Feminist, Gender, and Sexuality Studies Commons^™

An Enlightened Woman: Judith Sargent Murray And The Call To Equality, Mary Hughes

Undergraduate Review

The political and social upheaval of 18th century America is well documented in the writings of many great thinkers of that time. As the Age of Enlightenment stirred debate in many quarters, causing men like Thomas Jefferson to ponder the merits of equality among men, so too did it inspire women to question their own status in an emerging American culture. A little-known writer named Judith Sargent Murray emerged as an early contributor to the discussions of the role women in a changing society. The Sargent family’s openness to the study of a progressive faith, Universalism, and rejection of status …