Suffragist of the Month – March

Matilda Joslyn Gage

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Matilda Joslyn Gage was born on March 24, 1826 in Cicero, New York. Her father, a physician and scholar, educated her from her early years on legal and social issues, which resulted in her embracing progressive causes from a young age. She was an active abolitionist whose home was a stop on the Underground Railroad in central New York State.

She joined Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to form the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869, and worked for many years closely with them both. In 1876 she joined them in writing and editing the first three volumes of The History of Woman Suffrage.

But, despite her name on the work as editor there is not much information about Matilda Joslyn Gage in the work itself, and there is a feeling that she was marginalized by the other, more famous leaders, and her work not given equal credit. Many historians have scarcely heard of her, and know little about her contributions to the movement.

Author Charlotte M. Shapiro tries to set the record straight in her new book, Searching for Matilda, Portrait of a Forgotten Feminist. Check out the Women’s History bookshelf in the list of pages to the left for more information on the book and the amazing work of Matilda Joslyn Gage.

 

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