PDF Selected Letters of Lucretia Coffin Mott (Women in American History) by From University of Illinois Press in History

Review

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful. Details of life for a woman to whom we owe our voting abilityBy Laura L. Mays HoopesLucretia Mott; along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton; Susan B. Anthony; Lucy Stone; and many others worked hard to get the vote for women. But reading this carefully edited volume of her letters will give you another view of her life: it was very quotidian. Family issues were a great concern; and she was the clerk of the females in her Quaker congregation. She cared deeply about slavery as well as about suffrage; these were her major issues but fairness in all things could have been her watchword.Beverly Palmer introduces us to her in an opening essay; and writes helpful clues as to the meaining of each section of letters; in addition to the complete and easy-to-understand footnotes; which bring out the context for each letter. She leaves center stage to Lucretia Mott; while giving us the tools we need to appreciate what she accomplished.At the time when the bandwagon for women's voting was getting rolling; her family life was heavily impacted and you can read her plaintive requests that the meetings far afield not be held so often; but then when others scheduled them anyway; her assurances that yes; she would attend and had written to others to make sure they'd be there too.Susan B. Anthony was such a dedicated person that she never married and had no children; and she saw how family life was drawing her colleagues in the fight out of the fray so she protested when each one became pregnant yet again. But Lucretia Mott did not; she was always supportive of both Susan (whom she offered to send some special tea to help her relax) and the married women with children who were also leading the movement. She undertook to write to influential men urging their support for the cause too. Reading these letters will give anyone a much clearer sense of what these women were up against.Reading a biography of Mott will provide some insights; but I would argue that you'll understand her a lot better by reading her own words. Very worthwhile book!