Mary Lyon: Documents and Writings

Before the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution and the Seneca Falls Declaration; before Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, Carrie Chapman and Alice Paul; before John Stuart Mill’s "The Subjection of Women" and Virgina Woolf’s "A Room of One’s Own"; before all these came Mary Lyon. In 1837, by virtue of dogged determination and never removing her sight from her goal, Mary Lyon founded Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, the world's oldest continuing college for women. Never seeking to draw attention to herself, she steadfastly fought to ensure that the school would outlive her and never become known as “Miss Lyon’s School.” Perhaps as a result, Mary Lyon has not drawn nearly the attention she de- serves in histories of America, the women’s movement or higher education. This volume, for the first time, draws together the major documents and writings of Mary Lyon's remarkable career.