Fuller Action

Author, journalist, editor, Transcendentalist, and women’s rights advocate are all words that can describe Margaret Fuller. Margaret Fuller was born to Timothy Fuller on May 23rd, 1810. She is considered one of the main leaders of the beginning of feminism. She helped women by leading and creating "conversations" which had the women read, think, and discuss common issues. As a result, these "conversations" educated the women. The discussions were known to be discussed with the most intelligent women in the Boston area during the early 1940s. Fuller achieved a lot throughout her life. She was the first American to write a book about equality for women, the first editor of The Dial, the foremost Transcendentalist journal, and she was the first woman to enter Harvard Library to pursue research. In addition, Fuller was involved with the revolution in Italy and allied herself with Giuseppe Mazzini therefore becoming the first woman foreign correspondent and war correspondent to serve under combat conditions. Her most notable works was Woman in the Nineteenth Century, which was published in 1845. In May 1850, Fuller and her family embarked on a ship for New York. Unfortunately, the ship was wrecked off Fire Island: Fuller, her husband, and son all drowned on July 19, 1850.
Robinson points out that, "'Woman in the Nineteenth century' focuses on the central intellectual commitment of the transcendental movement, the belief in the possibility of ‘self-culture’ or the continual spiritual growth of the soul, to diagnose, and prescribe a remedy for, the condition of women" (Robinson 84). Initially, Fuller disagrees with the means in which most transcendentalists use to acquire their ends by action. However, Robinson points out that Fuller's idea of the commitment to self-culture, shows that her belief in "self-culture as an end requires social reform as a means and that the fulfillment of women required the action of women" (Robinson 95). This shows that despite disagreeing with the initial means to accomplish a certain goal Fuller had to persuade women to take action. In the end, Fuller reveals that women are required to act in order to make a difference and followed the cause of transcendentalism to help fight for women's rights.

Fuller, Margaret. Woman in the Nineteenth Century. Mineola, NY: Dover Publications, INC., 1999. Print.
Robinson, David. Margaret Fuller and the Transcendental Ethos: Woman in the Nineteenth Century. PMLA, Vol. 97. 1982. pp. 83-98. http://www.jstor.org/stable/462242