Judith Sargent Murray
Judith Sargent Murray | |
|---|---|
Portrait of Judith Sargent Murray by John Singleton Copley, Terra Foundation for American Art, Daniel J. Terra Collection | |
| Born | May 1, 1751 |
| Died | June 9, 1820 (aged 69) |
| Other names | Judith Sargent Stevens Murray |
| Occupation(s) | Women's rights advocate, essayist, playwright, poet, and letter writer |
| Spouse(s) |
John Stevens
(m. 1769; died 1786) |
Judith Sargent Stevens Murray (May 1, 1751 – June 9, 1820) was an early American advocate for women's rights, an essay writer, playwright, poet, and letter writer. She was one of the first American proponents of the idea of the equality of the sexes so that women, like men, had the capability of intellectual accomplishment and should be able to achieve economic independence.
Among many other influential pieces, her landmark essay "On the Equality of the Sexes" paved the way for new thoughts and ideas proposed by other feminist writers of the century.