Reflections on 1840 London Convention “sit-out”

At the first international Convention called by the British and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, in 1840, Garrison and three other men in the delegation from America “sat-out”  because women from the delegation were not permitted as voting members.  Because he was the leader of the delegation, his refusal to participate called attention to what was called “the woman question”.   Upon his return to this country, in the August 21 issue of the Liberator, he promised to say more in later editions.   “It was anything but a free anti-slavery meeting.  It was a body in London, who having invited the abolitionists of America to meet the abolitionists of all the world in convention, most unjustly decreed that a portion of their delegates should not be recognized …. in excluding any of the delegates the credentials of all were virtually dishonored; for they all stood on the same ground, and all acted by the same authority….If there be any one act of my life of which I am particularly proud, it is in refusing to join such a body on terms which are manifestly reproachful to my constituents, and unjust to the cause of liberty…..”  He also recognized his friends Nathanael P. Rogers,  Charles Lenox Remond, and William Adams, who joined him in the “sit-out”.

Be First to Comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *