Emma Hart Willard (February 23, 1787 – April 15, 1870) was an American woman's education activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women's higher education, the

Troy Female Seminary The Emma Willard School, originally called Troy Female Seminary and often referred to simply as Emma, is an independent university-preparatory day and boarding school for young women, located in Troy, New York, on Mount Ida, offering grades 9– ...

Troy, New York Troy is a City (New York), city in the U.S. state of New York (state), New York and the county seat of Rensselaer County, New York, Rensselaer County. The city is located on the western edge of Rensselaer County and on the eastern bank of the Huds ...

. With the success of her school, Willard was able to travel across the country and abroad, to promote education for women. The seminary was renamed the Emma Willard School in 1895 in her honor.

Early life

Emma Willard was born on February 23, 1787, in

Berlin, Connecticut Berlin ( ) is a town in Hartford County, Connecticut, United States. The population was 20,175 at the 2020 census. It was incorporated in 1785. The geographic center of Connecticut is located in the town. Berlin is residential and industrial, ...

. She was the sixteenth of seventeen children from her father, Samuel Hart, and his second wife Lydia Hinsdale Hart."Person Detail Emma Hart Willard." Vermont Women's History Project. http://womenshistory.vermont.gov/?Tabld=61&personID=15. No longer online at this address; not found (yet) at Archive.org Her father was a farmer who encouraged his children to read and think for themselves. At a young age, Willard's father recognized her passion for learning. At that time women were only provided basic education, but Willard was included in family discussions such as politics, philosophy, world politics and mathematics that were primarily male subjects."Emma Hart Willard – People of Connecticut." 50 States – Capitals, Maps, Geography, State Symbols, State Facts, Songs, History, Famous People from NETSTATE.COM. http://www.netstate.com/states/peop/people/ct_ehw.htm At age 15, Willard was enrolled in her first school in 1802 in her hometown of Berlin. She progressed so quickly that just two years later at the age of 17 she was teaching there. Willard eventually took charge of the academy for a term in 1806."Emma Willard." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Web. http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/643922/Emma-Willard.

Career

In 1807, Willard left Berlin and briefly worked in

Westfield, Massachusetts Westfield is a city in Hampden County, in the Pioneer Valley of western Massachusetts, United States. Westfield was first settled by Europeans in 1660. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area. The population w ...

, before accepting a job offer at a female academy in

Middlebury, Vermont Middlebury is the shire town (county seat) of Addison County, Vermont, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the population was 9,152. Middlebury is home to Middlebury College and the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History. History One ...

. She held the position of principal at the academy from 1807 to 1809. She was unimpressed by the material taught there and opened a boarding school for women, the Middlebury Female Seminary in 1814, in her own home."WILLARD, Emma." (n.d.): Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia. EBSCO. Web. She was inspired by the subjects her nephew, John Willard, was learning at

Middlebury College Middlebury College is a private liberal arts college in Middlebury, Vermont. Founded in 1800 by Congregationalists, Middlebury was the first operating college or university in Vermont. The college currently enrolls 2,858 undergraduates from all 5 ...

and strove to improve the curriculum that was taught at girls' schools. Willard believed that women could master topics like mathematics and philosophy rather than just subjects taught at

finishing school A finishing school focuses on teaching young women social graces and upper-class cultural rites as a preparation for entry into society. The name reflects that it follows on from ordinary school and is intended to complete the education, wi ...

s. This passion for women's education led her to fight for the first women's school for higher education. Emma Willard

Her success inspired her to share her ideas on education and to write ''A Plan for Improving Female Education'' in 1819, a pamphlet that she presented to the members of the

New York Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an official te ...

. Her plan included a proposal for a women's seminary to be publicly funded just as men's schools were. Willard did not receive a response from the legislators, several of whom believed women's education to be contrary to God's will. Willard finally received support from New York Governor

DeWitt Clinton DeWitt Clinton (March 2, 1769February 11, 1828) was an American politician and naturalist. He served as a United States senator, as the mayor of New York City, and as the seventh governor of New York. In this last capacity, he was largely re ...

, who invited her to open a school there. Originally Willard opened an institution in

Waterford, New York Waterford is a town in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 8,423 at the 2010 census. The name of the town is derived from its principal village, also called Waterford. The town is located in the southeast corner of Sa ...

but she did not receive the promised financial support and therefore moved her school to

, where she received more support and funding. The

opened in September 1821, for boarding and day students."Emma Willard Biography – Facts, Birthday, Life Story – Biography." Famous Biographies & TV Shows – Biography.com. http://www.biography.com/people/emma-willard-9531676 This was the first school in the United States to offer higher education for women. The curriculum consisted of the subjects she had longed to include in women's education: mathematics, philosophy, geography, history, and science. Willard led the school to success, and in 1831, the school had enrolled over 300 students. The school attracted students from wealthy families or families of high position. Although most of the students would still end up as housewives, Willard never hindered her students' pursuit towards women's education and continued to fight for their rights. Despite her reputation today in women's history, Willard was not a supporter of the

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

movement during the mid-19th century. Willard believed that women's education was a much more important matter. When Emma Willard addressed the

New York State Legislature The New York State Legislature consists of the two houses that act as the state legislature of the U.S. state of New York: The New York State Senate and the New York State Assembly. The Constitution of New York does not designate an officia ...

in 1819, the year before, for example,

Thomas Jefferson Thomas Jefferson (April 13, 1743 – July 4, 1826) was an American statesman, diplomat, lawyer, architect, philosopher, and Founding Fathers of the United States, Founding Father who served as the third president of the United States from 18 ...

wrote a letter in which he suggested women should not read novels "as a mass of trash" with few exceptions. "For like reason, too, much poetry should not be indulged." Emma Willard told the legislature that the education of women "has been too exclusively directed to fit them for displaying to advantage the charms of youth and beauty". The problem, she said, was that "the taste of men, whatever it might happen to be, has been made into a standard for the formation of the female character." Reason and religion teach us, she said, that "we too are primary existences... not the satellites of men."

Marriage and family

While working at the academy in Middlebury, Willard met her future husband

John Willard John Willard ( 1657 - August 19, 1692) was one of the people executed for witchcraft in Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials. He was hanged on Gallows Hill, Salem on August 19, 1692. At the time of the first allegations of witchc ...

. He was a physician and 28 years her senior. John Willard brought four children to the marriage from his previous marriages. His nephew, also named John Willard, lived with them while attending Middlebury College, which gave Emma Willard much inspiration in forming her educational views. Emma Willard's younger sister,

Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps Almira Hart Lincoln Phelps (July 15, 1793 – July 15, 1884) was an American scientist, educator, author, and editor. Her botany writings influenced more early American women to be botanists, including Eunice Newton Foote and her daughter, ...

, joined Emma in 1823, after the death of her first husband, Simeon Lincoln, and taught at Troy Female Seminary for eight years. Emma and John Willard had one son together, named John Willard Hart, who received the management of the Troy Female Seminary when Willard left it in 1838. Emma's first husband died in 1825, and in 1838, she married Christopher C. Yates but was divorced from him in 1843.

Works

Along with the profits made from the Troy Female Seminary, Willard also made a living from her writing. She wrote several textbooks throughout her lifetime, including books on history and geography. Some of her works are ''History of the United States, or Republic of America'' (1828), ''A System of Fulfillment of a Promise'' (1831), ''A Treatise on the Motive Powers which Produce the Circulation of the Blood'' (1846), ''Guide to the Temple of Time and Universal History for Schools'' (1849), ''Last Leaves of American History'' (1849), ''Astronography; or Astronomical Geography'' (1854), and ''Morals for the Young'' (1857). Willard's history and geography texts included women as well as men and emphasized the status of women as the primary determinant in whether a society could be described as civilized. Her map-drawing geographic pedagogy became popular in the United States and also influential in American missionary schools in South Asia during the nineteenth century. Willard also published a book of poetry, ''The Fulfilment of a Promise'' (1831) with her most popular poem entitled "Rocked in the Cradle of the Deep," which she reportedly wrote while on an ocean voyage in 1839. In 1830, she made a tour of Europe. Three years later, she donated the proceeds from her book about her travels to a school for women that she helped to found in

Athens, Greece Athens ( ; el, Αθήνα, Athína ; grc, Ἀθῆναι, Athênai (pl.) ) is both the capital and largest city of Greece. With a population close to four million, it is also the seventh largest city in the European Union. Athens dominates a ...

. This book ''Letters from France & Britain'' was reviewed alongside Abby Jane Morrell's account of her travels in the sub Antarctic and they were described as "the productions of our self-taught countrywomen who re... creditable to their sex".

Works with other authors

Willard cowrote ''The Woodbridge and Willard Geographies and Atlases'' (1823), with American geographer

William Channing Woodbridge William Channing Woodbridge (December 8, 1794November 9, 1845) was an American geographer, educational reformer, and the author of many geography textbooks. Early life and family Woodbridge's father, William Woodbridge, was a Yale University ...

; Also with Woodbridge she co-authored ''A System of Universal Geography on the Principles of Comparison and Classification''. She has been the subject of several biographies. Her geographies are discussed by Calhoun and her histories by Baym.

Later life

John Willard, Emma's husband, died in 1825. She headed the Troy Female Seminary until she remarried in 1838, and left the school in the hands of her son and daughter-in-law. She married Dr. Christopher Yates and moved to Boston with him. He gave up his career, and after nine months of marriage they separated and a

Decree nisi A decree nisi or rule nisi () is a court order that will come into force at a future date unless a particular condition is met. Unless the condition is met, the ruling becomes a decree absolute (rule absolute), and is binding. Typically, the condi ...

was granted in 1843. She spent her later years traveling across America and throughout Europe to promote women's education. In support of her efforts, she published a number of articles and presented lectures across the country to promote the cause. Her personal assistant was Celia M. Burleigh. Willard's efforts helped to establish a school for women in

. Emma Willard died on April 15, 1870, in Troy, New York and was interred at Oakwood Cemetery. The Troy Female Seminary was renamed the Emma Willard School in 1892, in her honor and today is still promoting her strong belief in women's education. A statue honoring her services to the cause of higher education was erected in Troy in 1895. An Emma Willard Memorial was erected in Middlebury in 1941. In 1905, Willard was inducted into the

Hall of Fame for Great Americans The Hall of Fame for Great Americans is an outdoor sculpture gallery located on the grounds of Bronx Community College (BCC) in the Bronx, New York City. It is the first such hall of fame in the United States. Built in 1901 as part of the ...

in the

Bronx, New York The Bronx () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Bronx County, in the state of New York. It is south of Westchester County; north and east of the New York City borough of Manhattan, across the Harlem River; and north of the New ...

. In 2013, Willard was inducted into the

National Women's Hall of Fame The National Women's Hall of Fame (NWHF) is an American institution incorporated in 1969 by a group of men and women in Seneca Falls, New York, although it did not induct its first enshrinees until 1973. As of 2021, it had 303 inductees. Induc ...

.National Women's Hall of Fame, Emma Hart Willard
/ref>

References

External links

Emma Willard School, Emma (Hart) Willard Collection, 1809–2004
* Schulten, Susan
"Emma Willard's Maps of Time "
''

The Public Domain Review ''The Public Domain Review'' is an online journal showcasing works which have entered the public domain. It was co-founded by Jonathan Gray and Adam Green. It was launched on January 1, 2011 to coincide with Public Domain Day. The ''Review'' ...

'', January 22, 2020. * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Willard, Emma 1787 births 1870 deaths Activists from New York (state) American textbook writers Women textbook writers American women's rights activists Burials at Oakwood Cemetery (Troy, New York) Emma Willard School Founders of schools in the United States Hall of Fame for Great Americans inductees People from Berlin, Connecticut People from Middlebury, Vermont People from Troy, New York Women and education Activists from Connecticut Activists from Vermont Educators from New York (state) 19th-century American women educators 19th-century American educators 19th-century philanthropists