• birth and death dates for many notable African American women
• general African American events which had significant impact on African American women and families as well as men
• events involving key women whose work influenced African American history, for instance the involvement of many European American women in anti-slavery work
• birth and death dates for key women whose work was important in African American history, for instance in anti-slavery or civil rights work