The Great Lawsuit
Throughout the centuries there have been many groups pursuing equal rights for themselves. These groups feel that they are excluded from privileges others possess and are subject to injustices that others are not. These groups feel they deserve better and that their presence in the world is unequal to others’. In the United States a large percentage of women started to feel they warranted equal rights to men. Margaret Fuller was among the supporters of the movement and published ground-breaking article called “The Great Lawsuit.” In “The Great Lawsuit”, Margaret Fuller tries to stop the great inequalities between men and women by describing great marriages where the husband and wife are equal, by stating how society constricts the women’s true inner genius, and by recording admirable women who stand up in an effort for equality.
In her article, Fuller explains how the current society constricts women’s rights in an effort to show the inequalities between the men and women. For instance, she feels that “such woman as these, rich in genius, of most tender sympathies, and capable of high virtue, and a chastened harmony, ought not find themselves in a place so narrow” (Fuller 741). Margaret Fuller explains that all women, even those with “rich genius,” find themselves at a disadvantage because of the society’s inequality. She also feels that the woman are just as “capable of high virtue” as the men, and do not deserve to be in “a place so narrow.” In addition, Fuller is aware that the women can “find their way to purer air, but the world will not take off the brand it has set upon them” (741). Margaret Fuller uses this passage to explain that it possible for women to have their ideas become public, but it would b...
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... great marriages where the husband and wife are equal, by stating how society constricts the women’s true inner genius, and by recording admirable women who stand up in an effort for equality. This article came in the beginnings of the revolution, and lead to the inspiration of many new followers. These new disciples then spread the word of women’s rights and gained even more followers leading to a snowball effect for new supporters. This now-tremendous group made many earnest court appeals which led to suffrage and many more new privileges for women. If it weren’t for this document and the new-found followers of the revolution, the United States may not be the equal and unbiased country it is today.
Works Cited
Fuller, Margaret. “The Great Lawsuit." The Norton Anthology of American Literature. 7th ed. Vol. 1. New York: W. W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2007. 739-747
However, the writers of the Constitution had omitted women in that pivotal statement which left women to be denied these “unalienable” rights given to every countryman. Gaining the support of many, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the leader of the Women’s Rights Movement declared at Seneca Falls that women had the same rights as men including the right to vote and be a part of government. The Women’s Rights movement gained support due to the years of abuse women endured. For years, men had “the power to chastise and imprison his wife…” and they were tired of suffering (Doc I). The new concept of the cult of domesticity supported women’s roles in society but created greater divisions between men and women.
Since the beginning of the 17th-century and earlier, there has always been different perspectives on women 's rights. Men and women all over the world have voiced their opinion and position in regard to the rights of women. This holds especially true in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. As women campaigned for equality, there were some who opposed this idea. There was, and always will be a series of arguments on behalf of women 's rights. Anti-women 's rights activists such as Dr. John Todd and Pro-women 's rights activist Gail Hamilton argued intelligently and tactfully on the topic. There were many key arguments made against women’s rights by Dr. John Todd, and Gail Hamilton 's rebuttal was graceful and on par with her male counterpart. Let 's examine some of Dr. John 's arguments against women 's equality.
Perkins, Geroge, and Barbara Perkins. The American Tradition in Literature. 12th ed. Vol. 2. New York: McGraw Hill, 2009. Print
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...rriage should be based on? Where is the love that they share for each other? Why can’t women have it both ways? Why can’t they find a man who they love and who will love and respect them back? It is questions such as these that light the fire inside Margaret Fuller. Fuller is not attacking men in this essay; it is directed at women as well. She is simply asking that everyone try to look at things differently. She wants people to understand that if women get more education and skills, men will benefit as well. Fuller’s passion and desire for equality is most clearly evidenced when she states, "What deep communion, what real intercourse is implied by the sharing the joys and cares of parentage, when any degree of equality is admitted between the parties" (42).
Margaret Fuller's "The Great Lawsuit..." is essentially an essay directed towards the people of the United States, both men and women, calling for the equality of women. While it is nowhere near the call to action feminism today calls for, the beginning of a centuries long movement calling for the equality of women can be seen. Fuller begins her essay talking about the selfishness of mankind and its hinder on Man's ability to achieve true happiness and peace. The barbaric nature of man and her emphasis on Europe in particular draws on religion and mythology to state her point that Man was not created in the image of being selfish but has gone down that path anyways. Citing the French Revolution as a (failed) landmark in the fight for equality, she draws the conclusion that men and women know that there is a desire for true equality between the sexes. Turning towards America and the virtues that this country was founded on she states, "with so much talk about virtue and freedom must be mingled some desire for them," (Fuller 749). As with the African Americans and the Native people, the fight for equality does not just encompass men of all races, but women too; "As men become aware that all men have not had their fair chance, they are inclined to say that no women have had their fair chance" (Fuller 747). She
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In the past, many people believed that women’s exclusive responsibilities were to serve their husband, to be great mothers and to be the perfect wives. Those people considered women to be more appropriate for homemaking rather than to be involved in business or politics. This meant that women were not allowed to have a job, to own property or to enjoy the same major rights as men. The world is changing and so is the role of women in society. In today’s society, women have rights that they never had before and higher opportunities to succeed.