[Congressional Record Volume 148, Number 27 (Tuesday, March 12, 2002)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E325-E326]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  COMMEMORATING ELIZABETH BUFFUM CHACE

                                 ______
                                 

                         HON. JAMES R. LANGEVIN

                            of rhode island

                    in the house of representatives

                        Tuesday, March 12, 2002

  Mr. LANGEVIN. Mr. Speaker, I come before you to recognize the 
accomplishments of a great person in Rhode Island history, Elizabeth 
Buffum Chace. A controversial figure in the 19th century because of her 
progressive views on slavery and women's suffrage, Chace has since 
earned immense respect in Rhode Island for her determination and 
willingness to fight for just causes. Today, in celebration of her 
great deeds, the state honors Elizabeth Buffum Chace by placing a 
statue of her on permanent display in the State House.
  The dedication of the Elizabeth Buffum Chace statute comes as the 
result of an extensive search conducted by the Rhode Island Commission 
to Memorialize the Contributions

[[Page E326]]

of All Rhode Island Women, which was established in may 2001 to address 
the notable lack of female figures in the State House statuary. After 
reviewing thousands of nominations, the Commission selected Chace for 
her many contribution to Rhode Island, and I wish to recognize some of 
her notable achievements.
  Born in 1806 in Smithfield, Elizabeth Buffum was raised as a Quaker. 
Her life was strongly molded by the values of independence and 
simplicity instilled in her by her family. Her passion for justice 
first became evident in the 1830s when she campaigned against slavery. 
Founder of the Fall River Anti-Slavery Society, she mounted a door-to-
door campaign to further the abolitionist cause, and she and her 
husband, Samuel Chace, often hid fugitive slaves in their home. So 
passionate was Chace about abolitionism that she ultimately severed 
ties with her beloved Quaker roots because the religion would not 
strengthen its position against slavery.
  Upon returning to Rhode Island, Chace continued her anti-slavery 
efforts and also spoke out in favor of women's suffrage and 
temperance--two of her greatest passions. As one of the founders of the 
Rhode Island Women's Suffrage Association, she objected to the 
political and social subjugation of women and advocated the admission 
of women to Brown University. Additionally, she tackled the unpopular 
issues of homelessness and prison reform, simultaneously making enemies 
and progress. Throughout these campaigns, she never neglected her 
family and was a caring and dedicated mother to her ten children. She 
maintained her strong spirit until her death in 1899 at the age of 93, 
having written an article just one year earlier for the Women's 
Journal, a suffrage newspaper.
  Chace is certainly an apt choice as the first Rhode Island woman 
honored by a State House statue, though I am confident that today 
merely marks the beginning of a greater trend in recognizing remarkable 
women in the halls of the Rhode Island Capitol. I wish to thank my good 
friend, Secretary of State Edward Inman, for his vision and leadership 
in trumpeting the accomplishments of women in our great state, and I 
look forward to working with him on other important initiatives to 
enhance the civic pride of all Rhode Islanders.

                          ____________________