Lucy Stone (1818-1893): Women's Rights Advocate Gives Her First Address in Gardner

Lucy Stone was concerned over the fact that the status of American women in the early nineteenth century was practically nil. At that time, women could not vote, hold public office, sign papers or be called as witnesses in court. Married women were considered legally surrendered to their husbands. They could not earn their own money or hold property, and could be beaten by their husbands with a “reasonable instrument.”

Besides legal discrimination, American women also suffered from social restrictions. They were not allowed to speak before mixed audiences, enter any of the professions, and they were barred from higher education on the theory that they were physically incapable of undertaking the rigors of disciplined study. Acting contrary to the belief that women should not receive a higher education, Oberlin College in Ohio became the first college in the United States to admit women. In 1847, ten years after Oberlin opened its doors to women, Lucy Stone graduated from the school, becoming the first Massachusetts woman to receive a college degree.

At Oberlin, Lucy Stone was viewed as a dangerous radical because of her strong stands on the abolition of slavery and the question of women’s rights. Like many women of this time, she viewed her position in American society as being no different from that of a Black slave. Thus, some of those who became involved in the early nineteenth century women’s rights movement also became abolitionists. Because of her strong stand on reform, just a few weeks after her graduation Lucy Stone was invited by her brother to address his congregation in Gardner. It was before this group that Lucy Stone gave her first speech. This was a unique situation in that she was not only speaking on an unpopular topic to a mixed audience, but also within an American Protestant church which traditionally had not shown sympathy towards women’s liberation.

Lucy Stone’s brother, William Bowman Stone, was the pastor of the Evangelical Congregational Church which was then located on Green Street near Heywood Street. This church represented the more conservative wing of Congregationalism in Gardner. William Stone served as the pastor of this church for eight years. Like his sister, he was an ardent abolitionist and also opposed the use of tobacco. In 1850, Stone resigned his pastorate because of illness and retired to the family homestead in West Brookfield. During this time, even though in poor health, he was still able to serve one term in the state legislature.

A year after Lucy Stone’s public address in Gardner she began a regular lecture schedule denouncing both slavery and the subservient position of women in American society. In 1850, the same year as her brother’s retirement from Gardner, she led the call for the first national women’s rights convention which was held in Worcester and set a precedent for annual meetings. After the Worcester convention Lucy Stone continued to provide leadership for the women’s rights movement. She became responsible for organizing and serving with many local and national women’s rights organizations, and she also drafted bills and went to legislative hearings in the interest of improving the status of American women.

Throughout her crusade, Lucy Stone had the full cooperation of her husband, Henry Blackwell. For instance, when they married, she received support from her husband to keep her maiden name. However, she did take the title of “Mrs.” Her husband co-edited the Women’s Journal, a women’s rights periodical which they published together for more than 20 years.