Signatures of Citizenship: Petitioning, Antislavery, and Women's Political Identity

In this comprehensive history of women’s antislavery petitions addressed to Congress, Susan Zaeske argues that by petitioning, women not only contributed significantly to the movement to abolish slavery but also made important strides toward securing their own rights and transforming their own political identity.

By analyzing the language of women’s antislavery petitions, speeches calling women to petition, congressional debates, and public reaction to women’s petitions from 1831 to 1865, Za...