ABSTRACT
This chapter discusses the lives of American woman Betsy Mix Cowles. In 1834, Cowles found a teaching position in Austinburg and returned home. Betsy benefitted tremendously from her participation in this group. She became practiced at respectful disagreement. Betsy became adept at employing humor and sarcasm as well. In the fall of 1835, Betsy, Cornelia, Rachel, and most of the women in the Society for Intellectual Improvement decided to act on their outrage by organizing the Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society. Betsy was the guiding light of the Ashtabula County Female Anti-Slavery Society. Cowles helped increase membership, despite the opposition of many, by creating a comfortable path for becoming involved. Antislavery concerts, for example, allowed women to express their abolitionism within a safe religious framework. Cowles and the Ohio State Female Anti-Slavery Society took pride in their campaign. The abolitionist movement offered Cowles a sense of accomplishment and purpose in the mid-1830s, especially in combination with her successful teaching career.
