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Difficulty: Very hardBlack Abolitionism and Anti-Slavery Activism

Read the excerpt below:

"I come from the United States, where the most cruel system of slavery exists that the sun ever shone upon... I appeal on behalf of the four millions of my own race, and especially on behalf of the two millions of my own sex, who are under the absolute control of their masters, with no protection for their virtue or their lives... I ask for your sympathy and your aid in this great struggle."
— Sarah Parker Remond, Address at the Manchester Athenaeum, England, 1859

Which of the following best explains how Remond's rhetorical strategy in this address reflects the methods of the transatlantic Black anti-slavery movement?

  1. It utilized international speaking tours to build global pressure against American chattel slavery, specifically highlighting the intersectional, gendered exploitation of enslaved women to evoke moral outrage and political action abroad.Answer
  2. B
    It signaled a shift away from seeking civil rights within the United States toward advocating for the immediate emigration of free and enslaved African Americans to British colonies in the Caribbean.
  3. C
    It sought to align the anti-slavery movement with the platform of mainstream Northern white feminists by prioritizing universal suffrage over the immediate, uncompensated abolition of Southern plantations.
  4. D
    It promoted the concept of moral suasion by arguing that enslaved individuals were passive victims who relied entirely on foreign intervention and legislative changes rather than their own resistance.

Answer

It utilized international speaking tours to build global pressure against American chattel slavery, specifically highlighting the intersectional, gendered exploitation of enslaved women to evoke moral outrage and political action abroad.
The correct answer is correct because Sarah Parker Remond's lecture tour in Great Britain represents a key strategy of the transatlantic abolitionist movement, which sought to enlist British public opinion and pressure against the American South. Furthermore, Remond specifically highlighted the gendered, physical, and sexual vulnerability of enslaved women to expose the core brutality of racial chattel slavery.

Step-by-Step Solution

1
Analyze the speaker, context, and audience of the stimulus.
The speaker is Sarah Parker Remond, an African American abolitionist speaking in Manchester, England, in 1859, addressing a British audience about American slavery.
Understanding the transatlantic context helps identify the broader movement's reliance on international advocacy and pressure campaigns.
2
Analyze the specific rhetorical focus of the excerpt.
Remond focuses on the lack of protection for the 'virtue or lives' of 'two millions of my own sex' (enslaved women).
This shows how Black women abolitionists brought the gendered violence of chattel slavery to the forefront of the movement.
3
Evaluate the options against the historical context of Black abolitionist strategies.
The strategy of using international speaking tours to leverage British moral and economic power (especially concerning the cotton trade) while detailing the gendered realities of slavery aligns with the correct option.
This distinguishes her approach from emigrationist movements, mainstream white feminist agendas, or passive portrayals of enslaved people.

Key Concept

Black women's activism and international networks in the anti-slavery movement
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Topics

Black Abolitionism and Anti-Slavery Activism

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