Frances Wright
2002
Author· Social Reformer · Abolitionist
Frances “Fanny” Wright, was a Scottish-born lecturer, writer, freethinker, and feminist. Wright, an early women’s rights advocate and social reformer, was the first woman to deliver public lectures to men and women on social reform issues in the United States. Her views on slavery, theology, and women’s rights were considered radical for the time, and attracted harsh criticism from the press and clergy.
Wright believed in many foundational tenets of feminism, including equality in education between the sexes. She opposed organized religion, marriage, and capitalism. Educational opportunities were a particular interest. She demanded that the government offer free public education for all children in federal government-supported boarding schools.
“Equality is the soul of liberty; there is, in fact, no liberty without it.”
The clergy and the press were critical of Wright and her opinions on religion and social reform. The New York American, for example, called Wright "a female monster" because of her controversial views, but she remained undeterred.
At 23, she and her younger sister made their first trip to the United States in 1818. The sisters toured the country for two years before returning to England. In 1821, Wright published Views of Society and Manners in America. The book's publication was a major turning point in her life. It introduced her into a group of thinkers whose opposition to religious clergy influenced Wright's own emerging philosophy.
“I am neither Jew nor Gentile, Mahomedan nor Theist; I am but a member of the human family.”
In 1824, Wright and her sister returned to the United States, and in 1825 Wright published A Plan for the Gradual Abolition of Slavery in the United States Without Danger of Loss to the Citizens of the South, which urged Congress to set aside tracts of land for that purpose. In December 1825, she bought a large tract of land in Tennessee on which she hoped to create a utopian society named Nashoba. Unfortunately, when she returned in 1828, she found it ruined. Wright decided to remain in the United States, where she continued her work as a social reformer. She became a U.S. citizen in 1825.
Wright spoke publicly in favor of abolition and lectured to support women's suffrage. She also campaigned for reforms to marriage and property laws. Her lectures on slavery and other social institutions attracted large and enthusiastic audiences of men and women, with some opposition.
“I am not going to question your opinions. I am not going to meddle with your belief. All that I say is, examine, inquire. Look into the nature of things. Search out the grounds of your opinions, the for and the against. Know why you believe, understand what you believe, and possess a reason for the faith that is in you."
As a social reformer, Frances Wright broke barriers in both words and actions— as a pioneering antislavery activist, early advocate of free public schools, and editor of the Free Enquirer. These daring actions, along with her eye-opening definition of religion provoked the press and clergy of her day to deem her “a bold blasphemer” and “The Red Harlot of Infidelity.”
She entreated others: “Speak only about what you know,” urging that they turn their churches into halls of science and exchange their teachers of faith for “expounders of nature.”