Henry B. Blackwell
Encyclopedia
Henry Browne Blackwell or sometimes Henry Brown Blackwell (May 4, 1825 – September 7, 1909) was an American advocate for social and economic reform. He was one of the founders of the Republican Party
and the American Woman Suffrage Association. He published Woman's Journal
starting in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts with Lucy Stone
.
, the son of sugar refiner Samuel Blackwell. The father moved his family to the United States
in 1832, first living in New York City
, and later in New Jersey
. The father's interest in social reform was passed on to his children. As a child he was taught to treat people as equals in race, sex, and social class.
The Blackwells moved to the United states from England in 1832 after a fire destroyed the family business. Their sugar business suffered in the U.S. until it was destroyed completely in 1837 by financial panic. After their move to New York the family became very involved in the anti-slavery movement. They opened their home as a refuge for the abolitionists. In 1837, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to start over. Not long after, Henry's father died and the family plunged into a financial crisis. Henry’s mother and sisters opened a day school for girls to support the family financially. Henry and his brother found office jobs until the opening of their own hardware business.
on May 1, 1855 after a two-year courtship. In support of women's rights, Blackwell decided that he would publicly renounce all non-mutual rights given legally to the husband in a marriage. At the wedding, the couple read out a "Marriage Protest" that they had written together. In the same vein, and contrary to common practice, Stone continued to use her own name after marriage.
, the daughter of Blackwell and Lucy Stone, helped her parents in editing the Woman's Journal
; she became another leader for women's rights as well as for the Temperance movement
and Prohibition
.
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
and the American Woman Suffrage Association. He published Woman's Journal
Woman's Journal
Woman's Journal was a women's rights periodical published from 1870-1931.Woman's Journal was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Browne Blackwell as a weekly newspaper. The new paper incorporated Mary A...
starting in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts with Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone was a prominent American abolitionist and suffragist, and a vocal advocate and organizer promoting rights for women. In 1847, Stone was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. She spoke out for women's rights and against slavery at a time when women were discouraged...
.
Birth
He was born in Bristol, EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
, the son of sugar refiner Samuel Blackwell. The father moved his family to the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
in 1832, first living in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, and later in New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. The father's interest in social reform was passed on to his children. As a child he was taught to treat people as equals in race, sex, and social class.
Family
- Samuel Charles Blackwell, was the husband of Antoinette BrownAntoinette BrownAntoinette Louisa Brown, later Antoinette Brown Blackwell , was the first woman to be ordained as a minister in the United States...
, the first woman ordained in a recognized church in the United States, and also a prominent speaker in the abolitionist and women's suffrageSuffrageSuffrage, political franchise, or simply the franchise, distinct from mere voting rights, is the civil right to vote gained through the democratic process...
movements. - Elizabeth Blackwell, was the first female graduate of a medical school in the United States and the first to practice medicine.
- Emily BlackwellEmily BlackwellEmily Blackwell was the second woman to earn a medical degree at what is now Case Western Reserve University, and the third openly identified woman to earn a medical degree in the United States.-Biography:...
was the third woman to receive a U.S. medical degree.
The Blackwells moved to the United states from England in 1832 after a fire destroyed the family business. Their sugar business suffered in the U.S. until it was destroyed completely in 1837 by financial panic. After their move to New York the family became very involved in the anti-slavery movement. They opened their home as a refuge for the abolitionists. In 1837, the family moved to Cincinnati, Ohio to start over. Not long after, Henry's father died and the family plunged into a financial crisis. Henry’s mother and sisters opened a day school for girls to support the family financially. Henry and his brother found office jobs until the opening of their own hardware business.
Advocacy
Blackwell decided to devote his life to women's rights when he saw his sister struggling to become the first female doctor in the United States. One of his first acts as an advocate of women’s rights was to write southern legislative bodies proposing the extension of women’s suffrage.Marriage
Blackwell married Lucy StoneLucy Stone
Lucy Stone was a prominent American abolitionist and suffragist, and a vocal advocate and organizer promoting rights for women. In 1847, Stone was the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree. She spoke out for women's rights and against slavery at a time when women were discouraged...
on May 1, 1855 after a two-year courtship. In support of women's rights, Blackwell decided that he would publicly renounce all non-mutual rights given legally to the husband in a marriage. At the wedding, the couple read out a "Marriage Protest" that they had written together. In the same vein, and contrary to common practice, Stone continued to use her own name after marriage.
Legacy
Alice Stone BlackwellAlice Stone Blackwell
Alice Stone Blackwell was an American feminist, journalist and human rights advocate.-Biography:The daughter of Henry Brown Blackwell and Lucy Stone, she was born in East Orange, New Jersey....
, the daughter of Blackwell and Lucy Stone, helped her parents in editing the Woman's Journal
Woman's Journal
Woman's Journal was a women's rights periodical published from 1870-1931.Woman's Journal was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Browne Blackwell as a weekly newspaper. The new paper incorporated Mary A...
; she became another leader for women's rights as well as for the Temperance movement
Temperance movement
A temperance movement is a social movement urging reduced use of alcoholic beverages. Temperance movements may criticize excessive alcohol use, promote complete abstinence , or pressure the government to enact anti-alcohol legislation or complete prohibition of alcohol.-Temperance movement by...
and Prohibition
Prohibition
Prohibition of alcohol, often referred to simply as prohibition, is the practice of prohibiting the manufacture, transportation, import, export, sale, and consumption of alcohol and alcoholic beverages. The term can also apply to the periods in the histories of the countries during which the...
.
Timeline
- 1825, May 4 Born, Bristol, England
- 1832 Emigrated with his family to the United States
- 1853 Made his first speech for woman suffrage at convention in Cleveland, Ohio
- 1855, May 1 Married Lucy Stone, and on the same day published with her a joint protest against the inequalities of the marriage law
- 1855-1868 Engaged in bookselling, sugar refining, and real estate
- 1869-1901 Chiefly engaged in work for the American Woman Suffrage Association (after 1890, the National American Woman Suffrage Association)
- 1872-1893 Coeditor, Woman's Journal
- 1893-1909 Editor, Woman's Journal
- 1909, September 7 Died, Dorchester, Mass.