The Early Feminists: Radical Unitarians and the Emergence of the Women's Rights Movement, 1831-51

by Kathryn Gleadle

Overview

This book redefines the origins of the women's rights campaigns in Britain. Contrary to the existing historiography, which argues that the Victorian Feminist movement began in the 1850s, this book, by bringing to light a wealth of unused sources, demonstrates that a vibrant community existed during the 1830s and 1840s. Previously neglected, this remarkable group of writers and reformers established both the ideologies and personnel network which provided the foundations of the women's rights campaigns of the coming decades.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780333633823
Publisher:	Palgrave Macmillan UK
Publication date:	06/10/1998
Series:	Studies in Gender History
Edition description:	1995
Pages:	266
Product dimensions:	5.51(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)

About the Author

KATHRYN GLEADLE teaches history at the University of Warwick and is currently working on a text on nineteenth century women and a feminist anthology.

Table of Contents

List of Pseudonyms and Initials Used in Contemporary Publications Acknowledgements Introduction Freedom and Patriarchy: The Unitarian Background 'The Assemblage of the Just': The Radical Unitarians 'The Stream of Freedom': Democracy and Domestic Mores 'Merely a Question of Bargain and Sale': Law Reform and the Union of the Sexes The Whittington Clubs Conclusion: The Reception, Significance and Influence Bibliography Index

Editorial Reviews

Explores the pioneering campaign of radical Unitarian minister William Johnson Fox who, with his associates in the 1830s, was engaged in the struggle to elevate women's positions. Covers the group's vision of establishing a more equal, more caring society and their role as predecessors to subsequent women's rights campaigns. Annotation c. by Book News, Inc., Portland, Or.

Booknews