The first cause to bring large numbers of women together was the movement to abolish slavery. Black and white women abolitionists began speaking out for their right to participate in public life.
However, many abolitionist organizations didn’t accept female members.
In 1833, Lucretia Mott helped form the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society. Similar groups sprang up in other cities. Through their antislavery work, women learned how to organize a campaign, print pamphlets, lead meetings, write petitions, and speak in public. When Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton went to the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840, they weren’t allowed to participate. So the two committed themselves to fight for women’s rights.
