Why was women signing antislavery petitions considered a radical act in the 1830s?

Question

a. by signing petitions, women were throwing off the "cover" of their husbands/fathers and asserting their existence as political individuals

b. petitions had never been used before the 1830s, they were an absolutely brand new form of protest

c. slavery no longer existed by the 1830s



d. it was not considered a radical act, no one cared

Answer 1

A is the correct answer here. The civil war and the years preceding them saw women adopting new and radical roles within society. One aspect of those roles was become active in politics. Though women could not vote at the time there were other ways in which they forced the government to recognize them as a political actor. Signing petitions was one of those ways.