a biography of the day--judith sargent murray
Judith Sargent Murray
Dates:
born: May 1, 1751 - Massachusetts
died: July 6, 1820 - Mississippi
Occupation: Writer; essayist on political, social, and religious themes; letter writer; poet; dramatist
Known for: "The Gleaner" and an early feminist essay
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Judith Sargent Murray was born the daughter of Winthrop Sargent of Gloucester, Massachusetts, a ship owner, and Judith Saunders. She was the oldest of the eight Sargent children. Judith was educated at home, taught basic reading and writing. Her brother Winthrop received more advanced education at home, and went on to Harvard, and Judith noted that she, being female, had no such possibilities.
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The Rev. John Murray had come to Gloucester in 1774, bringing the message of Universalism. As a result, the Sargents -- Judith's family -- and the Stevens converted to Universalism, a faith that, in contrast to the Calvinism of the time, accepted that all human beings could be saved and taught that that all people were equal. Judith Sargent and John Murray began a long correspondence and respectful friendship. After the death of Captain Stevens, the friendship turned to courtship, and in 1788, they married.
Judith Sargent Murray continued to write poetry, essays, and drama. Her essay, "On the Equality of the Sexes," was written in 1779, though she did not publish it until 1790. The introduction indicates that Murray published the essay because there were other essays on the subject in circulation and she wanted to defend her essay's priority -- but we do not have those other essays. On the basis of this essay, Judith Sargent Murray is credited as an early American feminist.
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Judith Sargent Murray was largely forgotten as a writer until late in the twentieth century. Alice Rossi resurrected "On the Equality of the Sexes" for a collection called "The Feminist Papers" in 1974, bringing it to wider attention.
In 1982, Unitarian Universalist minister, Gordon Gibson, found Judith Sargent Murray's letter books in Natchez, Mississippi -- books into which she kept copies of her letters. She is the only woman from that period of time for whom we have such letter books, and these copies have allowed scholars to discover much about not only Judith Sargent Murray's life and ideas, but also about daily life in the time of the American Revolution and early Republic.
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http://womenshistory.about.com/od/judithsmurray/p/judith_murray.htm
