Mary Wollstonecraft

"Strengthen the female mind by enlarging it, and there will be an end to blind obedience."

On April 27, 1759, one of the first modern women's rights activists was born. Mary Wollstonecraft was born to a rich, abusive father and a dependent mother. After her mother's death in 1780, Wollstonecraft left the only home she had ever known to escape her father, who gave advantages to her less talented brother and ignored her intelligence, and decided pursue her own endeavors. During this time, she helped Eliza flee from a disastrous marriage, and this opened her eyes as to the great separation in society between men and women. She went on to establish a school in Newton Green with her sister Eliza and her best friend, Fanny. She then wrote, "Thoughts on the Education of Daughters," through her experience with the school. After Fanny passed away in 1785, Wollstonecraft left for Ireland to work as a governess, but soon returned to London. She became a translator for Joseph Johnson and eventually became a contributor to his works. Soon Wollstonecraft published her most famous piece, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman." This book and Wollstonecraft became the front line for the advocation for women's suffrage in Great Britain. Her life was cut short when she passed away in September of 1797, but her legacy has lived on for well over two hundred years.

Advocates for women's rights, like Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott, all have looked to Wollstonecraft and her fight for equality. Her legacy was not seen till long after she had passed away, but it does stand today. Her book is looked upon now as the first great feminist treatise. Her legacy was carried on by her daughter, Mary Shelley, who would go on to become an author and basically invent the science-fiction genre, due to her book "Frankenstein." Wollstonecraft was always looking to further the progress of women in society and work towards equality.

I look up to her because she believed that I had just as much of a right to be learning as the man sitting next to me. She shows me that even though it is a man's world right now, it doesn't have to stay that way. Her views on a women's role, in the home and society, were highly controversial at the time but she still fought for what she believed was right. Even when she was met with distaste from those around her, she kept fighting. This is why Mary Wollstonecraft is one of my role models. Her efforts may not seem like they have a big impact now, but she paved to road for us to march on. She challenged social norms and refused to settle for anything less than being extraordinary.