The Great Lawsuit by Margaret Fuller

1002 Words3 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Fuller’s “The Great Lawsuit”

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...

... middle of paper ...

... 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

Show More
Related

  • Kingdom of Matthias by Paul E.Johnson and Sean Wilentz

    907 Words  | 2 Pages

    Murray, Judith S. "On the Equality of the Sexes." Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History. Third ed. Vol. One. New York: W.W. Norton, 2005. 140-42. Print.

    Read More

  • Women 's Rights By Dr. John Todd, And Gail Hamilton

    1608 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Jackie Kennedy: Women's Lib Predecessor

    1266 Words  | 3 Pages

    Special to The New,York Times. “Women Seek Equal Rights.” New York Times (1923-Current file): 19. Jan 06 1960. ProQuest.Web. 20 Jan. 2014

    Read More

  • A Midwife’s Tale by Martha Ballard

    1088 Words  | 3 Pages

    When Thomas Jefferson wrote the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, it became one of his greatest legacies. In the first line he wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" (U.S. Constitution, paragraph 2). Jefferson wrote these words to give inspiration to future generations in the hopes that they would be able to change what he either would or could not. The word “men” in the Declaration in the early 1700 and 1800’s meant exactly that, but even then it only was true for some men, not all. Women, children, and other segments of the population such as slaves and Native Americans were clearly not included. Jefferson himself was a slave owner and held the belief that women were inferior to men. Though women played no role in the political environment, they were crucial to the development and economic success of the times. The strength, courage and work ethic of pioneer women like Martha Ballard in “A Midwife’s Tale” (Thatcher, 1990) created the very fabric of the community and wove it together so the community could thrive.

    Read More

  • Questioning the Revolutionary Impact of the American War

    1041 Words  | 3 Pages

    “Deborah Sampson, the daughter of a poor Massachusetts farmer, disguised herself as a man and in 1782, at age twenty-one, enlisted in the Continental army. Ultimately, her commanding officer discovered her secret but kept it to himself, and she was honorably discharged at the end of the war.” She was one of the few women who fought in the Revolution. This example pictured the figure of women fighting alongside men. This encouraged the expansion of wife’s opportunities. Deborah, after the Revolution along with other known female figures, reinforced the ideology of Republican Motherhood which saw the marriage as a “voluntary union held together by affection and mutual dependency rather than male authority.” (Foner, p. 190). This ideal of “companionate” marriage changed the structure of the whole family itself, the now called Modern Family in which workers, laborers and domestic servants are now not considered member of the family anymore. However even if women thought that after the war they would have been seen from the society in a different way it never happened. The revolution haven’t changed the perception of the woman and the emancipated ideal

    Read More

  • Analysis Of The Great Lawsuit By Margaret Fuller

    928 Words  | 2 Pages

    Fuller highly stresses the equality of gender roles throughout her literature. Women in this era are expected to stay home and tend to their family. They are not to assume any role that the man has. They are considered to be less than a man. One man speaks out and makes a comment about his wife; “She is to amiable to wish what would make me unhappy, and to judicious to wish to stop beyond the sphere of her sex” (Fuller 750). The gentleman was referring to the spheres as the socially constructed division of gender. According to Fuller,

    Read More

  • Sojourner Truth Vs. Fanny Fern

    1280 Words  | 3 Pages

    After many years of battling for equality among the sexes, people today have no idea of the trails that women went through so that women of future generations could have the same privileges and treatment as men. Several generations have come since the women’s rights movement and the women of these generations have different opportunities in family life, religion, government, employment, and education that women fought for. The Women’s Rights Movement began with a small group of people that questioned why human lives, especially those of women, were unfairly confined. Many women, like Sojourner Truth and Fanny Fern, worked consciously to create a better world by bringing awareness to these inequalities. Sojourner Truth, prominent slave and advocate

    Read More

  • Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

    2637 Words  | 6 Pages

    Women’s equality has made huge advancements in the United States in the past decade. One of the most influential persons to the movement has been a woman named Ruth Bader Ginsburg. Ruth faced gender discrimination many times throughout her career and worked hard to ensure that discrimination based on a person’s gender would be eliminated for future generations. Ginsburg not only worked to fight for women’s equality but fought for the rights of men, as well, in order to show that equality was a human right’s issue and not just a problem that women faced. Though she faced hardships and discrimination, Ruth never stopped working and thanks to her equality is a much closer reality than it was fifty years ago. When Ruth first started her journey in law, women were practically unheard of as lawyers; now three women sit on the bench of the highest court in the nation.

    Read More

  • Margaret Fuller's View On Women

    602 Words  | 2 Pages

    Margaret Fuller in her essay, The Great Lawsuit: Man verse Men. Woman verse Women, and Fanny Fern in journalistic pieces like “Aunt Hetty on Matrimony” and “Hungry Husbands,” address one of the most confusing issues of the nineteenth century American ‘The Woman Question.” In their works, both authors discus about gender politics, institution of marriage and the difficulties and dynamics of male-female relationships in the twenty-first century.

    Read More

  • Antebellum Reform

    900 Words  | 2 Pages

    In conclusion, women throughout the decades have strived, from protesting to going on trials, to point out their rights. “Will women soon be treated equally as men?” A day when women and men having the same rights is still under way and has a far way to go as from the antebellum period. However, what makes women so unique, especially during this era is the numerous of contributions these respectful woman played a part of in order to see dramatic changes in America’s society. Some of the extraordinary ideas developed by them explains the success leading into what we call America today. Therefore, it is proven that women are certainly not helpless species, but are useful citizens who aroused much commitment for their “race” and nation.

    Read More

  • Summary Of Women And The American Revolution By Wendy Martin

    883 Words  | 2 Pages

    When first reading the article “Women and the American Revolution” by Wendy Martin the primary thesis of the article appeared to be hardships faced by American women during the American Revolution and how they prevailed. Hardships like illness, death of family members, and trying to keep the home fires burning while their husbands were off fighting the war. The article however, seemed to take a turn. While hardships of women in the time of the American Revolution were still discussed, they were not only physical and emotional but also the struggle was for equality. The author argues that men laughed at the notion that women had the mental capacity to think they could participate in public life at the time. Martin states that there are very

    Read More

  • Margaret Fuller The Great Lawsuit Summary

    563 Words  | 2 Pages

    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

    Read More

  • Women’s Equality in Ethical Theory and Perspective

    2226 Words  | 5 Pages

    Society has long since considered women the lessor gender and one of the most highly debated topics in society through the years has been that of women’s equality. The debates began over the meaning between a man and woman’s morality and a woman’s rights and obligations in society. After the 19th Amendment was sanctioned around 1920, the ball started rolling on women’s suffrage. Modern times have brought about the union of these causes, but due to the differences between the genetic makeup and socio demographics, the battle over women’s equality issue still continues to exist. While men have always held the covenant role of the dominant sex, it was only since the end of the 19th century that the movement for women’s equality and the entitlement of women have become more prevalent. “The general consensus at the time was that men were more capable of dealing with the competitive work world they now found themselves thrust into. Women, it was assumed, were unable to handle the pressures outside of the home. They couldn’t vote, were discourages from working, and were excluded from politics. Their duty to society was raising moral children, passing on the values that were unjustly thrust upon them as society began to modernize” (America’s Job Exchange, 2013). Although there have been many improvements in the changes of women’s equality towards the lives of women’s freedom and rights in society, some liberals believe that women have a journey to go before they receive total equality. After WWII, women continued to progress in there crusade towards receiving equality in many areas such as pay and education, discrimination in employment, reproductive rights and later was followed by not only white women but women from other nationalities ...

    Read More

  • Rhetorical Analysis Of Appointment Is The Lot Of Women By Lucy Stone

    1126 Words  | 3 Pages

    In the speech “Disappointment Is the Lot of Women,” an American Pioneer in the women’s rights movement by the name of Lucy Stone speaks about a significant topic dealing with justice. Lucy Stone focuses her speech on issues relating to gender equality at a Woman’s Rights Convention in Worcester to convince men, women, and those associated with government that women are deserving of their rights. As a well informed orator, Lucy Stone keeps her audience, message, and her own beliefs in mind while using a variety of techniques to justify her cause.

    Read More

  • Women Deserve the Same Rights as Men

    1285 Words  | 3 Pages

    From the beginning of time, females have played a powerful role in the shaping of this world. They have stood by idly and watched as this country moved on without them, and yet they have demanded equal rights as the nation rolls along. Through the years the common belief has been that women could not perform as well as men in anything, but over the years that belief has been proven wrong time and time again. So as time marches on, women have clawed and fought their way up the ladder to gain much needed equal respect from the opposite sex. However, after many years of pain and suffering, the battle for equal rights has not yet been won. Since women have fought for a long time and proven their importance in society, they deserve the same rights as men.

    Read More

More about The Great Lawsuit by Margaret Fuller

Open Document