Mary Wollstonecraft Research Paper

The award for the most enlightened thinker goes to…Mary Wollstonecraft! Mary Wollstonecraft was an astounding leader in women’s rights in the 18th century. She wrote one of the first works on feminist philosophy. Her belief was that women were often perceived as inferior to men because of their lack of education. She wrote, “Men and women should be treated as rational beings in a social order founded on reason”. This means that men and women should be equal in a society that can use common sense. Despite many difficulties that she encountered, Mary Wollstonecraft became a writer. Her most famous book was A Vindication of the Rights of Women where she wrote about her beliefs on women’s rights and equality. Through her writing, she helped develop
both the political and intellectual aspects of her day. She impacted her time the most through her views on class, education, and race. However, her legacy lives on well past her death in 1797. Her writings have influenced many women over the years. One such women was Susan B. Anthony who fought for the right to vote in the United States. Her efforts were rewarded when women received the right to vote in 1920. Not only has Mary Wollstonecraft’s legacy led to women’s suffrage in the United States, but also in Great Britan. Her work has also had an influence in other places such as Europe and Scandinavia. Because Mary Wollstonecraft’s legacy has had such an impact on, not only society in her day, but modern societies, it is with great pleasure that the award for the most enlightened thinker goes to Mary Wollstonecraft.