Basic Information

Louisa May Alcott was born on November 29th, 1832 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. She was a famous author, most recognized for her work, Little Women. Alcott, however, was not solely a successful writer. She was also a nurse, abolitionist and women’s suffragist who made large impacts on the movements.

Background Information

Alcott was the second of four daughters to parents who were a part of the 19th century transcendentalist movement. This was a popular religious movement that valued individualism and self-reliance. They had strong views on women’s rights, abolition, reform and education (Norwood, 2017). Alcott’s parents’ views inspired and fascinated her as a child; however, she was a realist herself (MacDonald, 1983, p. 1). Her father, Bronson Alcott, was an educator who had strong beliefs that children should enjoy learning, and therefore, Alcott learned to read and write at a young age. She and her siblings were strongly encouraged, required even, to keep a journal and write letters (Alcott, n.d, p. 50). Because of her upbringing and the people in her life as a child, she received a solid education that is a large part of why she became so successful.

Alcott also studied under philosopher Henry David Thoreau and famous authors/transcendentalists Ralph Waldo Emerson and Nathaniel Hawthorne (Norwood, 2017). She published her first book in 1854 and had 270 published works throughout her lifetime, with Little Women being one of them, published in 1868. Throughout her life and career, Alcott’s work made an impact on movements for women’s rights, abolition and other reforms (National Women’s Hall of Fame, n.d).

Contributions to the First Wave

Louisa May Alcott and her family all had strong views when it came to equality and reform. They had always been abolitionists, with their family home being a stop in the Underground Railroad (Brockell, 2019). One of Alcott’s memories from childhood was from when her parents had to hide an enslaved person in their oven (Alcott, n.d, 29). In the winter of 1862-3 during the Civil War, Alcott worked as a nurse at the Union Hotel Hospital in Georgetown, Virginia (Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, n.d). She wanted to contribute to the anti-slavery movement in any way she could. She was a nurse for only 6 weeks because she became sick with a fever, and after that her health was never the same. However, she truly cared for the people she helped and connected with as a nurse. Alcott wrote a story about her experiences from this time, called Hospital Sketches. It was her first literary success. 

Not only was Alcott an abolitionist, but she was a women’s suffragist too. In the 1870’s she was very busy writing stories for the Youth’s Companion, articles for the Independent, full-length narratives, and more. However, she still devoted much of her time to advocate for women’s right to vote. She accomplished this largely by writing letters expressing her dissatisfaction and growing impatience with Concord, Massachusetts’ lack of action towards advancing women’s rights. Alcott’s letters appeared in the Women’s Journal, the only women’s suffrage paper that was published in Massachusetts at the time. This paper was set up by the New England Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 and incorporated in 1870. It was edited by Lucy Stone and her husband, Henry B. Blackwell. Alcott’s first contribution there was published on November 14th, 1874 and she published there weekly until 1887 (Stern, 1978, p. 431).  

In 1875, Alcott attended the Women’s Congress of 1875 in Syracuse, New York. There, she was introduced by Mary Livermore, a fellow author, abolitionist and advocate of women’s rights (Boston Women’s Heritage Trail, n.d). Alcott received an ovation and the honor of membership in the National Congress of the Women of the United States (Stern, 1978, p. 432). Four years later, in 1879, the Act to Give Women the Right to Vote for Members of School Committees was approved in Massachusetts, giving women school, tax and bond suffrage. Alcott was the first woman to register to vote in Concord. However, her efforts did not end there. She devoted much of her time to getting other women in Concord to register to vote as well (National Women’s Hall of fame, n.d). Alcott accomplished this by holding several meetings at her house to encourage women to exercise their newly given right and writing letters expressing her dissatisfaction with the turnout of women registering to vote. She voted for the first time for the school committee on March 29th, 1880 and continued to exercise this right for years to come (Stern, 1978, p. 434). 

In 1881, Alcott fought for the publication of Harriet H. Robinson’s Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement, trying to get Thomas Niles of Roberts Brothers to agree to read the manuscript. She wrote to him in a letter recalling when anti-slavery was “in just the same state that Suffrage is now, and take more pride in the very small help we Alcotts could give than in all the books I ever wrote or ever shall write.” (Stern, 1978, p. 435). The book was published later in 1881 by the Roberts Brothers with an expression of gratitude to Alcott by the author. 

Alcott also contributed to the fight for women’s rights financially. One morning, she went to the office of the Women’s Journal and gave them a check for $100, saying she knew of no better cause to invest it in than that one. In 1884, a fund was voted to organize local suffrage associations throughout the state. Alcott donated $100 without hesitation (Stern, 1978, p. 435). 

 

“Happy is the son whose faith in his mother remains unchallenged.”

~ Louisa May Alcott (American Minute, 2021).

 

Analysis and Conclusion

Louisa May Alcott is certainly most famous for her book Little Women, but this incredible woman accomplished so much more in her lifetime than just that literary success. In fact, Little Women was Alcott’s least favorite of her work. She felt that it was boring with its focus on domestic peace, but young girls loved it and it therefore became wildly popular. 

Alcott’s life was a fascinating one. Her upbringing may have played a big role in her future values in life and the things she fought so hard for. Her parents strongly believed in the anti-slavery movement, with their house being a safe stop on the Underground Railroad. They also believed strongly in women’s rights, with her father attending many conventions for the reform. Because of the environment in which she was raised, she had little barriers in expressing her beliefs. Rather, she was able to make large contributions to the movements. 

Even before fame, she was a strong abolitionist, as shown by her desire to be a nurse during the Civil War. She was also a feminist, committed to never marrying and devoting much of her life to fighting for the rights of women. Her fame only helped the contribution she was able to make to the cause. Young girls loved her book Little Women, and her status gave her an advantage when questioning the norms of society and demanding equal rights for all. 

Alcott’s beliefs and determination remained the same throughout her life; her fame only boosting the impact that she was able to make. And she sure did make a big one. Little Women is a large reason why her name is still so relevant to this day, but her actions and determination are no small feat in the fight for women’s rights. 

 

References

Abolitionist poets: William Lloyd Garrison, Louisa May Alcott, Nathaniel Hawthorne, William Ellery Channing, Theodore Parker, Henry David Thoreau & Ralph Waldo Emerson (2021). Americanminute.com. Retrieved from https://americanminute.com/blogs/todays-american-minute/abolitionist-poets-william-lloyd-garrison-louisa-may-alcott-nathaniel-hawthorne-william-ellery-channing-theodore-parker-henry-david-thoreau-ralph-waldo-emerson-america-a-last-effort-of-divine-providence-in-behalf-of-the-human-race-ameri.

Alcott, L. M. (n.d.). Louisa May Alcott : Her Life, Letters, and Journals. Project Gutenberg. https://www.gutenberg.org/cache/epub/38049/pg38049-images.html

Brockwell, Gillian. (2019). Girls adored ‘Little Women’. Louisa May Alcott did not. The Washington Post. https://www.washingtonpost.com/history/2019/12/25/girls-adored-little-women-louisa-may-alcott-did-not/.

Louisa May Alcott (n.d). Boston Women’s Heritage Trail. Retrieved from https://bwht.org/louisa-may-alcott/. 

Louisa May Alcott (n.d). National Women’s Hall of Fame. Retrieved from https://www.womenofthehall.org/inductee/louisa-may-alcott/. 

MacDonald, Ruth K. “The Realist of Concord.” Louisa May Alcott, Twayne Publishers, 1983, pp. 1-9. Twayne’s United States Authors Series 457. Gale eBooks, link.gale.com/apps/doc/CX1575900011/GVRL?u=wash_main&sid=bookmark-GVRL&xid=ae87e72b. Accessed 27 Oct. 2022. 

Norwood, Arlisha R. (2017). Louisa May Alcott. National Women’s History Museum. Retrieved from https://www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/louisa-may-alcott. 

Stern, M. B. (1978). Louisa Alcott’s Feminist Letters. Studies in the American Renaissance, 429–452. http://www.jstor.org/stable/30227455

Warren, G. K. (ca. 1870) Louisa May Alcott, writer, abolitionist, and Civil War nurse/ Warren’s Portraits, 465 Washington St., Boston. United States, ca. 1870. Retrieved Oct 27 2022 from the Library of Congress. https://www.loc.gov/item/2017660625/.