Mary Walker : Woman, Doctor, Surgeon, Activist Essay

During the Age of Enlightenment in the late eighteenth century, Mary Wollstonecraft presented a radical essay, A Vindication of the Rights of Women, that shed light on the largest, underrepresented groups of the time, women. The essay voiced the inequalities women at the time faced and called upon Wollstonecraft’s audience to invoke a revolution for the rights of women. Through her writing, she presented a compelling argument that slowly allowed women to question their “place” in society and demand change to the British social order. While these changes did not happen quickly, her work sparked the feminist movements through its unique message and called upon women to demand equality through the Match Girls Strike and Women’s Suffrage

1. The first essay clearly shows the impact that an ideology of domesticity on women in New England in the 1830’s. The writer at first calls this time period a “paradox in the “progress” of women’s history in the United States”. During this time apparently two contradictory views on women’s relations to society clashed, unusually, those two being domesticity, which essentially limited women, giving them a “sex-specific” role that they must abide to, this mostly being present at the home with their husbands and whatever kids they may or may not have had at that time, and feminism, which essentially tried to remove this domesticity, trying to remove sex-specific limits on women’s opportunities and

She was a mother, a moral and political philosopher, a writer, and a feminist. Mary Wollstonecraft was the ideal image of what represented the push towards modern feminism. Some may even consider her as the founding mother of modern feminism itself. Much of Wollstonecraft’s literature is influenced by her own life experiences. In 1785, Wollstonecraft took on an employment opportunity as a governess. While spending most of her time there, she had a moment of epiphany where she realized that she was not suited for domestic work. Soon after, she returned to London and became a translator and wrote for a well-known publisher and discovered her love of writing. Eventually, years later she was then able to publish her most notable work, A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (1792). A Vindication of the Rights of Woman is still a very popular book which can be seen as a guide to becoming a better citizen and understanding feminism in a critical context. This essay will argue that Mary Wollstonecraft is still relevant to the feminist cause today as her views portrayed in her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman are still relatable to many of the feminist issues that currently exist around the world. This essay will do so by comparing how her views in A Vindication of the Rights of Woman can still be used as guiding principles to tackle feminist matters.

One women that beat the odds, and did what no woman has done before was Elizabeth Blackwell.  “She was the first woman in the United States to receive a medical degree and she helped to break down prejudice against women in medicine” (Blackwell, Elizabeth). Elizabeth was born on February 3, 1821,

In antebellum America there was little tolerance for autonomous women. Usually females, spanning all classes, were attached to households, dependent on males for status and wealth. Society demanded that domesticity be the woman’s domain, any deviations from this constricting edict was met with disdain. The cultural myth of the model genteel women permeated the fabric of 19th century life. However, with the advent of the Civil

Mary Edwards Walker accomplished many things in the 86 years that she was alive. She faced many challenges, however was persistent enough to accomplish being the first and only woman to ever receive a Medal of Honor. Mary Walker was a women’s right activist, alleged spy, prisoner of war, abolitionist, and surgeon. Her hard work payed off, as she received the highest recognition for bravery in the ‘United States Armed Forces’.

Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was the first recognized female surgeon in the United States (7,4). In 1855, she graduated from Syracuse Medical College in New York, becoming the second female graduate of an American medical school. She went into practice with her husband Albert Miller; however, their surgical practice failed. She then practiced medicine as a nurse for several years before becoming the first female surgeon in the US Army in 1863. (4). In recognition of her efforts, the medical facilities at the State University of New York in Oswego were named for her. In 1865 she received the Congressional Medal of Honor; however, it was revoked in 1917 by the United States Congress because she did not serve directly on the front lines. She refused

Women were so tired of being treated unequal to men and started to look for change. They rose above society to make a point that women deserve an education so they can better themselves. “By 1886, there were 192 women's assemblies, and an additional number of women joined formerly all-male assemblies” (Manning 2013). By the end of the 1800’s, the number of women that were done being mistreated started to rise rapidly. Women continued to take over men’s “jobs” because they were just as capable. It was unusual for women to try to attend colleges, but they gradually started to apply. “Although few persons obtained a college education then, by 1880 women constituted one of every three students enrolled at institutions of higher learning, and many remained single. Of eight thousand female college graduates in 1880, only five thousand were married” (Sklar 1998). Marriage seemed to be one of the main factors that restricted many women into getting a college degree. Women during that time were better off because they did not have to worry about men’s daily opinions of them and how they should act and

In the early nineteenth century, women were expected to be, “‘angels in the house,’ loving, self-sacrificing, and chaste wives, mothers and daughters or they are… ultimately doomed” (King et al. 23). Women of this time were supposed to be domestic creatures and not tap so far into their intellectual abilities (King et al.). The role of women in the nineteenth century is described:

Mary was the daughter of a revolutionary author Mary Wollstonecraft who is regarded as one of the earliest feminist writers by the critics (Zimmerman, 2007, 65-123). By some of the

She was born in the year 1821 in England. Motivated to practice medicine by the death of her close friend, Dr. Blackwell enrolled in numerous medical schools before finally getting accepted to the Geneva Medical College in New York. She graduated in 1849 and became the first woman to be awarded a degree in medicine. She, along with her sister Emily found employment opportunities for women physicians and opened a health care facility in 1857 in New York, which later included a school to train more women doctors.

Elizabeth Blackwell was breaking news when she was officially named the first female medical doctor. Although she was born in Bristol England, Elizabeth Blackwell had a dual citizenship. She held a citizenship in England and one in America because she moved to New York at a young age. It is interesting to note that Blackwell did not even want to be a doctor. She considered studying medicine when her dying female friend said she would have scheduled an appointment if she had a female doctor. (Binns 21). This was the start of her career and interest in medicine. In a time that it was forbidden for women to have a legitimate profession, Blackwell received a medical degree. She graduated with the best grades in her class, despite being thought of as a practical joke (History.com). She worked with her sister, and later on worked with men. Her career began to blossom and she developed a fantastic reputation. She went on to open her own practice and win many awards. Despite facing much opposition, Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor, paving the way for all future women.

Mary Wollstonecraft, who was born during the age of enlightenment in the 18th century, is one of the most prominent feminists in women’s history. Her book A Vindication of the Rights of Woman led her to become one of the first feminists, advocating for the rights of women. Born in a time where women’s education was neither prominent nor important, Wollstonecraft was raised with very little education. However, events in her life influenced her to begin writing, such as the way her father, Edward John Wollstonecraft treated her mother, “into a state of wearied servitude” (Kries,Steven)1. In 1792, she published Vindication on the Rights of Woman, which is one of the most prominent feminist pieces to date. This book is considered a reply to

Elizabeth Blackwell was born on February 3, 1821, in Bristol, England. She was raised in a liberal household that stressed education. After being rejected by schools in Charleston, Philadelphia and New York, getting into Geneva Was her only chance of becoming a medical doctor. Dean Lee and his all male faculty were hesitant to make an audacious move such as accepting a female student. Although, Dr. Lee did decide to put the matter up to a vote among the 150 men who made up the medical school’s student body. If one student voted “No,” Dr. Lee explained, Miss Blackwell would not be submitted. The male students took it as a joke and unanimously approved her admittance.

The post Civil War-era was an extremely pivotal point in the way women in the United States were treated. African-American women were slaves, and most were treated as such by their fathers, brothers, and ultimately their husbands. No women had the right to vote, the right to an education, or the right to serve in the military; all of which are inherent rights women are born with present day. Women were expected to obey their husbands and reproduce as an ‘obligation’. Any inheritance the woman may have goes directly to their husband. Single women were shunned and ridiculed in society in the 1800s. Divorce was punishable by law if the wife wanted to flee (Historical Brief-Lives of Women in the early 1800s; Kelley Smith). Julia Ward Howe was, of course, a victim of this unfair treatment and she went to writing to spread her ideas about women's suffrage, feminism, and independence as a woman.