The abolitionist Weld&ndash;Grimké wedding

The abolitionist Weld–Grimké wedding

The abolitionist Weld-Grimké wedding took place in Philadelphia in the evening of Monday, May 14, 1838. Theodore Weld and Angelina Grimké wed, at the house of Ann R. Frost, the bride's sister. Both were national leaders in the abolitionist movement. In fact, they met in a training class for abolitionist speakers and activists, which Weld taught.
In the context of nineteenth-century women's rights, Weld and Grimké were set to determine for themselves what marriage between a man and a woman should be. The two "lacked contemporary examples of egalitarian marriages to emulate".
The date was chosen because it coincided with the inauguration of abolitionism's great new venue, Pennsylvania Hall, with activists from all over the northeast in attendance. This was a triumphal day for American abolitionism: a grand building, whose well-lit main hall seated 3,000. There was a smaller lecture room, rooms for committees, and on the ground floor an abolitionist bookstore, newspaper, and a store selling slave-labor-(free produce).
On Monday, a day of meetings, speeches, and reports was concluded with "what was, among abolitionists at least, the wedding of the century", "an abolition wedding".
The cake was made by a Black confectioner, using free produce sugar. Both a Black and a White minister gave blessings;
After the wedding
Angelina and Theodore remained married for the rest of their lives. The two and Sarah Grimké, who lived with them for many years, produced the following year the influential exposé American Slavery As It Is. They then moved to Washington, D.C., where Weld was involved in a forgotten but major issue at the time, ending slavery in the District of Columbia (see gag rule). For economic security they then became educators, running a boarding school.
The new Pennsylvania Hall was burned to the ground by pro-slavery men three days after the wedding. Firemen were prevented from saving the building. Except for the burning of the White House and Capitol during the War of 1812, it was the largest case of arson in the United States as of that date.

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