And the Spirit Moved Them

March 20, 2017
Philanthropist and therapist Hunt (Faith and Feminism) addresses elements of early feminism, primarily its interracial and religious aspects, which she asserts were “lost in the century.” “The origin of modern feminism is its Christian bedrock” is a central theme in the book, as Hunt revisits all-women antislavery conventions held in America in the late 1830s. Notable—but not necessarily forgotten—figures appear (generally referred to by their first names), among them Lydia Maria Child, Sarah and Angelina Grimke, and Lucretia Mott, and the lesser-known Mary Grew and Abby Kelly. Hunt is attentive to the involvement of black women, particularly Grace and Sarah Douglass and Sarah Forten. The book is framed by accounts of Hunt’s personal history and involvement with women’s organizations. Unfortunately, factual inaccuracies (e.g., she names Frederick Douglass as one of the founders of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833) and unsubstantiated claims (she writes that a group of organizers “took to heart the words written decades earlier by Phillis Wheatley” but does not provide evidence of them having ever read Wheatley’s work) plague this lighthearted treatment of a well-known segment in the history of the women’s movement.

March 1, 2017
The story of the abolitionists of the early to mid-19th century who set the stage for women's campaign for equality and the vote.Growing up in a wealthy family in which her father was "the dictator of the house," Hunt (Faith and Feminism: A Holy Alliance, 2004, etc.) felt an immediate sense of kinship with 19th-century feminist abolitionists who railed against patriarchal culture. She was "captivated," she writes, "by these women who had declared their right to shout out against slavery and claim their own authority." The author sees these reformers as the true founders of American feminism, years before the iconic Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Hunt has two aims in her revisionist history: to celebrate women such as Angelina and Sarah Grimke, Mary Grew, Lydia Maria Child, Maria Weston Chapman, Sarah Douglass, and Catharine Beecher, who have been largely overshadowed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony; and, equally as important, to highlight the women's religious faith. Early feminists, she writes, viewed abolition as "a sacred mission and religious vocation." They felt "armed by God," as they denounced church hierarchy and pro-slavery clerics. The Southern church, Hunt discovered, "gave religious cover to slavery, citing carefully chosen Bible verses and propagating the notion that the slaves were heathens." Feminist abolitionists countered with their own reading of Scripture, emphasizing God's love and compassion. Although they shared faith, not all feminists saw blacks as equals; agreed that black men should be enfranchised; nor considered women to be men's equals. Defiant as they were against slavery, many women believed that only white men should wield political power, with women's "proper sphere" relegated to the home. These differences sowed seeds of dissension among various factions of abolitionists. Regretting the absence of "Christian zeal" among contemporary feminists, Hunt urges a union between secular and faith-based feminism, inclusive of all religions. The faith-based argument is not always convincing, but the author's call for renewed feminist action, based on "the spirit and ethic of love," makes for timely reading.

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April 15, 2017

Hunt (Faith and Feminism) argues that the women's rights movement did not start at Seneca Falls, NY, in 1848, but rather at the Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women in 1837. Although the goal of the convention was to end slavery, the organizers put together a plan that would eventually be built upon for later women's rights initiatives. At the time of the convention, women were discouraged from publicly sharing their political views, but Hunt shows how attendees overcame ingrained societal norms and opposition from both outside and within the movement. An additional concern was race relations, since the event encouraged both blacks and whites to take part. Prominent figures in the movement are briefly profiled, including Lucretia Mott, Angelina Grimké, Sarah Grimké, and Abby Kelley, among others. The primary focus is the inclusive spirit of the conventions and the deep religious faith of the participants, which moved them to action. Finally, Hunt outlines practices from the early days of women's movements to modern protest organizers. VERDICT An inspiring look at a neglected part of history. Recommended for readers interested in women's rights, feminism, and political organizing.--Rebekah Kati, Durham, NC

Copyright 2017 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2017
In the pages of Hunt's new book, even informed students of the feminist movement might be surprised to discover trailblazer Lucretia Mott. Hunt posits that the feminist movement actually began not with Gloria Steinem in the 1960s or the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 but at the Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women, held in New York City in 1837. A passionate group of interracial abolitionist women intent on ending slavery, Mott and her peers were treated unequally among the male abolitionists with whom they worked side by side and thus set about emancipating themselves and forming their own organization. In a well-researched, thoroughly accessible book, Hunt takes us on a journey through Mott's and the author's own lives and feminist evolutions. Featuring historical photographs and documents, this intriguing book sheds long-overdue light on Mott and the other brave women who organized alongside her.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2017, American Library Association.)