Lucy Stone 1846

Lucy Stone, between 1854-1863
Courtesy of Worcester Historical Museum, Worcester, MA

In February of 1846, Abby and Stephen lectured at Oberlin College where West Brookfield native Lucy Stone (1818-1893) was a student. The controversy over Abby’s lectures at the college influenced Stone to take up public speaking for the slave following her graduation. (Million, 65)

See The Legacy Of Lucy Stone And Abby Kelley Foster WWHP Newsletter Vol. 4, No. 1, Spring 2004

After several years of acting as an anti-slavery lecturer, Lucy decided to devote her energies full-time towards woman’s rights.

See Yours Truly, Lucy Stone WWHP Newsletter Vol. 2, No. 2, Winter 2001-2002

Educational Resources:

Electronic Oberlin Group. Oberlin Through History. “Oberlin Women: A History for School Children”.

Kerr, Andrea Moore. Lucy Stone: Speaking Out for Equality. New Brunswick, NJ: Rutgers University Press, 1992.

Million, Joelle. Woman’s Voice, Woman’s Place; Lucy Stone and the Birth of the Woman’s Rights Movement. Westport, CT: Praeger, 2003.

Women and Social Movements in the United States. “How Did Oberlin Women Students Draw on Their College Experience to Participate in Antebellum Social Movements, 1831-1861?”.