Up until the mid-1800s and throughout the mid-1800s, women were stereotyped and did not have the same rights as men. Women could not vote, speak in public, run for office, and had no influence in public affairs. They received a worse education than men and there was no church, except the Quakers, that allowed women to have a say in church affairs. Furthermore, women had no legal rights and were not allowed to own property. Overall, people believed that a woman only belonged in the home and that the only rule she could ever get was over her children. However, before the Civil War, women began to stand up for what they believed in and change the way people viewed society (Lerner, 1971). Two of the most famous pioneers of the women's rights movement, as well as abolition, were two sisters from South Carolina: Sarah and Angelina Grimké. The sisters were thirteen years apart; Sarah was the eldest. Sarah was born in 1792 and Angelina in 1805. They were born to John Fauchereau Grimké, a colonel in the Revolutionary War and a Supreme Court justice. He married Mary Smith and the couple had fourteen children. The Grimké family was extremely wealthy. They enjoyed many luxuries, owned hundreds of slaves, and were very influential in society (Birney, 1970). Sarah was the sixth child. From a young age he demonstrated great independence and concentrated many of his efforts on justice. She was very intellectual and for this reason her father paid particular attention to her compared to his other children. She is said to have often declared that "if she had been of the opposite sex she would have become the greatest jurist in the country" (Birney, 1970, p 8). Sarah was also very personable, empathetic, and kind… halfway… she was burned in 1867. In 1868 the Welds and Sarah served as officers of the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association. Additionally, in 1870 Sarah and Angelina led a group of women in an attempt to vote in a local election (VanBurkleo, 2000). Overall, Angelina and Sarah Grimké's contributions to the abolition and women's rights movements were critical to the tolerance of our country today. Despite coming from a family where they should never have encountered problems due to their social status; Angelina and Sarah have dedicated their lives to people less fortunate than them. Furthermore, they have paved the way for women to be equal to men, to have a voice and to be listened to. The sisters risked their lives and reputations through their dedication and courage to advance what they believed was right and to ensure a future in which all people were treated equally.