From the early days of the antislavery movement, when political action by women was frowned upon, British and American women were tireless and uncompromising campaigners. Without their efforts, emancipation would have taken much longer. And the commitment of today's women, who fight against human trafficking and child slavery, descends directly from that of the early female activists. Speak a Word for Freedom: Women against Slavery tells the story of fourteen of these women.

Elizabeth Freeman: "To stand one minute on God's green earth a free woman" --Elizabeth Heyrick: "No middle way -- Ellen Craft: "I had much rather starve in England, a free woman" -- Harriet Tubman: "I was free, an' they should be free" -- Harriet Beecher Stowe: "I will write something, I will if I live" -- Frances Anne Kemble: "So grievous a sin against humanity" -- Alice Seeley Harris: "They are women as you and I are" -- Kathleen Simon: "To wipe the dark stain of slavery from the face of the world" -- Fredericka Martin: "We have a lot of social problems here" -- Timea Nagy: "Everyone is worth it" -- Micheline Slattery: "The best way to remove shame is to expose the shame" -- Hadijatou Mani: "I was sold like a goat" -- Sheila Roseau: "Little by little fills a basket" -- Nina Smith: -- The eyes and ears of the buyer" -- Afterword: "The sensitive nature of woman.".