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American Women Resisters to Authority:
Heroic Women in the Struggle for Liberty I. Background: Some definitions
II. A Few 17th & 18th century forerunners Anne Hutchinson (1591-1643) Religious Dissenter First female “heretic” speaking for religious freedom for the individual  Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814) Historian, Author of History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution  Abigail Adams (1744-1818) Feminist writer, Full partner of husband John Adams "Remember the Ladies" letter. Condemned slavery.  III. 19th Century Resistance 19th century America was a hotbed of political, cultural and social turmoil and change: A. Abolitionism (and feminism) Anti-slavery movement, 1830s-1860s Most of the volunteers in the anti-slavery movement were women. Mixed women’s rights with slaves’ rights. Saw the parallels: Both slaves and women “manacled” and suppressed. Harriet Tubman (1820-1913) Underground Railway  Sojourner Truth (1797-1883) Speaker and activist "Ain't I a woman?" speech   Sarah Grimke (1792-1873) and Angela Grimke (1805-1875) Writers and Activists. Angela - first woman to speak before legislative body in 1838 Sarah "Letter on the Equality of the Sexes & Conditions of Women" 
 Abbey Kelly (1810-1887) Speaker. B. Freethought (and feminism) Advocating the use of reason, rather than faith, to think about religion. Includes deists, agnostics, atheists, Early 1800s to present. Saw the 19th c. mainstream churches as antithetical to women’s rights and freedoms. Most churches extremely traditional in views of women. Clergy attacked idea of women’s rights. Frances Wright (1795-1852) First women to speak publicly from podium to both men and women First American woman to publicly advocate women's rights First to question utility of religion  Margaret Fuller (1810-1850) Speaker, Editor of The Dial (Transcendentalist journal) First book on American feminism, Women in the 19th Century 
 Lucy N. Colman (1818-1906) Contributer to the Truth Seeker Left her church because of its complicity with slavery  Ernestine Rose ((1810-1892) First canvasser for women's rights Wrote "In Defense of Atheism" 1861  C. Women’s Rights/Suffrage Challenging laws that restricted women’s freedom, fight for vote for women. Early phase from 1880s to 1920 and 19th Amendment. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) Abolitionist, suffragist, women's right, National Woman Suffrage Assn. Author of The Woman's Bible condemning religious oppression of women   
Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) Suffragist, feminist, agnostic, National Woman Suffrage Assn.  Lucretia Mott (1793-1880) Quaker abolitionist, feminist, suffragist  Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826-1898) Suffragist, Freethinker, Author of Women, Church & the State, a condemnation of religion's role in oppressing women  Lucy Stone (1818-1893) Abolitionist, Lucy Stone League slogan = “Keep Your Own Name” D. Free Love Free choice in sexual relationships for both men and women unencumbered by Church or State. Freedom to love whomever one chose, without interference from or permission of Church and State. Mid 1800s. Victoria Woodhull (1838-1927) and Tennessee Claflin (1845-1923) Founded Woodhull & Claflin's Weekly Victoria - first woman to run for US President   Victoria Tennesse Angela Heywood Anarchist feminist, co-editor The Word, Helped write Cupid's Yoke and Uncivil Liberty with her husband Ezra Lillian Harman (1860?-?) Anarchist feminist, writer for Lucifer Jailed for non-state non-church wedding Did not change her name when she married Co-editor Fair Play Daughter of Moses Harman, founder of Lucifer  E. Anarchism The belief sthat no one has a right to rule another without their consent; that coercion is always wrong, whether individual or institutional; primacy of individual rights. First wave: Early 1800s-1917. Continues to present. Anti-state, anti-authority, decentralist. Feminists promoted economic independence of women, freedom from sex roles, sexual freedom of women. Voltairine de Cleyre (1866-1912) Feminist, Freethinker, Writer and Speaker Selected Works of Voltairine de Cleyre 1914 Most prominent woman individualist anarchist 
  Florence Finch Kelly (1858-1939) Journalist for Boston Globe and Writer for Liberty Dr. Gertrude Kelly Surgeon,Contributer to Liberty  Sarah Holmes Anarchist feminist, Printer, Contributer to Liberty Published "Three Dreams in a Desert" by Olive Schreiner  Lois Waisbrooker (1826-1909) Contributer to and sometime Editor of Lucifer, Novelist Emma Goldman (1866-1940) Feminist, Atheist, Writer and Speaker Most prominent communist anarchist in the U.S. Editor of Mother Earth Advocate of birth control, colleague of Margaret Sanger  
 Lucy Parsons (1853-1942) Speaker, Writer, Labor organizer Anarchist and socialist activities, including the IWW Wife of Haymarket martyr Albert Parsons    F. People of Color Rights Ida Wells (1862-1931) Campaign against lynching, Orator  Sarah Winnemucca (1844-1891) Peace and Native American Rights Activist Author of Life Among the Piutes 
 COMING IN THE SECOND VOLUME: IV. Early 20th Century (very briefly) A. Socialist Feminism Charlotte Perkins Gilman (1860-1935) Celebrated Feminist Influential book Women and Economics Feminist utopian novel Herland 
 Mother Jones (1830-1930) Labor organizer  Elizabeth Gurley Flynn (1890-1964) “Rebel Girl” Labor organizer for IWW Founding member ACLU.  B. Reproductive Rights Legalize birth control, availability of contraceptives. Mid 1800s to present. Margaret Sanger (1879-1966) Advocate of modern contraceptives Founder of Planned Parenthood, Publisher of The Woman Rebel Jailed for her birth control activities  
 C. Only a few of the many other women who have contributed to liberty in the 20th century. Alice Paul (1885-1977) National Women's Party, 19th Amendment, ERA  Mollie Steimer (1897-1980) Communist anarchist activist  Suzanne La Follette (1893-1982) First libertarian feminist book, Concerning Women Editor of The New Freeman (see www.alf.org/papers/LaFollette.shtml) Dorothy Day (1897-1980) Catholic anarchist pacifist, founder Catholic Worker movement    Vashti Cromwell McCollum (1912-) Won Supreme Court suit against release-time for religious education in public schools as a violation of the separation of church and state 
 D. Three Women Who Launched a Movement: Modern Libertarianism (anti-state, pro-civil liberties) See www.cato.org/special/threewomen/index.html Isabel
Paterson (1886-1981)
God of the Machine (1943) Discusses the historical emergence of property rights, civil liberties and representative government   Rose
Wilder Lane (1886-1968)
Discovery of Freedom (1943) The preconditions for liberty. 
 Ayn
Rand (1905-1982)
The Fountainhead (1943) Individualism and liberty 
  Part II of 20th century yet to come (1950+) This project will continue... For more information about women resisters, see www.alf.org and www.zetetics.com/indfem/ © Copyright 2005 and 2007 by Sharon Presley |