The 19th amendment, Title VII, Title IX, Roe v. Wade; while all of these are ratifications that the United States has implemented throughout its short history to transform itself into a nation whose ideals fall upon equality, there was a time when they did not exist and inequality was rampant among gender, race, and social class. It has taken hundreds of years to reach the societal equality we have today and it is all thanks to the first steps that were taken by women and slaves in the late 18th century. One of the earliest advocates that pushed for gender equality in America was Judith Sargent Murray with her essay, “On the Equality of the Sexes”, which was published in 1779. Within her essay, Murray brings the issues of intellectual and spiritual
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Within the first stanza Murray acknowledges that there is an obvious difference in the way of thinking between genders and that it is shown everyday through the rules of society. She continues on with “To heights surprising some great spirits soar, with inborn strength mysterious depths explore, their eager gaze surveys the path of light, confest it stood to Newton’s piercing sight” (Murray 127) which can be taken as her preaching that anyone, regardless of gender, has the ability to provide a dignified contribution to society especially within the sciences however she pays homage to Isaac Newton, a man, for his great achievement in physics. This is incredibly important because it shows that she was not arguing that men are lesser than women but that both genders are equals. The next stanza begins with “Deep science, like a bashful maid retires, And but the ardent breast her worth inspires” (Murray 127) which is a direct callout to the higher education system which prominently catered to white males. Women often didn’t get any schooling and if they did they were only taught the basics of reading, writing, and “needle and kitchen”, essentially condemning them to menial jobs such as a maid or housewife and also inciting that they were valued more by their bodies than by their minds. Murray then writes “by perseverance the coy fair is won. And Genius, led by Study, …show more content…
To protect herself from any potential backlash, Murray submitted the essay under the pen name “Constantia” and while it didn’t create a movement for equality, her essay was enough to at least get people thinking. The essay also was released during a pivotal time in American history because the country was going through a significant era of change from the American Revolution. One of the earliest strides that society took towards gender equality was during the republican thrust of revolutionary politics. The United States needed strong, smart, and self-disciplined citizens to be at the heart of the new nation and because children couldn’t be in school 24/7, the responsibility was left up the mothers. This newfound significance as a “republican mother” (Kornfeld 8) enticed society to place more emphasis on women’s education and also created some equality within the households between husband and wife. Although this was only a slight step forward for women, and very slight due to the fact that this mostly only applied to elite upper-class wives, it was a stepping stone to more and more privileges throughout the
Within the first stanza Murray acknowledges that there is an obvious difference in the way of thinking between genders and that it is shown everyday through the rules of society. She continues on with “To heights surprising some great spirits soar, with inborn strength mysterious depths explore, their eager gaze surveys the path of light, confest it stood to Newton’s piercing sight” (Murray 127) which can be taken as her preaching that anyone, regardless of gender, has the ability to provide a dignified contribution to society especially within the sciences however she pays homage to Isaac Newton, a man, for his great achievement in physics. This is incredibly important because it shows that she was not arguing that men are lesser than women but that both genders are equals. The next stanza begins with “Deep science, like a bashful maid retires, And but the ardent breast her worth inspires” (Murray 127) which is a direct callout to the higher education system which prominently catered to white males. Women often didn’t get any schooling and if they did they were only taught the basics of reading, writing, and “needle and kitchen”, essentially condemning them to menial jobs such as a maid or housewife and also inciting that they were valued more by their bodies than by their minds. Murray then writes “by perseverance the coy fair is won. And Genius, led by Study, …show more content…
To protect herself from any potential backlash, Murray submitted the essay under the pen name “Constantia” and while it didn’t create a movement for equality, her essay was enough to at least get people thinking. The essay also was released during a pivotal time in American history because the country was going through a significant era of change from the American Revolution. One of the earliest strides that society took towards gender equality was during the republican thrust of revolutionary politics. The United States needed strong, smart, and self-disciplined citizens to be at the heart of the new nation and because children couldn’t be in school 24/7, the responsibility was left up the mothers. This newfound significance as a “republican mother” (Kornfeld 8) enticed society to place more emphasis on women’s education and also created some equality within the households between husband and wife. Although this was only a slight step forward for women, and very slight due to the fact that this mostly only applied to elite upper-class wives, it was a stepping stone to more and more privileges throughout the