Dickinson, Anna Elizabeth (1842-1932), was an orator of the American Civil War period who spoke on abolitionism and women’s rights. Woman orators were a novelty at that time, and she became known as the North’s “Joan of Arc.” She attracted large crowds with her emotional pleas to end slavery.
Dickinson was born in Philadelphia on Oct. 28, 1842. She gave her first important speech in 1860, the year before the Civil War began, when she addressed the Pennsylvania Anti-Slavery Society. Dickinson was then only 18 years old. In 1861, she spoke on the “Rights and Wrongs of Women.” In 1864, she denounced the South in a speech to members of the U.S. Congress and President Abraham Lincoln.
After the Civil War, Dickinson frequently lectured on feminism and blacks’ rights. She spoke for organizations called lyceums, which sponsored adult education programs. During some years, she earned as much as $20,000, a large income for anyone of her day.
Dickinson’s speaking career declined in the early 1870’s. She campaigned for the Democratic Party in 1872, and for the Republicans in 1888. She spent her last 40 years in seclusion. She died on Oct. 22, 1932.
