She continued to study privately, however, and as her children grew older, she wrote and published a number of books on science and philosophy, including Studies in General Science (1869), The Sexes Throughout Nature (1875), The Physical Basis of Immortality (1876), and The Philosophy of Individuality (1877). (1893). She wrote a novel, The Island Neighbors, in 1871, and a collection of poetry in 1902 entitled Sea Drift; or Tribute to the Ocean.
Brown Blackwell remained active in women’s rights issues. She disagreed with Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s position on liberalizing divorce laws, and in May of 1860, she spoke out against divorce at the Tenth National Women’s Rights Convention at Cooper Institute (in New York City). In May of 1866, she attended the first women’s rights convention after the Civil War, also in New York City. In 1867, she founded the New Jersey Women’s Suffrage Association, and in 1869, she supported her sister-in-law Lucy Stone’s leadership in the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). She wrote for the Woman’s Journal and presented a paper at the Association for the Advancement of Women’s first convention.
Brown Blackwell found herself speaking at the funeral of suffragist Elizabeth Cady Stanton a year after Samuel Blackwell died in October 1901. Despite her advanced age and the deaths of her husband, close friends, and reform supporters, she continued to be active and involved in suffrage efforts, where her influence grew. She was elected to the board of directors of the New Jersey Woman Suffrage Association (NJWSA) in 1902. In 1905, on her way to a NAWSA convention with her suffragist comrades, they were met by supporters, invited to give speeches and interviews with reporters, and given accolades for their works.
In 1906, along with Anne Fitzhugh Miller, she spoke at a hearing before the Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage in Washington, D.C. In 1908, the NJWSA appointed her to write to President Theodore Roosevelt urging him to support the federal suffrage amendment. At the state convention of 1911, all participants rose when she entered the room. The same year, she was given a place of honour in a Fifth Avenue suffrage parade in New York City. In 1916, the NJWSA added her to the list of their honorary presidents.
Antoinette Brown Blackwell’s may not have achieved some of her goals, but her life, demonstrates remarkable fortitude and tenacity, unshakable commitment to her vocation. In the face of fierce challenges, Antoinette was unflappable in her determination.
