When Half of Americans Had No Rights

In 1837, the reformed slaveholder Angelina Grimke became the first female touring orator in American history, traveling across New England to advocate the cause of abolitionism. In this episode of The Abolitionists, let's examine how Angelina and her sister Sarah shattered the 19th century cultural taboo of women speaking in public and kickstarted the nation's first women's rights movement.
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~REFERENCES~
[1] Joshua A. Lynn. Preserving the White Man’s Republic: Jacksonian Democracy, Race, and the Transformation of American Conservatism (2019). University of Virginia Press, Page 57-58
[2] Elizabeth Cady Standon, Susan B. Anthony & Matilda Jocelyn Gage. History of Woman Suffrage, Vol. I (1887 Edition). Published for the Editors, Page 33
[3] Mary Wollstonecraft. A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). Project Gutenberg www.gutenberg....
[4] Kathryn Kish Sklar. Women’s Rights Emerges Within the Antislavery Movement, 1830-1870 (2019 Edition). Bedford / St. Martin’s Publishing, Page 2-33
[5] Theodore Dwight Weld. In Memory: Angelina Grimké (1880). George H. Ellis, Publisher, Page 10-12
[6] Sklar, Page 86-90
[7] Weld, Page 21
[8] Sklar, Page 103-117
[9] Sklar, 126-137
[10] Weld, Page 16
[11] Hacker JD, Roberts E. Fertility decline in the United States, 1850-1930: New Evidence from Complete-Count Datasets. Ann Demogr Hist (Paris). 2019 Jun;138(2):143-177. doi: 10.3917/adh.138.0143. PMID: 35795871; PMCID: PMC9255892.

[@chriscasperson5927]

In the 1970s, when my parents got divorced, my mother had to have her father come out to California from Minnesota to give permission before ANY bank would open an account for her. Yeah...

[@aidanb.c.2325]

When my parents got divorced in 1981, my mother managed to find a bank that would let her open her own account. But they refused to do it under her maiden name, saying that she was required to continue to use my father's surname until she got remarried, and they continued to refer to her as a "Mrs."

[@burnedbread4691]

What the fuck that's utterly barbaric

[@cathleen6104]

Same here for a car loan for me in 1977. Stupid.

[@cathleen6104]

@@aidanb.c.2325 Institutions made up a lot of idiotic rules without legal backing in those days.

[@diegomo1413]

I just did some googling and have concluded that misogyny is cringe

[@picklepepper900]

"Caring about stuff, IS GAY" -Atun Shei films He cant keep getting away with it xD

[@Agnoletta]

@@picklepepper900 The Stonewall Inn Shirt.😁

[@legion999]

This isn't a joke. This is what conservatives ACTUALLY believe.

[@ltlbuddha]

@@legion999 He's making fun of that. Jokes as weapons is a thing

[@picklepepper900]

@@legion999 lol, yes definately 🤡 Conservatives also regularly hunt the gays and poor for sport, while sipping a glass of fine wine.

[@grmpEqweer]

If caring about others is gay, I'm gay. (Actually a pan enby)

[@AnimarchyHistory]

Checkmate Lincolnites is fantastic and deserves its success. But forgive me for saying so, this is your most important series.

[@alexandarvoncarsteinzarovi3723]

Well, well, well if aint our second favorite Aussie,

[@metaclownfish5921]

God I fucking hate lefties

[@Dianasaurthemelonlord7777]

:0 Animarchy?

[@B4DDHero]

He gets you with the high production funny

[@SnarkNSass]

🏆

[@jaxstuff898]

I remember talking to a female Chief MSgt when I was in the Air Force. She told me women who wanted to serve the military had to submit a resume and a large photo, and a board reviewed them to be accepted. And that practice just ended in the early 70s, about the time they could get their own credit card without their man saying 'ok'

[@Jcallahan-p2p]

Yes, because in the event of a divorce, the debt AUTOMATICALLY became the responsibility of the man, because most women did not work, and credit cards were not handed out to everyone like they are today- look it up. And you do realize that the majority of women never wanted the right to vote because it meant being eligible for the draft, which women STILL are not eligible for, but the feminists are pretty silent about being denied that "right".........

[@oogabooga6346]

Not long ago I went to the memorial for a lady who served in the Air Force. Back in her time, in order to serve she had to hide the fact that she had a kid out of wedlock.

[@grmpEqweer]

@@jaxstuff898 Photo??? They only wanted pretty women in the military???

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

I'm reminded of another obscure feminist heroine of the era. Mary Edwards Walker, the New York born surgeon who by sheer will managed to win the Medal of Honor for bravery. Was denounced as not a woman because she really hated petticoats and heavy skirts. Fought pretty hard for the suffragate movement but eventually fell by the wayside. Died a year before the 19th Amendment. She's pretty well celebrated now, statues, coinage, a fucking fort named after her (replacing AP Hills name hell yes). I guess what I'm saying is, its never too late to acknowledge and celebrate the women who paved the way towards voting rights like the Grimke sisters. It also shows, no matter who you are or where your born, you can always learn do the right thing.

[@thorpeaaron1110]

Cool

[@jamestown8398]

“Caring about things”, *snaps fingers*, “is gay!” - Atun-Shei 1:12

[@connycontainer9459]

Calling something gay is tight.

[@asmodiusjones9563]

If I recall from my time in junior high in the 90s, there’s hardly anything you can do that isn’t gay.

[@JM-mh1pp]

Oh my god...he is right

[@ClannCholmain]

And ‘woke’.

[@jasp3rjeep13]

​@connycontainer9459 we would know about "tight" wouldn't we 👀

[@S1apShoes]

"We should improve society somewhat." "No, that's gay." It's sad how much human progress has been held back for thousands of years with such simple nonsense.

[@stoopidphersun7436]

Nice to see slapshoes here

[@ramenbomberdeluxe4958]

And that’s why conservatives ideology doesn’t work!

[@Demo5]

Yip conservatives never change. There will always be insecure men easily swayed and manipulated by the looks of it .

[@warlordofbritannia]

Imagine thinking America should a shining beacon upon a hill, smh

[@GrandpaCremate]

Honestly as a Roman Catholic, it'd because of religion.

[@centurionzen1005]

"This country will not permanently be a good place for any of us to live in unless we make it a reasonably good place for all of us to live in."- Theodore Roosevelt

[@thejerseyhistorian6734]

While just a side plot to their overall story, when the Grimke sisters moved to Perth Amboy, New Jersey, they were teachers in the short lived utopian community known as the Raritan Bay Union. It was a place where girls who went to the co ed school were allowed to partake in several activities that were not usually done by women like acting and playing sports. So even in retirement, they continued to support and be a part of progressive initiatives.

[@GuyNamedSean]

The Raritan Bay Union sounds fascinating, but I can't find much detail on it beyond the Grimkés being teachers there and Theodore Weld running the school. You wouldn't happen to know any books or documentaries about it, would you?

[@thejerseyhistorian6734]

@GuyNamedSean Beyond a brief mention in some compilations of utopian communities and a short article from the 1950s, to my knowledge there hasn't been any materials covering it in depth. It's really obscure even by the standards of those who study utopian communities in the state compared to the research done on places like the North American Phalanx and the Stelton Colony I know that the archival material is held by the NJ Historical Society. Heres the reference: Maud Honeyman Green, "Raritan Bay Union, Eagleswood, New Jersey," Proceedings of the New Jersey Historical Society, Vol. 68, No. 1 (January, 1950)

[@spaceface124]

As a man, I had the privilege of caring for an older lady. She wasn't particularly old, in her 70s iirc. She mentioned that in her college years, women were still limited to swimming and tennis for sports! I was so shocked, that sounded like something from over a century ago.

[@mj91212]

Women _once again_ making life better for the vast majority of people, while being mocked and derided for caring.

[@sunnyd1722]

This was a fantastic video. These are women who have untold amounts of influence on modern day life. They were the spark.

[@vegemarkr4582]

Well, Angelina is a fucking badass for that speech to the racist mob

[@GirthQuake101]

1830s "Northern Fanatics" 2020s "Woke Mob" Some things never change

[@box0choco593]

I sincerely believe that the “Woke culture” idea used by some conservatives is really just a boogeyman.

[@oatdilemma6395]

Ok coloniser

[@cass7448]

New buzzwords, same blind resistance to change.

[@kenlandon6130]

The "Outside Agitators" many college presidents referred to when condemning pro-Palestine protests fall in this category as well.

[@cass7448]

@@oatdilemma6395 ???

[@DecembreBlanche]

Remember there are men and women right now trying their hardest to go back to that time.

[@Otokichi786]

If the female SJWs and activists keep pushing their agenda in the media, Title IX will be a past tense thing. After all, the Olympic Committee sees nothing wrong with a "man who identifies as a female" can bash a female boxer in the ring without consequences. Teen female athletes now find "strange men" parading through the locker room. Oh well, the "Salami slicing" of female rights are now carried on at the state level, don't ya know?

[@alexcarter8807]

Yep including the glory of women dying in third world numbers from the hazards of childbirth/lack of gynacological care.

[@jeffreygao3956]

Like…Matt Walsh, Micheal Knowles, Mark Cahill, Mark Collette, DeSantis the Savage, Trump Dump, JD Vance, Clarence Thomas, Ben Shapiro, Musky, Ken Ham, and Kent Hovind?

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@RagnarCayuse Based in brilliance!

[@jeffreygao3956]

@@RagnarCayuse As if! Luz Noceda would SO clobber a million DeSantis clones!

[@Brad-cz3tx]

Wake up, babe. New Atun Shei American History video.

[@probaddie456]

Half? There can't be more than, what, 17 women in America, surely.

[@Sableagle]

It's 17 women in Oregon, they've been isolated in a medical facility, they're getting better every day and that number's going to come down soon.

[@asherroodcreel640]

​@@Sableaglethoughts and prayers

[@RKNGL]

Every video game or movie.

[@warlordofbritannia]

@@Sableagle Your comment reminds me of when I played a cleric half-giant. He continually “cured” the ill through Lay on Hands.

[@TheFallopianTube]

Ive met so many hot women in the comment section of atun-shei’s videos. So many babes and virtually no guys. Sorry ladies, i’m busy this weekend with CW reenactments

[@schwunkie]

They're bots :(

[@acethurman71]

​@@schwunkielmaooo

[@Nikolapoleon]

WTF are you talking about?

[@Name-ot3xw]

Atun-Shei's next video project: GGW: Girls Gone Woke

[@effbar2400]

Like myself

[@TheAverageBearz]

Never forget how hard women fought to be given rights. When these inalienable rights start to slip, they will rise again.

[@Rynewulf]

@@Treblainethe idea is actually centuries old, and the basis of English style 'Common Law' vs European and Napoleonic Code style law (the proper term for which escapes me) So Common Law is based on government recognising pre-established rights and customs, whereas in the Code style of things the government explicitly allows and prohibits things. Both are good and bad in their ways, but the debate between which to use and which better reflects the origins of human rights (ie government recognition vs government creation) goes back centuries

[@mathiasbillard4225]

I think It's more of a matter of "of" then "when". I, at the very least, least hope so

[@kingofcards9516]

How will our letterboxes cope?

[@evansquilt]

We weren't "given" rights. We had to take them, because without literally centuries of activism, NONE of it would have happened.

[@cass7448]

@@mysampson284 ???

[@fuzzy7644]

Man, the depressing thing about any prograss is how slow it's been and how it's always been threaten day by day. It took so long after Angelina spoke out for women to even get the right to merely vote.

[@mathiasbillard4225]

The comforting thing about progress is that it's rarer for it to be lost than lost

[@SynchronizorVideos]

Large-scale societal change takes time and effort. That’s always been the case.

[@Jcallahan-p2p]

Except the majority of women did not want the vote, because it meant being eligible for the draft. being threatened where? I mean in the civilized/ Western world.

[@SamRMoyer]

@@mysampson284In what way has it done so?

[@TheRealColBosch]

@@SamRMoyer He's just parroting right-wing troll bait. Ignore it.

[@kellenlean2076]

I’ll also note how similar the sentiments of “just ignore them they’re just annoying abolitionists trying to make you feel bad” and the current day “just ignore them they’re just annoying and woke and are trying to make you feel bad”. Maybe just maybe you SHOULD feel bad.🤔🤔

[@PlatinumAltaria]

Nobody cares if you feel bad, they want you to stop standing on other people's necks. All you have to do is lift your foot.

[@kellenlean2076]

@@PlatinumAltaria that’s what I’m saying. These people SHOULD be feeling bad for keeping their boots on peoples throats because that’s how humans should be and act. The fact that they are denying or ignoring that the foot is even there in the first place is one of the major problems that we are still dealing with today. It shouldn’t be a problem I 100% agree with you. Unfortunately, weaker minded individuals take offense to peoples solid criticisms of messed up situations. The weak links in our chain are constantly holding us down.

[@eyesofthecervino3366]

I'm reminded of the Studio C skit where a bully comes home crying and eating whipped cream out of the can because everyone keeps being so mean, making her feel bad for bullying them.

[@cyancat8633]

​@PlatinumAltaria so sup my fair lady? Eh I keep seeing yoo on history and lgbtq stuff why?

[@PlatinumAltaria]

@@cyancat8633 This is due to the fact that I have no life.

[@PripyatTourist]

Living in Charleston, I haven't seen a single object with these sisters names on it.

[@lmbros6932]

Also a native Charlestonian here 👋 would be grand to have a statue like that, considering how rich our city’s history is

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

I was in Charleston last October. Not a word spoken and the college in the city is like 80 percent women. That needs to change.

[@PlatinumAltaria]

I'm so glad we live in a time where we solved racism and women's rights and there are no more problems!

[@garrettmetting6938]

@@PlatinumAltaria hello fellow lonerbox viewer!

[@PlatinumAltaria]

@@garrettmetting6938 I'm not real, you're hallucinating right now.

[@garrettmetting6938]

@@PlatinumAltaria 😰

[@beans1557]

@@PlatinumAltaria You’re the coolest hallucination I’ve ever met

[@oatdilemma6395]

Thank God now we men can have women rights!

[@taWay21]

Ty for making this Atun

[@cristianpissai7563]

Oh, hell yeah! I was hoping you'd get back to this series. Just recently went through the other videos. They were very cool!

[@AtunSheiFilms]

I filmed two of these episodes back-to-back! :) The next one will probably come out next month.

[@masongoser5627]

@@AtunSheiFilms Oh hell yeah

[@SomasAcademy]

I support women's rights and women's wrongs

[@konstantinosnikolakakis8125]

Based

[@petermmm42]

i support womens neutrals!

[@grmpEqweer]

Chaotic good women.👍🏻

[@sovietdoge.7369]

​​@@grmpEqweer Chaotic neutral

[@SynchronizorVideos]

Reminds me of this snippet from Sojourner Truth: “I have heard the Bible and have learned that Eve caused man to sin. Well, if woman upset the world, do give her a chance to set it right side up again.”

[@mattkuhn6634]

Sadly the fact that abolitionism and women’s rights were not always advocated together shows how the early abolitionist movement had yet to fully reckon with its position. Many, if not most, abolitionists in the mid-19th century did not truly believe that African-Americans were equal to them, but rather their issue was more that slavery itself was a moral evil, a collective sin that the nation was guilty of. Slavery, not inequality, was what they opposed, and that’s why women’s rights did not advance along with abolition.

[@jacktingey7886]

The niche of Mormon feminism in the late 19th century is fascinating. Pro-polygamist, pro-patriarchy, but also pro-temperance and steeped in religiois fervor. Flawed, but fascinating.

[@JohanKylander]

I've read from an lgbt historian that tangentially covers that. Connell O'Donovan.

[@emperorfrozenbillrulerofan8767]

I guess that kind of make sense. If you have multiple partners, you'd better treat them all right and fair.

[@TheJsmitty85]

This video is a needed reminder to this nation what we have become. Thank you for making it. We will not go back

[@adraino7345]

Status Quo is the most damaging latin phrase in all of history. Too many people cling to the idea that maintaining the status quo is inherently moral and safe.

[@sulimanthemagnificent4893]

Somethings aren’t meant to be fucked with. Not this, this *should* be fucked with, but I’m saying sometimes the status quo exists *for a reason* and changing it has… *adverse* effects…

[@MrZauberelefant]

humans are averse to change, and changing running systems always has risks. Now, that doesn't make conservatism morally right, but it has an appeal for a reason. The moral argument comes from the need to rationalize one's point of view

[@jemolk8945]

@@sulimanthemagnificent4893 Trite nonsense. The question was never whether or not there was a reason. The question was whether or not that reason was any good. The status quo requires no less justification than any alternative, and allowing it to get away without giving that justification only means bad reasons for stupid crap get accepted and embraced as "just the way things are." Sometimes there is a good reason why things are done the way they are, yes. However, it is that reason, and not simply the fact that they are done that way, that should be cited when questions inevitably get raised. If you cannot defend the status quo without leaning on the fact that it _is_ the status quo, then it should change.

[@dizzylilthing]

​@@sulimanthemagnificent4893there is no such thing as a status quo. When looking at society as a whole, nothing truly remains the same. Even things that appear to remain unchanged have opalescent shimmers to them that change the way they are viewed, interpreted, and referenced. can you give an example of anything that should not be changed or reconsidered?

[@badabing3391]

status quo is a phrase nobody who actually likes the status quo uses

[@SlightlySouthrn]

Really a unique characteristic of the abolitionist movement was the way that they enveloped the core principles of modern day feminism and racial equality and had them overlap, with Frederick Douglass and other prominent male abolitionist joining feminist rallies and conventions in support.

[@gabem3593]

the pro-slavery protestors surrounding and assaulting the building reminds me of the attacks that happened at many of the encampements at colleges in the US, especially at UCLA. A violent mob defending a horrific system of separation and racism attacking an unfortunately unpopular group fighting against it. I was attacked at an encampment by either a white nationalist or a zionist. They blinded me with bear spray, so I couIdn't see who they were. Its always comforting to see that eventually history shows we were right, even it takes far too long. I love your videos, and I thank you so much for making them. It always opens up new avenues of history for me to explore.

[@valmid5069]

Can’t wait for more content from your channel Atun!

[@cicalinarrot]

"Cause caring about stuff... is GAY!" I'm so glad they removed that sentence from the Mississippi state flag with that 2021 election.

[@iainhansen1047]

As always when you look at history, modern political talking points become more and more eerily familiar. Words, euphemisms and meanings seeming to not really change throughout the centuries. From ancient Roman’s conservatives complaining that the woke kids are becoming weak and effeminate because their going to Greek theatre to slave owners crying out at the slippery slope of freeing slaves. Studying history turns almost every political discussion I’ve had into an creepy experience, where the voices and opinion of insane dead men seem to appear from the mouths of my relatives.

[@mikeymullins5305]

That last line is bone chilling

[@fluidthought42]

People of the past were still people. With the same kinds of personal flaws and failings. Each subsequent generation thinks themselves more refined or advanced than those before but they only inherited a world more advanced (both technologically and socially) because of the hard work of those that came before.

[@warlordofbritannia]

“Gayness destroyed the Greeks.” -Richard Milhous Nixon, after seeing “two magnificent men” on television

[@Sid4president]

After the Civil War, Jefferson Davis' wife Varina published her book which said the Civil War was caused by 3 reasons all of which were blaming the abolitionists for interfering with slavery. She said war came because the North helped slaves escape, antislavery petitions flooded Congress, and antislavery speakers such as Grimke traveling America giving public lectures against slavery which changed the hearts of the voters.

[@Bagster321]

So even the wife of the Confederate president admitted the war was about slavery

[@MrZauberelefant]

So, the wife of the leader of the seperatists argues that the war was about slavery, do I have that right?

[@warlordofbritannia]

Jeff said much the same in both of his long-winded books-of course he usually obfuscates it as such-and-such precedent set in a failed bill from 1827. No, that’s not an exaggeration.

[@Sid4president]

@@MrZauberelefant Essentially yes.

[@jeffreygao3956]

Varina was right! At least the part where public lectures against slavery damaged the credibility of slavery.

[@hankskorpio5857]

Hey, I gotta say this... You are a beloved creator and voice on KZbin and I am absolutely certain its not just me. Ive met people that know you too and it lets me know they are mostly good peoples. Thanks for that.. seriously Thank You ❤

[@paulyoder604]

One small note: also in 1st Corinthians, Paul explicitly says that women pray and prophesy, and elsewhere praises female teachers and authority figures. So when you say that Paul “clearly prescribed women to keep silent in the churches,” I would clarify that while Angelina may have been squeamish because of her clear understanding that women should not speak, Paul’s teachings on the matter - and even the highly debated translation of 1st Corinthians 14:34 - are hardly clear in many popular and scholarly interpretations of the Bible.

[@paulyoder604]

BTW @AtunSheiFilms , I really appreciate your nuanced take on Christianity and the ways it has helped shape our history.

[@Rauruatreides]

I remember hearing that before. The fact that one mistranslated line completely altered the way people inside and outside of Christianity think of a group really brings into question whether certain belief held by Christians are actually biblically based, or just a misconception.

[@aetherkid]

​@paulyoder604 I can not wait until being a Christian is on the same level as being a Hellenist - mocked into obscurity and denied all political power. For too long has this death cult maintained power over us.

[@Larper64]

To be fair, a lot of the bible has been actively mistranslated for centuries to promote political goals, national standards, and even monarchs in particular. It's really interesting to study the history of the translations as they shift and change over time and who is translating it.

[@kingofcards9516]

​@@paulyoder604I'd hardly say he's nuanced. He clearly has a hate boner against Christianity.

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

My kid sister, she's a year younger than me. I'm 61. She rocked up to the bank to get an account so her salary could be paid into it. The bank required our Mum to attend with her to confirm she had no intention of getting up the duff in the short term. Yeah, seriously. 40 years ago. FFS.

[@unwantedmacguffin5611]

What does getting up the duff mean?

[@gwtpictgwtpict4214]

@@unwantedmacguffin5611 Getting pregnant.

[@nicolasnamed]

Always a great day when you upload, Andy! 😊

[@stgjr]

Love to hear about the Grimke sisters. Another link is that Elizabeth Cady Stanton got her start in abolitionism. And since Atun-Shei brought up Abigail Adams, it might be remiss to forget her son John Quincy. After his one term presidency in the 1820s he would go on to run for a seat in the House of Representatives in 1830, won the seat, and spent the rest of his life in Congress (he even died there in 1848, collapsing at his desk during a House session). In the 1830s, he would be a major recipient of the abolitionist petitions to Congress by women, and the main enemy of the slaveholders and their Northern allies during the recurring gag rule debates (A rule that forbade consideration of petitions about slavery). While he would not be publicly as radical, when defending the right of women to petition in Congress from a Southerner dismissing it, he did say this: ""Why does it follow that women are fitted for nothing but the cares of domestic life? for bearing children, and cooking the food of a family? devoting all their time to the domestic circle --to promoting the immediate personal comfort of their husbands, brothers, and sons? Observe, sir, the point of departure between the chairman of the committee and myself. I admit that it is their duty to attend to these things. I subscribe, fully, to the elegant compliment passed by him upon those members of the female sex who devote their time to these duties. But I say that the correct principle is, that women are not only justified, but exhibit the most exalted virtue when they do depart from the domestic circle, and enter on the concerns of their country, of humanity, and of their God. The mere departure of woman from the duties of the domestic circle, far from being a reproach to her, is a virtue of the highest order, when it is done from purity of motive, by appropriate means, and towards a virtuous purpose." And then... the son of Abigail Adams threw a bit of radical shade into it. "And the right to petition, according to the gentleman, is to be denied to women because they have no right to vote! Is it so clear that they have no such right as this last? And if not, who shall say that this argument of the gentleman's is not adding one injustice to another?" So, yeah, 1840 or so (I don't have the date handy), and the former (6th) President of the United States and a member of Congress is publicly calling out that preventing women from voting could be an injustice. It's hardly a radical full-throated cry but... man. (My source for this, BTW, is William Lee Miller's "Arguing About Slavery", one of my favorite books.)

[@stgjr]

And yes, Sir Anthony Hopkins played John Quincy in "Amistad", since he defended the Amistad mutineers before SCOTUS. It's probably the thing he's most known for, which is a shame because he became the bane of the Southern slavocracy during the gag rule debates, fending off two efforts to censure him for his remarks and ultimately overthrowing the gag rule even after the South successfully had it made perpetual and not by session.

[@albertgreene313]

From my first checkmate linclonites a few years back to this, I’m very glad with how your work has continued to evolve

[@the1koolkitty]

Wow, Atun -- I have to just leave a comment to tell you how beautifully you told the story of these amazing women! I've always considered myself a history nerd, but I'd never heard of the Grimke sisters before watching your video, and I'm not lying when I say I was enraptured from beginning to end!! Just goes to show you that civil rights is not a pie with a limited number of slices you can only hand out to select people -- it's like love and respect, in the way that the more you give, the more there is to go around. We don't need to "choose" to fight on behalf of only one marginalized group at a time -- it's a moral, kind, human impulse to identify with other people's struggles, and we're stronger when we advocate for each other as well as ourselves.

[@meredithsmyth7059]

That was fantastic. You have a new fan and a big "Thank You!" from me. I have enjoyed your "Checkmate Lincolnites" videos through watching Vlogging Through History, but now I'm officially enthralled. Great job!

[@comedy_goblin6378]

This series always gets me so stoked

[@CodaMission]

The public never wants to believe it could be wrong. And no matter how righteous your cause may be, if the public finds you annoying, they don't care what evil you are showing them, they just hate you for annoying them. In the 90s, the gay movement would burst into Catholic churches to interrupt mass with loud protests, and people hated them for it.

[@Pershath08]

Abigail Adams is still my favorite founding “father”. I like John too for his principles, just wish he did better once he took office.

[@jeremiahhuckleberry402]

The historical knowledge one gains by watching Atun-Shei's videos is quite amazing. And the quality of the work, from the visuals to the writing has always been IMHO top notch. Mr. Rakich is a natural born story teller whose work entertains us as much as they educate. His work reminds me that there is no greater source for exciting stories than our own rich history.

[@davidmika7677]

Great video,the " Lynn Lynn the city of sin" got an audible " oh yea!" from me. I'm a Yankee expat ( Chelsea)living just out side of Asheville NC. Love your stuff and thanks for all the masshole Easter eggs.

[@mistertestsubject]

That transcript of Angelina Grimke's speak is powerful stuff. You could almost imagine being there.

[@rachelrolltide3106]

Your background and shirt are dope.

[@requiembeeblebroxx]

Thank you for educating us about these extraordinary women and their impact on this nation's trajectory. I hope they'd be pleased and proud with how far we've come, and I hope even harder that we can live up to their vision by protecting our rights currently under threat by a certain political movement.

[@biggerdoofus]

This is a good example of how history is less a series of events and more a continuum of waves, as the masses have their opinions fought over by way more people than history classes have enough time to teach about. I wonder which great activists of today will be the subject of niche history videos 100 years from now.

[@steffenp7525]

Another amazing video! Thanks again for continuing to keep those "forgotten" names alive! History, as I always say is radical. ✊️✊️

[@JChang0114]

At what time did the concepts of "rights" move from one commensurate with responsibility to one where it's more universal? As an example, the right to vote in the US was initially based on owning property as it was thought one was more involved / invested.

[@AtunSheiFilms]

1830s was a paradigm shift for that in the US. Jacksonian ideas of herrenvolk democracy paved the way for more universalism

[@JChang0114]

@@AtunSheiFilms Thanks!

[@rainkidwell2467]

Damn that was a smooth interaction

[@mwheeler138]

I love this series. I'm happy that you're making videos on the fascinating, courageous, and even bizarre, figures of this time period. We always hear so much about the villains, their victims & the vile acts they committed upon them. Cheers!

[@MinionofNobody]

Let’s be honest about this subject. The number of people who could not vote was higher than half. Women, slaves, children, non-citizen immigrants, and others were not allowed to vote. I’m not sure what the actual percentage is but it would have been much more than half of the population that was not allowed to vote in the USA.

[@MrZauberelefant]

A point worth raising every time someone brings up "widespread public support" for African American slavery in antebellum south. That only holds true if you don't ask the enslaved.

[@burke615]

My aunt was an entrepreneur in the 1960s/1970s. She had to get a man to co-sign her bank loan, even though she ran the business (a printing company in Boston) by herself.

[@stekra3159]

1837 283 years and much progress has been made and yet equality is still not at hand. The work continues.

[@JCinerea]

This is the first time I've heard of the Grimkes, and the only time I've heard of abolitionists haling from the American South. I'm glad that you made this video.

[@matthewct8167]

Why were so many cool people back then Quakers?

[@nah4989]

Quakers were insanely ahead of their time socially. Hundreds of years ahead

[@beejls]

They believed in education.

[@localroger]

They did not shy away from the hard questions. Surely the Creator did not deal in contradictions, so proper worship would include seeking the truth whether you personally liked it or not.

[@jangofett5011]

Did you see A Light Under The Dome, the play depicting Angelina's speech in front of the Massachusetts State Legislature? I caught it yesterday afternoon and it was fantastic. You don't mention it here, but as a Bostonian, you must have at least heard of it.

[@boazjamesmiller6387]

I think Andy's actually from Wayland MA, as opposed to Boston.

[@Charagrin]

Lotta genx folk tell me their dad was a Republican and their mom was a Democrat. I just think about how marital rape wasnt illegal until 1993. Wonder what mom and dad thought about that.

[@bore-aliss]

Sadly, the current generation(s) of youth seem to be repeating that pattern.

[@Charagrin]

@@bore-aliss No idea what you are talking about about. Futures blue, and the current generation is awesome AF. YAF has no members. GOP college groups have no members. The average 18-25 voter votes blue, and it ain't close.

[@nicolasnamed]

Liberal women who marry conservative men are passively endorsing conservatives

[@kingofcards9516]

Are you insinuating that two people of different politics can't be together except by rape?

[@Charagrin]

@@kingofcards9516 No, I'm implying statistically a lotta Republican men raped a lotta women of all stripes while those same men actively voted against said anti rape law. I said it passed in 93, I didn't say it was created in 93.

[@Nodim1er]

God I love this content. You're awesome Andy.

[@50043211]

"... she began to doubt that a denomination which supported or even tolerated African slavery could in any way be truly following the teachings of Jesus!" indeed and nothing has changed when it comes to many American "Christians" and their treatment of The Other to this day.

[@roosterman8601]

hope you continue doing more videos like this!

[@Stoneworks]

I'm getting more and more invested in this series with each video in it. Keep em coming Mr. Films!

[@vodyanoy2]

The school/church I was raised in made frequent mention of the part of the New Testament where Paul said women should keep quiet in the churches. Women should obey men, etc. I'm glad I got out of that shit when I did.

[@francisnopantses1108]

What a fascinating story, thanks for sharing it in your inimitable style!

[@shannsimms9072]

I would love for you to do a video about Quaker’s in Philadelphia

[@yunuss58]

Thank you for teaching me about these people. Never knew of them before

[@DrAnarchy69]

4:04 Wolestonecraft was married to the famous proto-Anarchist William Godwin

[@dominictemple]

I really enjoy this series of yours Andy, learning a lot from them. Keep up the great work my dude.

[@basementdwellercosplay]

I feel like you should clarify "when half of white Americans didn't have rights", mainly cause passersby viewers may think you're completely forgetting about other races who already didn't have rights or reduced (with things like the chinese exclusion act of 1882 that denied them freedom to immigration and nationalization, how white political movements made it harder and harder to vote even when they legally were allowed to vote, and also how we legally didn’t consider Native Americans citizens until 100 years ago) just because they were non white. Knowing your channel I know you don't mean this but new viewers may be confused thinking you forgot about non white Americans or maybe even that the video is about that topic

[@nomisunrider6472]

Yup. Any question about the legitimacy of the Confederacy can be answered by the fact that only 30% of their adult population could vote, and therefore the Confederacy was not a representative democracy capable of self governance.

[@Monke1312_]

The title he has will catch more views than that though. I'm not even saying that as a bad thing. It's better if the information that he has to say reaches a larger audience because he has very good info in his videos while advocating for good causes.

[@Jcallahan-p2p]

No they were not considered "non citizens", they were considered self governing citizens, on their reserves "first nations" as they say in Canada. The government also didn't count Italians or the Irish as "White" until 1946. Today the Chinese Americans have more education and make more money then "White" Americans- almost as if there is no historical excuse that puts the blame on Whitey for piss poor outcomes of others in 2024....

[@JakeStrange66]

Love that A.L.F poste/banner in the background.

[@NayrAnur]

Average 1800s Abolitionist: "I can excuse sexism, but I draw the line at slavery." Angelina and Sarah Grimké: "You can excuse sexism?"

[@Picknumber3milord]

This is spectacular!! You do great work, sir!

[@hangarflying]

Over 100 years later, conservative complaints and arguments haven’t changed.

[@knuckles543]

@@kittycatwithinternetaccess2356 you clearly can't define it then, i've met hundreds in person and thousands online and the only difference was the veil the in-person ones used to justify what the online ones said again guy above is correct, i have heard the same wishes, a return to the 1890's: no women's rights, no civil rights, no allowing women to own land or vote, or to hold a credit card without the permission of a male some want to undo the emancipation proclamation and osme want to force the constitution of the confederacy on the U.S so yes, again VERY accurate

[@dustind4694]

People really need to hear these stories. The past is filled with people who kicked and screamed and fought like hell to move the needle.

[@grmpEqweer]

Has Atun-Shei done a history of the labor movement yet?

[@mikeymullins5305]

I dont think so

[@Bagster321]

I'm loving this deeper dive series. It's really informative which I appreciate a lot. Not being an American, my knowledge on this stuff isn't that expansive. So thank you Atun.

[@floraposteschild4184]

People who want to go back to olden times wouldn't like them if they had to get in a time machine and actually go. They want an ideological dream world, with all the modern conveniences. It reminds me of a scene from Not Without My Daughter, which is set in revolutionary Iran. The American trained doctor husband comes back from the hospital, raging about how primitive they are there. And his wife, who is virtually house-bound and has had her rights taken away, is just staring at him.

[@Argos-xb8ek]

Sojournal Truth is my favorite woman's Rights figure. A woman who had a character of perseverance and bravery that saw her through so much adversity

[@moblinmajorgeneral]

Belva Lockwood, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Harriet Tubman, Susan B. Anthony, and Carrie Nation are... W.W.A.

[@bore-aliss]

I do love hearing about feminism's radical origins. nice to see there's always people disproving 'well, the values of the day..'

[@LadyTylerBioRodriguez]

I would also add Mary Edwards Walker. The only female MOH winner. Hardcore suffragate and dress reformist.

[@TikoVerhelst]

Even though it was meant to be a joke “Caring about things”, *snaps fingers*, “is gay!” I feel like this joke is the best summary of patriarchy ever. There is so much ways in which society divides things by gender. Men should fight, but not for the right thing, that's for girls. And girls should care, but they shouldn't fight, that's for men. So, like, who should improve society then? Patriarchy doesn't work, even if it works. Radfems say it gives freedom to men and that's bad. But, like, patriarchy also says very precisely what men can and cannot do with that freedom. It's really not freedom after all, but more so 'power' and patriarchy couples that power to certain tasks. This video shows how engrained gender and patriarchy are in our ways of thinking. But also, more importantly, how easy it actually is to get rid of it! It's much like the homosexuals. "Live and let live" is easy to say, the gays are not gonna start orgies in the street. But this argument doesn't bring gay rights. We still gotta fight for those rights. I'm a white guy from Europe. For a long time I didn't understand the whole "fight and be thankfull for your rights". But having studied history, especially genealogy of just casual farmers from the Dutch 1600s (documents which from a legal perspective basically treat "women and children" one way and men another way, often saying "voogd van" meaning 'caretaker of' in the contexts of both husbands AND fathers, as if women had to be under the wing of a husband like how children need parents/caretakers), I know understand that we don't have to fight for our rights. It's more like keeping a foot in the door. You don't need to fight the door to keep the food in, you just gotta stay alert and KEEP that foot in the door! Because once the door to freedom is closed, you'll notice keeping that foot in the door is wayyyyy easier than getting it back in there after closure. It's the whole logic of pride basically. Yes, we don't need pride. I don't participate in it. I don't enjoy or like it. But I WILL fight for its existence. Because when Pride is gonna, rights will also soon be gone...... "The canary in the coal mine" expression comes to mind.

[@BjornTheDim]

Huh. That brief digression on that conservative offshoot of Quakers was the first time that I didn't immediately approve of them.

[@knuckles543]

@@kittycatwithinternetaccess2356 your english is one of them

[@mstmompj]

I'd never heard of the Grimkes before watching this video. Thanks for making it!

[@Sableagle]

Oh, hey, it's an Andy! I was thinking of you earlier. Suris and Nominally Naomi did a joint stream reacting to a video by someone and the music in the video to which they were reacting made me think of your reaction to the music in _Gods and Generals._ I was wondering what you'd think of it.

[@arttuhonkasalo427]

A great video as always

[@gragsmash]

I have often said they should have made Abigail president instead of John

[@MaryMack-o8r]

Slight correction. Allendale County, the location of the Grimke plantation, was in the back country of SC, not the upcountry. Otherwise, you are correct on all counts! Exellent!

[@samueleastman9904]

As a Christian, I love hearing about the biblical basis of civil rights movements. The integrity that the Grimke sisters had to not conform evil around them which stood in such stark contrast with the Christ they knew. I love these videos

[@aetherkid]

The same Bible told people to enslave people multiple times and did not say to free slaves even once. The Christian Abolitionists were less biblically justified than the slave owners

[@applesandgrapesfordinner4626]

Religious people who use religion to propel social justice will always be welcomed in my book.

[@localroger]

"What an untrodden path we have entered upon! Sometimes I feel almost bewildered, amazed, confounded and wonder by which strange concatenation of events I came to be where I am and what I am" -- Angelina Grimke "And you may find yourself living in a shotgun shack And you may find yourself in another part of the world And you may find yourself behind the wheel of a large automobile And you may find yourself in a beautiful house, with a beautiful wife And you may ask yourself, Well, how did I get here?" -- David Byrne

[@diegomo1413]

Watching this as I eat my Quaker Oats 😋

[@Jcallahan-p2p]

I like how we got rid of Aunt Jemima- one of the first wealthy black women, Uncle Ben for ...reasons, but the woke twats have nothing to say about the Quaker- a people known for their religious intolerance and slave owning ways.

[@Possum1312]

another banger vid, this entire series has been nothing but phenomenal

[@kidmohair8151]

the first instalment of Checkmate Suffragites?

[@tricotdiko1435]

So well done. Moving subject. Righteous dude!

[@hopeiswherethehomeis9606]

9:59 same as it ever was, unfortunately.

[@LucasDimoveo]

😂

[@shepherd8171]

I really hope this series gets round to covering the peasants revolt, as stated in the 1st video in this series, i was taught that it was entirely a response to the 'statute of labourers' a piece of legislation introduced to fix wages at pre bubonic plague rates, as a way to prevent peasents from breaking their bonds of servitude to their lords by moving away to work for lords paying wages. Itd be great to see someone mention the ideas of self evident equality as espoused by the revolts leaders, years before the diggers, levellers or founding fathers.

[@rn6312]

the GOP wants to go back to that.

[@garrettmetting6938]

We are not going back

[@Yixdy]

You ever been down south? It's quite a lot like this in most of the Bible belt, I live in Arkansas and see/hear nasty, stupid, plain ol' bigoted crap, not just from the average population, but from elected officials and members/employees of the state gov't

[@anthonybanchero3072]

@@garrettmetting6938I was shocked to find out my State, Washington, which granted women the vote in 1911, was 35th on ratification on the 19th Amendment, turns out, we wanted to be 36th, but Tennessee got that honor. Then again, more Drama in Nashville than Olympia. The measure was unanimous in the Washington Legislature and female legislators introduced the amendment.

[@Brotha00]

To the time when driving was easy?

[@adamplentl5588]

​@@Brotha00what?

[@Maxaldojo]

Well done, Andy! More, please...