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How Did Margaret Fuller Contribute To Transcendentalism

1056 Words5 Pages

Jennifer Kurisko
Mrs. Clark
English 11
3 May 2023
The Intersection of Transcendentalism and Feminism
Living in a male-dominated society where women were viewed as objects rather than individuals, only self-reliance, on the women’s part, could lead to liberation from oppression and result in societal change. In order to change societal views, women had to focus on individuality since their lack of self-identity led to male dominance. Linked through the belief in the power of being an individual, Transcendentalism allowed for increased sympathy towards Feminism, and in turn, the Women’s Rights Movement, as society started to believe that all people deserve the right of individuality. Margaret Fuller contributed to the Women’s Rights Movement, …show more content…

Born on May 23, 1810 in Cambridgeport, Massachusetts, America’s first Feminist, Margaret Fuller, was forced into education at a young age. Her mother, a school teacher, took full charge of her education, and “at the age of six she was introduced to Latin and two years later she was reading Ovid” (Gale 1). Her father, a Harvard graduate and lawyer, aided in the construction of Fuller’s friendships with intellectual leaders when she was young. During her time spent with authors and philosophers, “[Fuller’s] secret hope of what Woman might be and do, as an author, in our Republic” (Gale 1) became a major topic. After several years of teaching young women how to think critically, Fuller decided to start her career as a journalist with the editorship of The Dial, where she worked with …show more content…

Fuller saw the connection between the two movements, and encouraged women to focus on individuality and self-reliance in order to fight gender inequality and gain access to positions of power, where they could influence societal change. Believing that in order to achieve the Transcendentalist goal of individualism, Fuller worked on breaking women free from societal constraints and gender expectations. Through this, Margaret Fuller left a lasting impact on the Women’s Rights Movement.

Works Cited
Fuller, Margaret. “‘Double Triangle Serpent and Rays.’” Bloom's Literature, Facts On File, online.infobase.com/Auth/Index?aid=18168&itemid=WE54&primarySourceId=16232. Accessed 17 Apr. 2023.
JANE DURAN. “Margaret Fuller and Transcendental Feminism.” The Pluralist, vol. 5, no. 1, 2010, pp. 65–72. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.5406/pluralist.5.1.0065. Accessed 18 Apr. 2023.
Robinson, David M. “Margaret Fuller and the Transcendental Ethos: Woman in the Nineteenth Century.” PMLA, vol. 97, no. 1, 1982, pp. 83–98. JSTOR, https://doi.org/10.2307/462242. Accessed 26 Apr. 2023.
“Sarah Margaret Fuller.” Dictionary of American Biography, Charles Scribner's Sons, 1936. Gale In Context: Biography, link.gale.com/apps/doc/BT2310013146/BIC?u=west19380&sid=bookmark-BIC&xid=5868a9e3.

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