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Margaret Fuller (1810-1850)
Margaret Fuller was America’s first true feminist. Born in Cambridgeport, MA in 1810, she was mentored and educated by her father from an early age. By her teenage years, she had intellectually surpassed many of the prominent figures of her time, male or female. Ms. Fuller was an accomplished author, editor, literary critic, teacher, and political activist, and was known for her confidence and blunt personality. Margaret Fuller was the first woman to ever be granted permission to use the Harvard University library and in doing so was able to publish many famous books such as Women in the Nineteenth Century, considered America’s seminal work of feminist literature. She is also credited with creating the first conversation groups for women that were focused around philosophical thought. With the encouragement and support of close friends such as Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, the Alcotts, Horace Greeley, and many others, Ms. Fuller was able to revolutionize many social issues of the time to ultimately change the course of American history.
Cambridge Historical Tours Recommends:
The Lives of Margaret Fuller
by John Matteson
The life and history of one of America’s first great feminist thinkers.
