Mary Wollstonecraft and womens rights
My presentation is on Mary Wollstonecraft. She was an advocate for women’s rights until the late 20th century. She advocates educating children into the emerging middle-class ethos. Wollstonecraft’s A Vindication of the Rights of Men (1790) criticizes aristocracy and promotes republicanism in reaction to Edmund Burke’s Reflection on the Revolution in France (1790), which was a defense of constitutional monarchy, aristocracy, and the Church of England. Among the first writings of feminist philosophy is a Vindication of the Rights of Woman, published in 1792. In it, Wollstonecraft makes the case that women should receive an education appropriate to their social status and assert that women are vital to the country because they raise its children and can be more than just wives-they can be their husbands’ “companions.” Most of Wollstonecraft’s early writings are devoted to education. She put together The Female Reader, an anthology of literary excerpts “for the improvement of young women.” In thoughts on the Education of Daughters (1787), her conduct book, and in Original stories from real life (1788), her children’s book, Wollstonecraft promotes teachings to kids in the values of developing middle-class ethos: Self-control, integrity, thrift, and social contentment. Both works stress the value of instilling reason in kids, demonstrating Wollstonecraft’s intellectual debt to the influential educational philosopher John Locke of the 17th century. Additionally, she advocates for women’s education in both texts-a contentious issue at the time that she would revisit throughout her career. According to Wollstonecraft, educated women make excellent mothers and spouses and will eventually make contributions to society.
Again this is just a summary of some of the things I am going to talk about in my presentation. These are her contributions and her theories on education and women’s rights and equality. I will be adding more detail to the presentation and more in-depth detail about the effects on society that she made and her past life as well.
HIST 152, History of Western Civilization ll
Stephen Andes
Bucher Room
1 – 4 PM