Elizabeth Blackwell

1612 Words4 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: elizabeth blackwell contributions to society

Elizabeth Blackwell

Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell, the first female physician in America, struggled with sexual prejudice to earn her place in history. She was born in Bristol, England on February 3, 1821 to a liberal and wealthy family. She was the third daughter in a family of nine children. Her father, Samuel Blackwell, believed in the value of education and knowledge and hired a governess for the girls, even though many girls were not educated in those days. In 1832, the family sugar cane plantation went bankrupt, forcing the family to move to America.

As a young lady, Elizabeth Blackwell was similar to other women her age. She had an emotional and passionate nature and had many romantic pursuits. However, in 1838, she moved with her family to Cincinnati, Ohio to escape the charged atmosphere of New York City, New York because of her father's very vocal abolitionist standing. Later that same year, Samuel Blackwell died, leaving the three older Blackwell girls to take care of the family, which was traditionally a male role. When she was seventeen years old, Elizabeth began a boarding school for ladies with her two older sisters despite society's opinion of what young ladies should and should not do. Once her brothers were old enough to support the family, Elizabeth refused to give up her teaching career. She went to Kentucky, a South state where she was forced to deal with many prejudices. Upon her arrival, she discovered that the slow-moving Kentuckians were not yet ready for her. In a letter to her sister, she wrote:

The schoolhouse was hardly selected, the windows were broken, the floor and wall filthy, the plaster falling off, and the scholars unnotified of my arrival.

After beginning her teaching job there, she was shocked by the ignorance of the locals. As a young lady, she was not supposed to be intelligent, but her father had taught her well. She was utterly appalled at the lack of educational exposure in Kentucky. She wrote in a letter to her sister, Emily, that:

Carlyle's name has never even been distantly echoed here; Emerson is a perfect stranger; and Channing, I presume, would produce a universal fainting fit.

Another issue that presented her with difficulties in her teaching job was that of slavery and abolitionism. She had been raised a block away from Harriet Beecher Stowe and had heard stories from Harriet Tubman...

... middle of paper ...

...were supposed to be mothers. In a journal entry, Elizabeth recorded the importance of Kitty by saying "I have recognized the truth of this part of my nature, and the necessity of satisfying its wants that I may be calm and free for wider work." In 1856, Emily Blackwell graduated from Case Western University, and on May 7, 1857, the two sisters, with the help of Dr. Marie Zackrzewska, founded the New York Infirmary for Women and Children.

Elizabeth Blackwell continued to buck societal restraints during the Civil War, when she founded the United States Sanitary Commission. Later, she moved to England and wrote Counsel to Parents on the Moral Education of Their Children in Relation to Sex, which was met with widespread disapproval. After its publication, she wrote "Looking now at the very reticent way in which the subject is treated in this little book, it is difficult to believe such an episode could have occurred." Upon her death in Hastings, England on May 31, 1910, there were 7,399 women physicians in the United States alone. Throughout her life, Elizabeth Blackwell fought sexual prejudices in her attempt to improve the condition of women and the world in which she lived.

Show More
Related

  • Harriet Beecher Stowe and Uncle Tom’s Cabin

    784 Words  | 2 Pages

    Harriet studied and assisted as a teacher at the Western Female Institute, a school in Hartford, Connecticut, that her sister Catherine had founded. Harriet moved with her father to Cincinnati, Ohio, as a result of her father’s religious appointment. Harriet’s career as a teacher ended when she married widower Calvin Stowe. Across the river from Cincinnati was Kentucky, where Calvin Stowe’s home was located. Kentucky was a slave state, and Harriet was able to experience firsthand the horrors of slavery. Also, Harriet’s new home with Stowe was a “station” along the “underground railroad”, and Harriet had even more experience and interaction with the slaves. Harriet had always been creative as a child, and she loved to write. Her anger toward slavery in addition with encouragement from her sister-in-law to “use her skills to aid the cause of abolition” (Wells) inspired Harriet to write Uncle Tom’s Cabin (Wells; University of Wisconsin – Milwaukee).

    Read More

  • Clara Barton: The Heart of American Red Cross

    1064 Words  | 3 Pages

    Clarissa Harlowe Barton, born on December 25, 1821, in North Oxford, Massachusetts. Carissa (Clara) was born the youngest of five children to Sarah and Steven Barton. Clara received all of her schooling and life training from her parents, brothers and sisters. Her father who was a once a captain in a war, taught Clara all he knew about the battlefield. Her mother taught her to sew and cook. Her two older sisters Sally and Dorothy taught her to read before she was four years old. Her brother Stephen taught her arithmetic and David her eldest brother taught her everything else; for instance, how to ride anything on anything with four legs, how to shoot a revolver, how to balance and how to take care of and nurse animals. (OTQEF, 1999, p.1) When Clara was 11 years old her favorite brother David, fell from the roof of the barn while trying to fix it, he was seriously injured and was not expected to live. Clara offered to help him and stayed by his side for three years. Her brother recovered thanks to Clara’s help. These learning experiences gave Clara the drive and determination to achieve anything she set out...

    Read More

  • Jane Addams and Hull House

    1560 Words  | 4 Pages

    In the years from 1860 through 1890, the prospect of a better life attracted nearly ten million immigrants who settled in cities around the United States. The growing number of industries produced demands for thousands of new workers and immigrants were seeking more economic opportunities. Most immigrants settled near each other’s own nationality and/or original village when in America.

    Read More

  • Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Women's Rights

    1416 Words  | 3 Pages

    After the Stanton's moved from Boston to the village of Seneca Falls, New York, in 1847, Elizabeth found herself in a very non-active community. This is where she began to form ideas on how to improve women's roles in society. Along with Lucretia Mott, of Philadelphia, and three other women, Elizabeth formed the first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls in July 184...

    Read More

  • Analysis Of A Midwife's Tale By Martha Ballard

    1311 Words  | 3 Pages

    Social medicine was important to the community in eighteenth century Hallowell. Female midwives were a part of a social network. This differed from the traditional way people thought of midwives. “In western tradition, midwives have inspired fear, reverence amusement, and disdain. They have been condemned for witch craft, eulogized for Christian benevolence, and caricatured for bawdy humor and old wives’ tales” (46). This view changed in the eighteenth century because midwives were starting to be seen as a necessary part of the medical community. Midwifes were used for most births during this time, and doctors were only summoned if there was a medical emergency that was out of the midwives medical capabilities. During the delivery of children relatives and neighbors would come together for a social gathering. The most prominent physicians of Hallowell, Maine were Daniel Cony, Samuel Colman, Benjamin Page, and Benjamin Vaughan (48). Physicians believed that midwives were an important part of the medical community. Male physicians relied on more studied mainstream ways to cure diseases. In contrast, Martha believed nature alone offered cures for illnesses. However, she was not ignorant to mainstream medicine and would rely on those cures if one of her family members were in

    Read More

  • Nellie Bly

    1637 Words  | 4 Pages

    Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran Mills, Pennsylvania. She was the thirteenth child of her family and considered the most rebellious of the family. When Nellie was just six years old her father abruptly died, leaving her mother to raise fifteen children. (Around the World in 72 Days). The death of her father was a terrible financial blow to the family because her father left no will to protect the family's interests. A year after the death the family was forced to auction off the mansion and move to a more modest home. Nellie helped her mother take care of the other children, but still they came into very hard times. (Around the World in 72 Days). Elizabeth's mother desperately sought financial security so she remarried. She entered a very disastrous marriage to an abusive man. He often beat Elizabeth and her mother. Soon after the marriage began she sued for divorce and Elizabeth testified at the trial. "My stepfather has been generally drunk since he married my mother, When drunk he is very cross and cross when sober." (Around the World in 72 Days). Elizabeth soon sought an independent life and wanted a way to support her mother. She started attending the Indiana Normal School to become a teacher. While attending school Elizabeth decided to add an ‘e' to her last name for sophistication. (Nellie Bly, Wikipedia). After one semester of schooling Elizabeth had to drop out because she didn't have enough money to continue schooling. Elizabeth then moved back to Pittsburgh with her mother. She stayed there for the next seven years but had a difficult time finding full-time work because there were only low paid jobs available to women at that time. (Nellie Bly, USA History).

    Read More

  • Book Review Of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: An American Life

    1379 Words  | 3 Pages

    Elizabeth’s dedication to women 's rights sometimes created a tiff in her marriage but, that was completely unknown to many, “Elizabeth kept silent while her husband was having a grand old time in the thick of things. But whatever arguments the couple engaged remained between them (89). Not only did the women 's rights cause problems in her marriage it also created problems in many other relationships. Elizabeth Cady Stanton continuously pushed boundaries like with her fashion, “That spring Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Amelia Bloomer had traded in their cumbersome attire for the “‘Bloomer costume”’ and thus made the dress reform” (80). Her family was apposed to her wearing fants they were so upset by it that some did not even want to talk to her or be around her while she wore bloomers. She didn’t mind causing an uproar or being judged and ridiculed constantly. She did what ever it took to make a stand and do what was needed to succeed. During this time period of the mid 1800s and beyond that, Elizabeth would be considered a “maverick”. Though there were many women, and a select few men who actively participated in the movement of women 's rights, most people did not stand up for what they believed in, or did not have the literary needed to express themselves, and some were even opposed to what Elizabeth and other reformers were doing. The majority of people did not help the womens rights movement, making it a out of the social norm to be a part of. Elizabeth was one of the few that spoke up for what she believed in, and never let societies view put her down or make her feel inferior to men. Being the one to stand up and create a change is a difficult thing to do, it takes confidence and aspiration that Elizabeth Cady Stanton

    Read More

  • Margaret Fuller

    723 Words  | 2 Pages

    Margaret had huge dreams of one day becoming a writer, but those dreams were put on hold when her father suddenly passed away in 1835. At this time, her mother was also sick and it became her responsibility to take care of her family’s finances. There were not many job opportunities available to women during this time, she found a teaching job and accepted the position. She first began teaching at Bronson Alcott’s Temple School in Boston and taught there until she went on to teach at the well-kn...

    Read More

  • 1848 Women's Rights Convention

    1332 Words  | 3 Pages

    One of the main leaders in the Women’s Rights movement was Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was born in Jamestown, New York on November 12th, 1815 into a strict Presbyterian home. She attended Johnstown Academy, where only boys were admitted, but because of her sex she could not attend colleges that offered higher degrees, so she was accepted into Emma Willard’s academy in Troy, New York where she graduated in 1832. After graduating she studied law with her father, Judge Daniel Cady, but was not admitted to the bar, once again because of her sex.

    Read More

  • The Legacy Of Lyndon Johnson

    1114 Words  | 3 Pages

    Johnson was very dedicated to build the Great Society for all Americans. He swept social programs in various aspects: education, medical care, civil rights, minority, public television, and food stamps. Johnson’s administration led a strong economic growth. In general, his wide-reaching domestic achievements improved millions of Americans’ lives. Johnson’s has fought hard toward his ambition and domestic advance. Johnson has lifted numbers of Americans out poverty, ensured them fundamental citizen rights, and provided basic health care. His vision in constructing the Great Society and ending poverty should go down in history as an honor along with his legacy.

    Read More

  • Tidal Wave Summary

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    She was old enough to be aware of what was happening around her, approximately a teenager. Allowing her to have been influenced and even participate in the second wave of feminism. Doctor Evans family was of good economic and social standing so that she could go and receive at least three degrees during that time. Her writing thus holds a little bit of her perspective throughout the pages. Doctor Evans was participated in feminist consciousness-raising groups that were common for the time. Feminist consciousness-raising groups sprung up in New York and Chicago and then quickly spread thanks to women such as Doctor Evans. Feminist consciousness-raising groups are sometimes considered the backbone of the second wave and one of the main organizing

    Read More

  • Sight Word Assessment

    355 Words  | 1 Pages

    Since the student is a transitional reader, but also an adult who did fairly well on the sight word assessment, I selected a text from a children’s (ages 3 to 12) magazine. In preparation for the story sequence, I reviewed the text for possible unknown vocabulary or visually difficult words. I selected the words “record” (Spanish-grabar) and “headache” (Spanish-dolor de la cabeza). I chose the word “record” because the technology of recording to cassette tapes is out of date and might be unfamiliar to her. Additionally, “record” can be a noun or verb and each is pronounced differently. Then I selected the word “headache” due to the unusual spelling.

    Read More

  • Women in the STEM Fields

    2800 Words  | 6 Pages

    However, women desired a higher education. Elizabeth Blackwell is a prime example of women’s fight for a medical degree, one of the first STEM environments available to women. In order to kick-start her education she wrote to all of the doctors that she knew, requesting advice and help. However, most of the doctors replied that they thought it impossible, that a woman would not be able to endure the rigors of a medical education, and that they feared the competition that women doctors would bring. Elizabeth persisted, finally making her way to Philadelphia, a city famous for its study in medicine, to stay with Dr. Elder, one of the few supporters of her education. Once here she continued writing letters and actually found many friends who agreed to support her cause, but unfortunately universities were not included in this list of friends. Elizabeth then pursued an education at the University of Geneva in New York where the Medical Faculty and students agreed to accept her. While at first the university cared about the press coverage that Elizabeth’s spot would bring, she eventually established her rightful place as a student there. Although she encountered some resentment among the wives of doctors and other people living in the small town, Elizabeth ...

    Read More

  • What Was Elizabeth Blackwell Contribution To Society

    310 Words  | 1 Pages

    reasons they did not accept her was because she was a women and many men did not want the competition , she might equal to the task. After feeling completely worthless, she applied to twelve country schools. By October 1847, Blackwell was accepted at Hobart college which used to be called Geneva Medical College but her acceptance was an accident. The dean and faculty put 150 male students to vote on whether Blackwell should stay or leave. Eventually, she ended up staying. Her first day of college was full of nervousness and joy for her but, she soon felt like home because she was finally achieving her goal. In summer , she would go live with the Dickson family and that same summer she tried looking for a job for clinical experience. She gained her first clinical experience at “ The guardians of the poor,the city commision that ran Brookley Almhouse” but , she would still struggle because many physicians did not want to assist her during diagnostics and treating patience. Ms. blackwell faced many substandard experiences but, i love how she never gave up.

    Read More

  • Women in the 19th Century

    747 Words  | 2 Pages

    Education for women in the 1800s was far different from what we know today. During her life, a girl was taught more necessary skills around the home than the information out of school books. A woman’s formal education was limited because her job opportunities were limited—and vice versa. Society could not conceive of a woman entering a profession such as medicine or the law and therefore did not offer her the chance to do so. It was much more important to be considered 'accomplished' than thoroughly educated. Elizabeth Bennet indicated to her sisters that she would continue to learn through reading, describing education for herself as being unstructured but accessible. If a woman desired to further he education past what her classes would teach her, she would have to do so independently, and that is what most women did.

    Read More

More about Elizabeth Blackwell

Open Document