Women's History Month: Lucretia Mott

This month we celebrate inspirational and influential women. This year Women’s History Month is dedicated to trailblazing women in labor and business, and the honorees are recognized for challenging cultural, structural and legal forms of discrimination against women and girls.

We’re spotlighting one woman each week who has changed society with her ambition and passion. Last week we featured Dolores Huerta who fought for civil rights and better working conditions for farm laborers. This week we travel back in time to introduce Lucretia Mott.

Lucretia Mott (1793-1880)

An abolitionist and a feminist, Mott became a voice for anti-slavery. In 1833, she helped to form the Philadelphia Female Anti-Slavery Society and later founded the American women’s rights movement. Mott believed strongly in equal economic opportunity and voting rights.

Raised in a Quaker community, Mott advocated for anti-slavery and boycotted any and all products that involved slave labor. She attended a Quaker boarding academy in New York and later became a teacher. Mott was had a natural gift for speaking. She used her talent to practice activism in every way she could.

She began her career as an activist promoting anti-slavery and equal right, but when she was denied a seat at the 1840 World Anti-Slavery Convention in London because of her gender, she began to fight for female equality. It was in London that she met Elizabeth Cady Stanton, also a suffragist and civil rights activist. Together, they organized the American women’s rights movement in 1848.

Following the Civil War, Mott continued her activism by promoting black suffrage and aid for freed people. She would later contribute to the establishment of Swarthmore College, a co-ed Quaker institution, in 1864. She also served as head of the American Equal Rights Association.

Take a moment to recognize the women in your life, today and everyday! Celebrate women's history every day with timeless folktales for our Women’s History Month reading list.

Sources:

http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/lucretia-mott

https://www.biography.com/people/lucretia-mott-9416590