American Feminist Literature Greta Ertzgard, Katie Kloos, And Laura Hungerford

The Importance of American Feminist Writers… Books added to reform movements…like that of women’s suffrage and independence Shed light on subjects like abuse, tolerance, individuality, equality, etc. Influenced other women to write

Feminist Writers… Maya Angelou Lorraine Hansberry Harriet Beecher Stowe Louisa May Alcott

Maya Angelou Born: April 4, 1928 Parents divorced when she was 3 and she and her brother were sent to live with her grandmother in Arkansas. Visiting her mother and her boyfriend High School (scholarship, dropped out, pregnant) Guy At age 16 she left home with her son and worked as a waitress to raise her son. She still had a passion for dance, music, and drama.

Maya Angelou (cont.) Married Tosh Angelou, the marriage did not last long. Maya Angelou was the name she used when she started singing at a nightclub. First album in 1957 Moved to New York to work on writing Very involved with Civil Right Movements (Martin Luther King Jr.) I Know why the Caged Bird Sings: Arkansas- Guy National Figure

Lorraine Hansberry May 19, January 12, 1965 Parents active in civil rights 1938 move to new neighborhood University of Wisconsin Freedom the newspaper Robert Nemiroff

Lorraine Hansberry (cont.) Writing The Raisin in the Sun Cancer divorce

Harriet Beecher Stowe Most famous work: Uncle Tom’s Cabin

What People Influenced Her Life Harriet’s family of abolitionists definitely influenced her Her father was a minister, president of Lane Theological Seminary, was strong in his faith and believed in education Youngest sister, Isabella, was involved in the suffrage movement Catharine Beecher (sister) had a huge impact. She founded schools for young women and was an author

Who influenced Harriet (cont.) Husband Calvin Stowe supported her writing (unusual for her time). He was also a minister. “God has written in His book that you must be a literary woman, and who are we to go against God?” -Calvin Stowe

Events that inspired Uncle Tom’s Cabin Civil War tension Fugitive Slave Act of 1850 Death of Harriet’s son, Charley, in 1850

Louisa May Alcott th century writer of Little Women

Louisa May Alcott Born: November 29, 1832 in Germantown, PA Had three sisters…Anna, Elizabeth, and May Educated by her father, a transcendentalist, and her mother, a well-known abolitionist, suffragist, and the first paid social worker in MA Grew up in Boston and Concord because of her parents transcendentalist friends Tomboy…

A passion for writing… Began story-telling with her sisters She would always play the vivacious characters Family’s poverty caused her to vow to help them out with her story-telling Had many jobs to support her family 1 st works published in magazines Themes included family relationships, self-reliance, and perseverance

Alcott… (cont.) Famous Works 1 st book- Flowers and Fables (1854) Hospital Sketches Most well-known book, Little Women, written when her publisher requested her to write a “book for girls” Influences Experiences as a nurse during the Civil War, at Union Hospital Growing up with her sisters Family poverty

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