Lydia Maria Child in Abolitionists

Lydia Maria Child in Abolitionists

Lydia Maria Child (1802-1880) was a very influential antislavery author who came from an abolitionist family in Massachusetts.

She married David Lee Child in 1828, and naturally, both were avid antislavery activists. They contributed a sizable portion of their modest income to the antislavery cause.

Child wrote several antislavery pamphlets while editing a New York City weekly, the National Anti-Slavery Standard, from 1841 to 1849. She's perhaps best-known for An Appeal in Favor of That Class of Americans Called Africans, published in 1833, which included a history of slavery and demanded equality for Blacks in education and employment, the first book-length work of its kind.

Child also wrote historical novels, a history of religious sects, and books about Native Americans. She also founded a magazine for children.