Anti-Slavery Petition from the Women of Philadelphia
1844
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Sixty-five Philadelphia women signed and presented this petition to Congress in 1844, urging the abolition of slavery. At that time, women in the United States were unable to vote. To make their voices heard on important social issues of their day—slavery and drunkenness—women organized themselves and used petitions to influence Congress. Collectively, the signatures of approximately 3 million women abolitionists, including these petitioners from Pennsylvania, sent a powerful antislavery statement to Congress.
Transcript
To the Senate and House of Representatives of the United StatesThe undersigned, women of Pennsylvania, respectively ask, that you will abolish every thing in the constitution or laws of the United States, which in any manner sanctions or sustains slavery.
[signatures]
28 th Cong
7 Sep
Petition of a number of women of Pennsylvania, praying the abolition of slavery in the United States
1844 March 21 Motion to receive, laid on the table.
This primary source comes from the Records of the U.S. Senate.
National Archives Identifier: 595408
Full Citation: Anti-Slavery Petition from the Women of Philadelphia; 1844; Petitions and Related Documents That Were Presented, Read, or Tabled, 1789 - 1966; Records of the U.S. Senate, Record Group 46; National Archives Building, Washington, DC. [Online Version, https://docsteach.org/documents/document/antislavery-petition-women-philadelphia, April 25, 2025]Activities that use this document
- From Slavery to Juneteenth: Emancipation and Ending Enslavement
Created by the National Archives Education Team
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