The Agitators: Three Friends Who Fought for Abolition and Women's Rights
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- Create Date：2021-05-03 18:30:59
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Dorothy Wickenden
- ISBN：B08CQ16P5V
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Summary
From the author of the 'New York Times' best-seller 'Nothing Daunted'， 'THE AGITATORS' chronicles the revolutionary activities of Harriet Tubman， Frances Seward， and Martha Wright: three unlikely collaborators in the quest for abolition and women’s rights。
In Auburn， New York， in the mid-nineteenth century， Martha Wright and Frances Seward， inspired by Harriet Tubman’s slave rescues in the dangerous territory of Eastern Maryland， opened their basement kitchens as stations on the Underground Railroad。
Tubman was an illiterate fugitive slave， Wright was a middle-class Quaker mother of seven， and Seward was the aristocratic wife and moral conscience of her husband， William H。 Seward， who served as Lincoln’s Secretary of State。 All three refused to abide by laws that denied them the rights granted to white men， and they supported each other as they worked to overturn slavery and achieve full citizenship for blacks and women。
'THE AGITATORS' opens when Tubman is a slave and Wright and Seward are young women bridling against their traditional roles。 It ends decades later， after Wright’s and Seward’s sons - and Tubman herself - have taken part in three of the defining engagements of the Civil War。 Through the sardonic and anguished accounts of the protagonists， reconstructed from their letters， diaries， and public appearances， we see the most explosive debates of the time， and portraits of the men and women whose paths they crossed: Lincoln， Seward， Frederick Douglass， William Lloyd Garrison， John Brown， Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Susan B。 Anthony， Harriet Beecher Stowe， and others。 Tubman， embraced by Seward and Wright and by the radical network of reformers in western New York State， settles in Auburn and spends the second half of her life there。
With extraordinarily compelling storytelling reminiscent of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 'No Ordinary Time' and David McCullough’s 'John Adams'， 'THE AGITATORS' brings a vivid new perspective to the epic American stories of abolition， the Underground Railroad， women’s rights activism， and the Civil War。
Running Time => 11hrs。
©2021 Dorothy Wickenden （P）2021 Simon & Schuster Audio
In Auburn， New York， in the mid-nineteenth century， Martha Wright and Frances Seward， inspired by Harriet Tubman’s slave rescues in the dangerous territory of Eastern Maryland， opened their basement kitchens as stations on the Underground Railroad。
Tubman was an illiterate fugitive slave， Wright was a middle-class Quaker mother of seven， and Seward was the aristocratic wife and moral conscience of her husband， William H。 Seward， who served as Lincoln’s Secretary of State。 All three refused to abide by laws that denied them the rights granted to white men， and they supported each other as they worked to overturn slavery and achieve full citizenship for blacks and women。
'THE AGITATORS' opens when Tubman is a slave and Wright and Seward are young women bridling against their traditional roles。 It ends decades later， after Wright’s and Seward’s sons - and Tubman herself - have taken part in three of the defining engagements of the Civil War。 Through the sardonic and anguished accounts of the protagonists， reconstructed from their letters， diaries， and public appearances， we see the most explosive debates of the time， and portraits of the men and women whose paths they crossed: Lincoln， Seward， Frederick Douglass， William Lloyd Garrison， John Brown， Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Susan B。 Anthony， Harriet Beecher Stowe， and others。 Tubman， embraced by Seward and Wright and by the radical network of reformers in western New York State， settles in Auburn and spends the second half of her life there。
With extraordinarily compelling storytelling reminiscent of Doris Kearns Goodwin’s 'No Ordinary Time' and David McCullough’s 'John Adams'， 'THE AGITATORS' brings a vivid new perspective to the epic American stories of abolition， the Underground Railroad， women’s rights activism， and the Civil War。
Running Time => 11hrs。
©2021 Dorothy Wickenden （P）2021 Simon & Schuster Audio
Reviews
Mary Miller
，
Three friends in Auburn New York， Harriet Tubman， Martha Coffin Wright and Frances Seward， fought for women's rights and the abolition of slavery。 Carefully researched this work captures 1830s-1860s society， the role of women， the underground railroad， the Lincoln presidency， and the civil war。 With insight， the author views this era through the eyes， deeds and words of these three remarkable women。 A remarkable read。 Three friends in Auburn New York， Harriet Tubman， Martha Coffin Wright and Frances Seward， fought for women's rights and the abolition of slavery。 Carefully researched this work captures 1830s-1860s society， the role of women， the underground railroad， the Lincoln presidency， and the civil war。 With insight， the author views this era through the eyes， deeds and words of these three remarkable women。 A remarkable read。 。。。more
Monica
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https://www。kirkusreviews。com/book-re。。。https://www。publishersweekly。com/978-。。。Harriet Tubman—no-nonsense， funny， uncannily prescient， and strategically brilliant—was one of the most important conductors on the underground railroad and hid the enslaved men， women and children she rescued in the basement kitchens of Martha Wright， Quaker mother of seven， and Frances Seward， wife of Governor， then Senator， then Secretary of State William H。 Seward。Harriet worked for the Union Army in South Caroli https://www。kirkusreviews。com/book-re。。。https://www。publishersweekly。com/978-。。。Harriet Tubman—no-nonsense， funny， uncannily prescient， and strategically brilliant—was one of the most important conductors on the underground railroad and hid the enslaved men， women and children she rescued in the basement kitchens of Martha Wright， Quaker mother of seven， and Frances Seward， wife of Governor， then Senator， then Secretary of State William H。 Seward。Harriet worked for the Union Army in South Carolina as a nurse and spy， and took part in a river raid in which 750 enslaved people were freed from rice plantations。 Martha， a “dangerous woman” in the eyes of her neighbors and a harsh critic of Lincoln’s policy on slavery， organized women’s rights and abolitionist conventions with Susan B。 Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton。 Frances gave freedom seekers money and referrals and aided in their education。 The most conventional of the three friends， she hid her radicalism in public; behind the scenes， she argued strenuously with her husband about the urgency of immediate abolition。Many of the most prominent figures in the history books—Lincoln， Seward， Daniel Webster， Frederick Douglass， Charles Sumner， John Brown， Harriet Beecher Stowe， William Lloyd Garrison—are seen through the discerning eyes of the protagonists。 So are the most explosive political debates: about women’s roles and rights during the abolition crusade， emancipation， and the arming of Black troops; and about the true meaning of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution。Beginning two decades before the Civil War， when Harriet Tubman was still enslaved and Martha and Frances were young women bound by law and tradition， The Agitators ends two decades after the war， in a radically changed United States。 Wickenden brings this extraordinary period of our history to life through the richly detailed letters her characters wrote several times a week。 Like Doris Kearns Goodwin’s Team of Rivals and David McCullough’s John Adams， Wickenden’s The Agitators is revelatory， riveting， and profoundly relevant to our own time。 。。。more
Mary Yram
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The writing is simply beautiful。 You can publish it on NovelStar， just submit your story to hardy@novelstar。top or joye@novelstar。top
Carol Simmons
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Fascinating account detailing the involvement of Martha Coffin Wright， Harriet Tubman and Frances Seward in both the abolitionist and women’s suffrage movements。 This account is especially interesting to me as much of this happened in my hometown of Auburn，NY。 Even though I grew up there and have visited Seward’s home， the details of Seward’s role leading up to the Civil War are things I did not know
Dea Spears
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It is an amazing story with great characters， world and storyline。 I suggest you join NovelStar’s writing competition this April。
Judi
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I feel like I've read a lot about the Civil War and the nascent women's suffrage movement but I learned a lot reading The Agitators。 The story of the friendship between Martha Wright， Francis Seward， and Harriet Tubman was new to me。 I had heard of all three in different contexts （Tubman was my first real hero in grade school） but never as a trio of friends and supporters in the women's suffrage movement。It was absorbing to listen to how the lives of each of these women influenced events in the I feel like I've read a lot about the Civil War and the nascent women's suffrage movement but I learned a lot reading The Agitators。 The story of the friendship between Martha Wright， Francis Seward， and Harriet Tubman was new to me。 I had heard of all three in different contexts （Tubman was my first real hero in grade school） but never as a trio of friends and supporters in the women's suffrage movement。It was absorbing to listen to how the lives of each of these women influenced events in the Civil War and in advancing the rights of women。 Even in the mid to late Nineteenth Century， each left their mark and changed the course of history。 。。。more
Kenneth Barber
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This book details the story of three women activists and their relationship to each other and reform movements primarily abolition and women’s suffrage。 All three women resided in Auburn， New York。 Frances Seward was the wife of William Henry Seward， US Senator and Secretary of State for Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson。 Martha Coffin Wright， whose sister was also a prominent activist，Lucretia Mott。 The third woman was Harriet Tubman， a leader of the Underground Railroad。 She advocated for Bla This book details the story of three women activists and their relationship to each other and reform movements primarily abolition and women’s suffrage。 All three women resided in Auburn， New York。 Frances Seward was the wife of William Henry Seward， US Senator and Secretary of State for Abraham Lincoln and Andrew Johnson。 Martha Coffin Wright， whose sister was also a prominent activist，Lucretia Mott。 The third woman was Harriet Tubman， a leader of the Underground Railroad。 She advocated for Black and women’s rights。The book traces their early lives and their road to activism。 Frances and Martha were strongly influenced by Quakerism background of their families。 Their routes were fairly similar on the way to activism。 Harriet entered into the group by way of the Underground Railroad。 Auburn was a stop on the Railroad as escaped slave settled there or moved on to Canada。All three women were also heavily involved in women’s suffrage movements and also securing rights for the freed slaves。The book shows the connections of these three with other activists of the era: Elizabeth Cady Stanton， Susan B Anthony， Fredrick Douglass and William Lloyd Garrison。The book shows how the reformers worked together or disagreed。 The main issue of dissension was women’s suffrage。 Many of the reformers advocated for Black suffrage， but balked at suffrage for women。This book sheds light on two women who weren’t household names in reform， as well as furthering the knowledge about Harriet Tubman。 。。。more
Joseph J。
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Having read Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals I was especially interested in the story of Frances Seward among the three focused on in this book。 While she emerges in a more complete and appreciated way， I was surprised that my index search revealed Mary Lincoln missing， especially since Mary so notoriously snubbed Frances and the entire Seward family。 Disappointing， although Frances' impatience with D。C。 and that social scene was touched upon。 The detail of Harriet Tubman's slave life， the Having read Doris Kearns Goodwin's Team of Rivals I was especially interested in the story of Frances Seward among the three focused on in this book。 While she emerges in a more complete and appreciated way， I was surprised that my index search revealed Mary Lincoln missing， especially since Mary so notoriously snubbed Frances and the entire Seward family。 Disappointing， although Frances' impatience with D。C。 and that social scene was touched upon。 The detail of Harriet Tubman's slave life， the cruelty and the escape was especially impacting。 This is an admirable addition to both mid-nineteenth century and women's history。 。。。more
Jane
，
This book is as much about the Civil War as abolition and women’s rights—but of course the war heavily shaped what came next。 I enjoyed the audiobook， with three narrators。 Full of letters and details of these women’s backgrounds and intertwining lives， you get a real feel for the ways in which they transcended the expected roles for women of the time。 But Harriet Tubman looms larger than life。 I was stunned at how much I didn’t know about her， from her Union position during the Civil War to her This book is as much about the Civil War as abolition and women’s rights—but of course the war heavily shaped what came next。 I enjoyed the audiobook， with three narrators。 Full of letters and details of these women’s backgrounds and intertwining lives， you get a real feel for the ways in which they transcended the expected roles for women of the time。 But Harriet Tubman looms larger than life。 I was stunned at how much I didn’t know about her， from her Union position during the Civil War to her activism into her 90’s。 So much to learn about even the African Americans we thought we’d studied。。。 。。。more
Bookreporter。com Biography & Memoir
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In mid-1800s America， freedom was a foundational concept， but it had many， often thorny， branches。 Who could doubt that African slaves were deprived of it， or that women， no matter how privileged， were not enjoying its fullest benefits？ These multifaceted issues would lead to a destructive war and a lingering divide。 In the midst of the fray were three remarkable women --- Harriet Tubman， Martha Wright and Frances Seward --- whose portraits are painted in THE AGITATORS by Dorothy Wickenden， a no In mid-1800s America， freedom was a foundational concept， but it had many， often thorny， branches。 Who could doubt that African slaves were deprived of it， or that women， no matter how privileged， were not enjoying its fullest benefits？ These multifaceted issues would lead to a destructive war and a lingering divide。 In the midst of the fray were three remarkable women --- Harriet Tubman， Martha Wright and Frances Seward --- whose portraits are painted in THE AGITATORS by Dorothy Wickenden， a noted writer and the executive editor of The New Yorker。Harriet Tubman’s story is perhaps the best known: a former slave who singlehandedly started what became known as the Underground Railroad to move Black people from captivity in the Southern states to new lives in the Northern regions。 Along the way， she was able to enlist the assistance of people like Martha Wright， a Quaker mother of seven， and Frances Seward， the wife of Governor， then Senator， then Secretary of State William H。 Seward。 Wright and Seward were already allies in Auburn， New York， both free-thinkers whose views were not always understood by their neighbors or， at times， their spouses。Wright was the sister of Lucretia Mott， who was well known to Tubman as a radical defender of all human rights; Mott avowed that Quakers should be not quietists but “agitators” in the face of injustice。 As the possibility of war geared up， Wright， Seward and Tubman would approach it in different ways， but all were determined to abolish slavery， and to press for women’s rights and suffrage。Wickenden has mined the annals of social， political and cultural history in composing this complex， wide-ranging tome。 She shows each woman in particular situations that highlight her aspirations， even describing an incident where Tubman， posing as an old lady in prayer， initiated a street brawl with constables holding a fugitive slave in chains。 There are behind-the-scenes glimpses of Lincoln seen by some as a radical， by others as ineffectual。 Opinions differed about his Emancipation Proclamation， with Tubman believing it wouldn’t help the people enslaved in border states like Maryland， Wright seeing it as “far less than we had hoped，” and Seward referencing doubts about its “ultimate consequences。”All three women were esteemed in their time， heading organizations and championing causes to proclaim and promote human rights well ahead of majority thinking， and all have been duly recognized and honored in Auburn and beyond。 Wickenden is participating in that ongoing process， bringing their accomplishments and shared goals to light for a new generation。Reviewed by Barbara Bamberger Scott 。。。more
Danaw
，
Wickenden helps complete the story of the fight for women’s rights and abolition through the eyes of three incredible women。 This refreshing view is knitted together through meticulous research and correspondence that provides new details and insights about a difficult time in our history。 Wickenden’s storytelling is compelling and would intrigue readers interested in a good story， even if they aren’t interested in the history of the time。
Elizabeth
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As seen in the New Yorker: https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 As seen in the New Yorker: https://www。newyorker。com/magazine/20。。。 。。。more
Rachel
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