Story:Lucretia Mott, influenced by her Quaker religion, saw injustice in society and government’s treatment of women and African Americans. As a young teacher, she was struck by the unfairness of male teachers receiving twice women’s salaries. Mott’s transformation into a women’s rights advocate was complete after being refused a seat at the 1840 World's Anti-Slavery Convention on the basis of her gender, though she was an official delegate. In this manuscript, Mott argues for women’s equality within the family and society.
Provenance: Gift of Jeanne and Robert Schramm
Transcript:
Remove the mental and spiritual fetters which bind woman; let all her powers be well developed; then shall the independence of man and wife be equal, their dependence mutual, and their obligations reciprocal.