Maria Mitchell's Life And Accomplishments

Maria Mitchell - Reaching For The Stars
Maria Mitchell made many scientific discoveries as the first professional female astronomer in the United States. Her work and determination influenced other women to go outside the realm of needlework and cooking. Maria Mitchell was born on August 1, 1818, on the island of Nantucket, Massachusetts. She was raised as a Quaker, and her parents embraced the idea of equal education. Maria’s father, William Mitchell, was an amateur astronomer and very involved in education. William was the one who noticed Maria’s interest in astronomy, and who supported and helped her to become an astronomer and a role model. Maria’s achievements in astronomy gave her the power to fight and advocate for the equality of race

She became interested in the sky and the stars at an early age. William Mitchell, an amateur astronomer himself, opened the doors and introduced Maria to the endless realms of astronomy available to explore. He taught her to use the sextant and the reflecting telescope, to enable her to discover and venture for information by watching the stars. It was Maria’s early start in the field of astronomy that prepared her for the biggest discovery of her life. She and her father would go up to the roof every night. They would explore the stars with different tools, to try to learn more about astronomy or make discoveries themselves. ”At age 12, Maria helped her father calculate the position of their home by observing a solar eclipse. By 14, sailors trusted her to do vital navigational computations for their long whaling journeys” (mariamitchell.org). Maria would also explore the ocean surrounding Nantucket. She would go on whaling ships with sailors, or just make the computations for the journey of the ship. This gave her the opportunity to exercise her growing knowledge of astronomy. When on the whaling ships, Maria would help the sailors navigate by using the stars. Maria Mitchell’s exploration of the sky and ocean, assisted by her father, led her to develop a deeper interest of

Maria was not racist and was an abolitionist, unlike most people of that time. She was highly was opposed to slavery. When in New Orleans, walking through a slave market, she said “I could hold my tongue and look around without much outward show of disgust, but to talk pleasantly to the trader I could not consent” (Kendall et al. 31). When Maria founded her school, she allowed people of both races to attend in order to be educated. This was one of the first non-segregated schools. The National Women’s History Museum said that “With an extreme passion for science, Maria Mitchell continued her pursuit in the scientific field through the Civil War, when she also was involved in the anti-slavery movement. A strong believer in freedom for all, she refused to wear cotton grown by slaves in the South” (nwhm.org). Maria not only encouraged the equality of races- she also encouraged female