Feminists For Choice

2010 is the Bicentennial year for Margaret Fuller, one of the most influential women in American history. A committee of historians, authors, congregations, and activists is using the occasion to ensure that Margaret Fuller is not only remembered this year, but for many years to come.

The committee has planned a year of celebrations in several states to honor this fearless feminist. Readings, dramatic presentations, worship services, and guided tours of New York City, Boston, and Florence, Italy are among the events.

There are also several ongoing and upcoming exhibits in honor of Fuller’s Bicentennial. Additionally, Unitarian Universalist congregations nationwide will be holding “Margaret Fuller Sunday” worship services on May 23rd, Fuller’s birthday. (Fuller had a lifetime involvement with both Unitarian and Transcendental societies.)

So what’s all the fuss about?

Although currently less celebrated than Susan B. Anthony and other early feminists, Margaret Fuller was one of the most influential women in American history. Fuller is the proud “first American to…” of several impressive categories. Fuller’s book, Women in the Nineteenth Century, was the first book about women’s rights ever written by an American. Generations before Rosie the Riveter, Margaret Fuller was the first American female foreign correspondent, writing under combat about the revolution in Italy. In a time when colleges were closed to women, Fuller became the first woman to enter Harvard Library for research. She was also the first full-time book reviewer in the U.S. and the first woman writer for the New York Daily Tribune.

My favorite fun fact about Margaret Fuller: by the time she reached her 30s she had gained a reputation for being the best-read person in New England. I can think of fewer things I would rather have a reputation for than being well read!

Fuller’s supporters and friends included Elizabeth and Robert Browning, Edgar Allan Poe, Walt Whitman, Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Bronson Alcott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Henry David Thoreau. Ralph Waldo Emerson, a close friend, cared deeply for Fuller and called her “my vivacious friend.”

While Fuller boasted an impressive range of supporters, her critics often accused her of being arrogant, outspoken, and aggressive. Sounds like my kind of woman!

Fuller’s book Women in the Nineteenth Century was very ahead of its time, criticizing marriage and other institutionalized forms of sexism. The book is thought to have greatly influenced the women’s rights movement, which began a mere three years later in Seneca Falls.

Yet Margaret Fuller did more than pay lip service to the cause of women’s rights. Fuller used her talent as a writer to bring attention to important social causes of her day. Among the causes she took up Fuller did an extensive investigation into the world of women’s prisons, even sleeping overnight at Sing Sing prison to complete research. Following her investigation she became a lifelong advocate for prison reform and halfway houses.

This amazing feminist pioneer truly deserves to be recognized, both for her Bicentennial and because of Women’s History Month. To learn more and to see how you or your organization can honor Margaret Fuller this year check out the following sites:

Margaret Fuller Bicentennial official site.

Full list of Bicentennial events.

Get Involved.

Margaret Fuller U.S. Postage Stamp Nomination Letter.

I recently had the opportunity to interview Laurie James, the chairperson of the Margaret Fuller Bicentennial. The interview will be featured in an upcoming post.