How Did Frances Wright Contribute To The Civil Rights Movement

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Frances ¨Fanny” Wright was an influential woman during the early years of the fight for civil rights. Wright was fascinated by the freedoms outlined in the Declaration of Independence from a young age. Inspired by the possibility of a utopian society, Wright spent her life inspiring others to harness their own rights. Frances Wright was influenced in her early life by learning about liberal ideals, driving her to work towards gaining rights for minorities, and inspires people today to work towards equal rights for all.
Frances Wright began her incredibly involved life in 1795 on the coast of Scotland (Morris). From a young age, Frances was taught that all people deserve the same right to an education and free life. She was orphaned at the age …show more content…

In 1825, Frances Wright established a commune named Nashoba where she displayed the ability of slaves to be educated properly and then freed. This made her the first woman to attempt to convince other of the wrongness of slavery (Morris). Frances left her settlement of Nashoba to recover from fever and campaign for support. Without her there to supervise, misconduct was recorded by James Richardson and all support was lost (Goodstein). Wright emancipated slaves from her failed settlement, and transported them to Haiti (Electric). Wright began focusing more on women’s rights, advocating for equal opportunities between men and women (Electric). Fanny published a book entitled “England the Civilizer” that argues that the government heightens the power of men in our society (Morris). Because of her passion for changing society, she was often ridiculed. People who believed in the same principals as Wright were treated as communists were in the 1950s. Wright stated that generations after hers would know that the change she was pushing for was right, and she had no problem with the criticisms she received