Biography Of Mary Wollstonecraft – A Writer And An Advocate Of Equality For Women
Mary Wollstonecraft was born on April 27, 1749, in Spitalfield, London. eight days before her birthday when she was twenty three her mom died. Before Mary was popular and famous the word feminist didn't even exist.
Her parents were Elizabeth Dixon and John Wollstonecraft, her mom was often sick. Her dad was abusive and was often drunken or in drunken mood, especial after he lost money to being ill-judged but mostly when their farms failed to sell. Mary was the oldest girl out of 4 but had an older brother named Edward and four other younger siblings that were born after her. They had quite a bit of money and due to her father's drunken behavior they almost lost all their money. Her oldest brother had a full time of school and Mary only knew the basics but has always loved to write and loved it throughout her life. Mary has always been the bold person, she always wanted to be the one that started something and isn't afraid to end it. She grew up in Spitalfield London, but with her dad being selfish and drunk all the time he moved them around to get more money by farming which they made a living off of.
When she was 18 she went off to go pursue being a writer at was at this time when people in society recommended women to stay home and tend to their families, however in 1778 she went to work as a ladies companion to Sahra Dawson. Around this time she became best friends with Fanny Blood. Sadly Fanny died in 1785 it shocked Mary very much it made her depressed. Later she quit her job as a Ladies companion and became being a governess for a large Irish family but despised Lady Kingsborough. This inspired Mary to write Thoughts on the Education of Daughters. Which helped women manage in society. Around this time Mary decided to move back to London, where she became acquainted with William Paine and many more,but was also forced to take care of her sickly mother until she passed away. One of her hardest time was helping her sister get out of a horrible marriage. Marry convinced her sister get out of it because her husband was abusive and she couldn't handle him anymore. All though she couldn't handle him she still stayed with him. Before fanny died, Fanny Mary's sister Fanny’s sister and Mary started a school for both boys and girls. Which is located in Newton Green. They schools purpose was to let people know that all kids, boys and girls could attend to it to get an education. Sadly after fanny died Mary closed the school and the building is now known as a church. In London she became more aware of the political strands of rights. Mary became inthused in the revolutionary war and which she embraced her thoughts within it and ideas of equal rights, when Edmund Burke's declared revolutionary. In 1790 wrote her pamphlet Vindication of the Rights of Men which was inspired by Edmund Burkes. In 1782 she wrote her most famous work A Vindication of Women's Rights(the first feminist book) which inspired a lot of feminist such as Margaret Fuller and Elizabeth Stanton, but as much as it inspired even the educated women did not agree with Wollstonecraft they didn't want other women to get educated because they believed only the rich deserve a good education. MAry thought a good government would be everybody to be ideal and get along as a good people, for everybody get the same rights as one another. It told how women's rights should be equal to men's. Mary stated it was the lack of education for women that is making them lower in rank than men. She believed in the rights of women are just or should be just as equal as men's rights. While mary was publishing her book the Divine Rights was happening as well as the Revolutionary War.
In 1792 she went off to visit Paris, where she fell deeply in love with Gilbert Imlay, they had to hide their relationship because being married to an American was restricted and illegal at this time. Together in 1794 they had a child name Fanny Imlay, Her name was in memory of Fanny blood Mary's best friend. After a while their, relationship got hard so they broke up and Gilbert left Mary and Fanny. Mary returned to England, but overcome with depression Mary tried to commit suicide twice, but both times failed and was saved by two walking men. After she got over her depression, which at this point she had still a little bit, of but she was lonely and felt like she needed somebody. She once again fell deeply in love with William Godwin, which she soon married. On September 17,1797 Mary had a little lamb and her name was Mary Shelley. Mary was ten days old when Mary her mom died so she and Fanny had to live with her dad for her life. Before she, died she was working on a novel called the Wrong of Women the book was published a year after her death.
Mary Wollstonecraft died on September 10, 1797 when she was 38, in Somers Town, London, United Kingdom. She is located at the St Pancras Old Church in London United Kingdom. Her grave says “Mary Wollstonecraft Godwin, Author of A Vindication Of the Rights of Women: born 27 April 1759: died on 10 September 1797. ” She died of sepsis an infection in your skin, lung, and many more places in your body. Mary (her child) went on and famously wrote the book Frankenstein and got married to Percy Shelley She has a spot in the Brooklyn Museum located in 200 Eastern PKwy, Brooklyn, NY 11238.
