Matilda Joslyn Gage
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Matilda Joslyn Gage (March 24, 1826 – March 18, 1898) was an American writer and activist. She is mainly known for her contributions to
women's suffrage in the United States In the 1700's to early 1800's New Jersey did allow Women the right to vote before the passing of the 19th Amendment, but in 1807 the state restricted the right to vote to "...tax-paying, white male citizens..." Women's legal right to vote w ...
(i.e. the right to vote) but she also campaigned for
Native American rights Native American civil rights are the civil rights of Native Americans in the United States, Native Americans in the United States. Native Americans are citizens of their respective federally recognized tribes, Native nations as well as the Cit ...
,
abolitionism Abolitionism, or the abolitionist movement, is the movement to end slavery. In Western Europe and the Americas, abolitionism was a historic movement that sought to end the Atlantic slave trade and liberate the enslaved people. The Britis ...
(the end of slavery), and
freethought Freethought (sometimes spelled free thought) is an epistemological viewpoint which holds that beliefs should not be formed on the basis of authority, tradition, revelation, or dogma, and that beliefs should instead be reached by other methods ...
(the free exercise of reason in matters of religious belief). She is the
eponym An eponym is a person, a place, or a thing after whom or which someone or something is, or is believed to be, named. The adjectives which are derived from the word eponym include ''eponymous'' and ''eponymic''. Usage of the word The term ''epon ...
for the
Matilda effect The Matilda effect is a bias against acknowledging the achievements of women scientists whose work is attributed to their male colleagues. This phenomenon was first described by suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826–98) in her ...
, which describes the tendency to deny women credit for scientific invention. She influenced her son-in-law
L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...
, the author of '' The Wizard of Oz''. She was the youngest speaker at the 1852
National Women's Rights Convention The National Women's Rights Convention was an annual series of meetings that increased the visibility of the early women's rights movement in the United States. First held in 1850 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the National Women's Rights Convention ...
held in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
. She was a tireless worker and public speaker, and contributed numerous articles to the press, being regarded as "one of the most logical, fearless and scientific writers of her day". Along with Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Staton, Gage helped found the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869. During 1878–1881, she published and edited the ''National Citizen'', a paper devoted to the cause of women. With
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca ...
and
Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...
, she was for years in the forefront of the suffrage movement, and collaborated with them in writing the ''History of Woman Suffrage'' (1881–1887). She was the author of the ''Woman's Rights Catechism'' (1868); ''Woman as Inventor'' (1870); ''Who Planned the Tennessee Campaign'' (1880); and ''Woman, Church and State'' (1893). For many years she was associated with the
National Women's Suffrage Association The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed on May 15, 1869, to work for women's suffrage in the United States. Its main leaders were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It was created after the women's rights movement spl ...
, but when her views on suffrage and feminism became too radical for many of its members, she founded the Woman's National Liberal Union, whose objects were: To assert woman's natural right to self-government; to show the cause of delay in the recognition of her demand; to preserve the principles of civil and religious liberty; to arouse public opinion to the danger of a union of church and state through an amendment to the constitution, and to denounce the doctrine of woman's inferiority. She served as president of this union from its inception in 1890 until her death in Chicago, in 1898.


Family background and education

Matilda Electa Joslyn was born in
Cicero, New York Cicero is a Administrative divisions of New York#Town, town in northern Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York (state), New York, United States. The population was 31,632 at the 2010 census. The name of the town was assigned by a cl ...
, March 24, 1826. Her parents were Dr.
Hezekiah Hezekiah (; hbo, , Ḥīzqīyyahū), or Ezekias); grc, Ἐζεκίας 'Ezekías; la, Ezechias; also transliterated as or ; meaning "Yahweh, Yah shall strengthen" (born , sole ruler ), was the son of Ahaz and the 13th king of Kingdom of Jud ...
and Helen (Leslie) Joslyn. Her father, of New England and revolutionary ancestry, was a liberal thinker and an early abolitionist. From her mother, who was a member of the Leslie family of Scotland, Gage inherited her fondness for historic research. Their home was a station of the
Underground Railroad The Underground Railroad was a network of clandestine routes and safe houses established in the United States during the early- to mid-19th century. It was used by enslaved African Americans primarily to escape into free states and Canada. T ...
, a place of safety for escaped slaves. Her early education was received from her parents, and the intellectual atmosphere of her home had an influence on her career. She attended
Clinton Liberal Institute The Clinton Liberal Institute was a coeducational preparatory school established by the Universalist Church in the village of Clinton, in the Town of Kirkland, New York, in 1831, relocated to Fort Plain, New York in 1878, and remaining there un ...
, in
Clinton, Oneida County, New York Clinton (or ''Ka-dah-wis-dag'', "white field" in Seneca language) is a village in Oneida County, New York, United States. The population was 1,942 at the 2010 census. It was named for George Clinton, the first Governor of New York. The Vill ...
.


Marriage and early activism

On January 6, 1845, at the age of 18, she married Henry H. Gage, a merchant of Cicero, making their permanent home at
Fayetteville, New York Fayetteville is a village located in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the village had a population of 4,225. The village is named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a national hero of both France and the United S ...
. She faced prison for her actions associated with the Underground Railroad under the
Fugitive Slave Law of 1850 The Fugitive Slave Act or Fugitive Slave Law was passed by the United States Congress on September 18, 1850, as part of the Compromise of 1850 between Southern interests in slavery and Northern Free-Soilers. The Act was one of the most co ...
, which criminalized assistance to escaped slaves. Gage became involved in the women's rights movement in 1852 when she decided to speak at the
National Women's Rights Convention The National Women's Rights Convention was an annual series of meetings that increased the visibility of the early women's rights movement in the United States. First held in 1850 in Worcester, Massachusetts, the National Women's Rights Convention ...
in
Syracuse, New York Syracuse ( ) is a City (New York), city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, Onondaga County, New York, United States. It is the fifth-most populous city in the state of New York following New York City, Buffalo, New York, Buffa ...
.


Writer and editor


Newspapers

Gage was well-educated and a prolific writer—the most gifted and educated woman of her age, claimed her devoted son-in-law,
L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...
. She corresponded with numerous newspapers, reporting on developments in the
woman 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. In 1878, she bought the ''Ballot Box'', the monthly journal of a
Toledo, Ohio Toledo ( ) is a city in and the county seat of Lucas County, Ohio, United States. A major Midwestern United States port city, Toledo is the fourth-most populous city in the state of Ohio, after Columbus, Cleveland, and Cincinnati, and according ...
, suffrage association, when its editor, Sarah R. L. Williams, decided to retire. Gage turned it into ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', explaining her intentions for the paper thus: Gage became its primary editor for the next three years (until 1881), writing and publishing essays on a wide range of issues. Each edition bore the words '
The Pen Is Mightier Than The Sword "The pen is mightier than the sword" is a metonymic adage, created by English author Edward Bulwer-Lytton in 1839, indicating that the written word is more effective than violence as a means of social or political change. Under some interpretati ...
', and included regular columns about prominent women in history and female inventors. Gage wrote clearly, logically, and often with a dry wit and a well-honed sense of irony. Writing about laws which allowed a man to will his children to a guardian unrelated to their mother, Gage observed:


Women Inventors

In 1870, Gage published a pamphlet called ''Woman as an Inventor''. The pamphlet was described as ‘Woman Suffrage Tracts—No. 1’ and was published by the New York State Woman Suffrage Association, which Gage helped to found. In 1883, Gage published a similar essay called ''Woman as an Inventor'' in the ''North American Review''. In both pamphlets, Gage argued that women were already competent inventors and supported her argument by citing examples of women inventors. Gage mentioned
Sarah Mather Sarah Mather (1796, in Brooklyn Brooklyn () is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Kings County, in the U.S. state of New York. Kings County is the most populous county in the State of New York, and the second-most densely populat ...
, the inventor of the deep-sea telescope; Maggie Knight, who invented a machine that created satchel-bottom bags;
Barbara Uthmann Barbara Uthmann (born around 1514 in Annaberg in the Ore Mountains in Germany; died 14 January 1575, also in Annaberg) was considered to be one of the greatest supporters of bobbin lace making (probably incorrectly, as explained by Reinhart Unger ...
, who invented pillow lace; and Angelique du Coudray, who invented a stuffed mannequin to practice midwifery. Gage also cited goddesses like
Minerva Minerva (; ett, Menrva) is the Roman goddess of wisdom, justice, law, victory, and the sponsor of arts, trade, and strategy. Minerva is not a patron of violence such as Mars, but of strategic war. From the second century BC onward, the Roma ...
,
Isis Isis (; ''Ēse''; ; Meroitic: ''Wos'' 'a''or ''Wusa''; Phoenician: 𐤀𐤎, romanized: ʾs) was a major goddess in ancient Egyptian religion whose worship spread throughout the Greco-Roman world. Isis was first mentioned in the Old Kingd ...
,
Mama Ocllo In Inca mythology, Mama Ocllo, or more precisely Mama Uqllu, was deified as a mother and fertility goddess. In one legend she was a daughter of Inti and Mama Killa, and in another the daughter of Viracocha (Wiraqucha) and Mama Qucha. In all of ...
, and
Leizu Leizu (), also known as Xi Ling-shi (, Wade–Giles Hsi Ling-shih), was a legendary Chinese empress and wife of the Yellow Emperor. According to tradition, she discovered sericulture, and invented the silk loom, in the 27th century BC. Myths A ...
as example of female inventiveness. Relying on the ideas of
Diodorus Siculus Diodorus Siculus, or Diodorus of Sicily ( grc-gre, Διόδωρος ;  1st century BC), was an ancient Greek historian. He is known for writing the monumental universal history ''Bibliotheca historica'', in forty books, fifteen of which su ...
, an ancient Greek historian, Gage believed that goddesses began as real women who were deified because of the benefit from their inventions. Gage argued that ancient Egypt was a matriarchal society, an idea which historians today disagree with. Gage’s most controversial claim was that Catherine Greene invented the cotton gin instead of
Eli Whitney Eli Whitney Jr. (December 8, 1765January 8, 1825) was an American inventor, widely known for inventing the cotton gin, one of the key inventions of the Industrial Revolution that shaped the economy of the Antebellum South. Although Whitney hi ...
. Gage also argued that a woman was responsible for the Burden horse-shoe machine. Gage also articulated the barriers to women becoming inventors and receiving patents. Gage argued that society disapproved of women who invent, prompting them to suppress their talents, not seek out mechanical education, and patent their inventions under the names of husbands or other men to avoid ridicule. Gage also criticized laws that limit women’s control over the patents they received. In 1883, she wrote:
In not a single State of the Union is a married woman held to possess a right to her earnings within the family; and in not one-half of them has she a right to their control in business entered upon outside of the household. Should such a woman be successful in obtaining a patent, what then! Would she be free to do as she pleased with it? Not at all. She would hold no right, title, or power over this work of her own brain.
In response to the 1883 article, the New York Times published an article, saying Gage “squarely answered” the “common reproach with which ambitious women are met, that they possess no inventive or mechanical genius.” Kara Swanson argues that Gage’s efforts helped to change public opinion around women inventors, though it didn’t convince men that women should vote.


''Woman, Church, and State''

In 1893, Gage published ''Woman, Church, and State'', a book that argued the church was responsible for women’s oppression throughout history. Gage believed that the church's resistance to women's equality was foundational to other church beliefs and that the church gained power through influencing marriage and education laws. Like her pamphlets about inventions, in ''Woman, Church, and State'' Gage argues for the presence of an ancient matriarchy that disappeared because of Christianity. Mary Corey argues that Gage's book is the only historical monograph written by a suffragist that proposes a thesis and supports it with evidence. Gage's attack of the church was considered especially radical after the 1890 creation of the more conservative
National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National ...
. The NAWSA officially repudiated ''Woman, Church, and State'' in 1913 and it was banned under the
Comstock laws The Comstock laws were a set of federal acts passed by the United States Congress under the Grant administration along with related state laws.Dennett p.9 The "parent" act (Sect. 211) was passed on March 3, 1873, as the Act for the Suppression of ...
.


Activism

Gage described herself as "born with a hatred of oppression."


Women's suffrage

Even though she was beset by both financial and physical (cardiac) problems throughout her life, her work for women's rights was extensive, practical, and often brilliantly executed. Gage was considered to be more radical than either
Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...
or
Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca ...
(with whom she wrote ''
History of Woman Suffrage ''History of Woman Suffrage'' is a book that was produced by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage and Ida Husted Harper. Published in six volumes from 1881 to 1922, it is a history of the women's suffrage movement, prima ...
, and Declaration of the Rights of Women''). She served as president of the
National Woman Suffrage Association The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed on May 15, 1869, to work for women's suffrage in the United States. Its main leaders were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. It was created after the women's rights movement spl ...
(NWSA) from 1875 to 1876 and served as either Chair of the Executive Committee or Vice President for over twenty years. During the 1876 convention, she successfully argued against a group of police who claimed the association was holding an illegal assembly; they left without pressing charges. She was a delegate from the NWSA to the
1880 Republican National Convention The 1880 Republican National Convention convened from June 2 to June 8, 1880, at the Interstate Exposition Building in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Delegates nominated James A. Garfield of Ohio and Chester A. Arthur of New York as the offic ...
, the
1880 Democratic National Convention The 1880 Democratic National Convention was held June 22 to 24, 1880, at the Music Hall in Cincinnati, Ohio, and nominated Winfield S. Hancock of Pennsylvania for president and William H. English of Indiana for vice president in the United Stat ...
and that of the
Greenback Party The Greenback Party (known successively as the Independent Party, the National Independent Party and the Greenback Labor Party) was an American political party with an anti-monopoly ideology which was active between 1874 and 1889. The party ran ...
. Gage served as president of the New York State Suffrage Association for five years, and president of the National Woman's Suffrage Association during 1875–76, which was one of the affiliating societies forming the national suffrage association, in 1890; she also held the office of second vice-president, vice-president-at-large and chairman of the executive committee of the original National Woman Suffrage Association. As a result of the campaigning of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association under Gage, the state allowed women to elect members of the school boards. Gage ensured that every woman in her area (
Fayetteville, New York Fayetteville is a village located in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 U.S. Census, the village had a population of 4,225. The village is named after the Marquis de Lafayette, a national hero of both France and the United S ...
) had the opportunity to vote, by writing letters making them aware of their rights, and sitting at the polls making sure nobody was turned away. In 1871, Gage was part of a group of 10 women who attempted to vote. Reportedly, she stood by and argued with the polling officials on behalf of each individual woman. She supported
Victoria Woodhull Victoria Claflin Woodhull, later Victoria Woodhull Martin (September 23, 1838 – June 9, 1927), was an American leader of the women's suffrage movement who ran for President of the United States in the 1872 election. While many historians ...
and (later)
Ulysses S Grant Ulysses S. Grant (born Hiram Ulysses Grant ; April 27, 1822July 23, 1885) was an American military officer and politician who served as the 18th president of the United States from 1869 to 1877. As Commanding General, he led the Union Ar ...
in the 1872 presidential election. In 1873 she defended Susan B. Anthony when Anthony was placed on trial for having voted in that election, making compelling legal and moral arguments. In 1884, Gage was an Elector-at-Large for
Belva Lockwood Belva Ann Bennett Lockwood (October 24, 1830 – May 19, 1917) was an American lawyer, politician, educator, and author who was active in the women's rights and women's suffrage movements. She was one of the first women lawyers in the United Sta ...
and the Equal Rights Party. Gage unsuccessfully tried to prevent the conservative takeover of the women's suffrage movement. Susan B. Anthony, who had helped to found the NWSA, was primarily concerned with gaining the vote, an outlook which Gage found too narrow. Conservative suffragists were drawn into the movement believing that women's vote would achieve
temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...
(the banning of alcohol) and Christian political goals, but not supporting more general social reform. This conservative wing of the movement was represented by the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). The merger of the two organizations, pushed through by
Lucy Stone Lucy Stone (August 13, 1818 – October 18, 1893) was an American orator, abolitionist and suffragist who was a vocal advocate for and organizer promoting rights for women. In 1847, Stone became the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a colle ...
,
Alice Stone Blackwell Alice Stone Blackwell (September 14, 1857 – March 15, 1950) was an American feminist, suffragist, journalist, radical socialist, and human rights advocate. Early life and education Blackwell was born in East Orange, New Jersey to Henry Browne ...
and Anthony, produced the
National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National ...
(NAWSA) in 1890. Stanton and Gage maintained their radical positions and opposed this merger, because they believed it was a threat to
separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
. That year, Gage established the Woman's National Liberal Union (WNLU), of which she was president until her death in 1898, and editor of its official journal, ''The Liberal Thinker''; the other initial officers were
Josephine Cables Aldrich Josephine Cables Aldrich (June 12, 1843 – August 12, 1917) was an American spiritualist, Theosophist, editor, and publisher from the U.S. state of Connecticut. Married to the politician, William F. Aldrich, she was the editor of '' The Occu ...
, vice-president;
Mary Emily Bates Coues Mary Emily Bates Coues (, Bennett; after first marriage, Bates; after second marriage, Coues; August 26, 1835 – February 16, 1906) was an American suffragist and society woman of the long nineteenth century, committed to women's rights, spiritua ...
, secretary; and William F. Aldrich, treasurer. The WNLU became the platform for radical and liberal ideas of the time.


Religion

Along with Stanton, she was a vocal critic of the
Christian Church In ecclesiology, the Christian Church is what different Christian denominations conceive of as being the true body of Christians or the original institution established by Jesus. "Christian Church" has also been used in academia as a synonym fo ...
, which put her at odds with conservative suffragists such as
Frances Willard Frances Elizabeth Caroline Willard (September 28, 1839 – February 17, 1898) was an American educator, temperance reformer, and women's suffragist. Willard became the national president of Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1879 an ...
and the
Woman's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...
. Rather than arguing that women deserved the vote because their feminine morality would then properly influence legislation (as the WCTU did), she argued that they deserved suffrage as a 'natural right'. Despite her opposition to the Church, Gage was in her own way deeply religious, and she joined Stanton's Revising Committee to write ''
The Woman's Bible ''The Woman's Bible'' is a two-part non-fiction book, written by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a committee of 26 women, published in 1895 and 1898 to challenge the traditional position of religious orthodoxy that woman should be subservient to man. ...
''. Gage was an avid opponent of the Christian church as controlled by men, having analyzed centuries of Christian practices as degrading and oppressive to women. She saw the Christian church as central to the process of men subjugating women, a process in which church doctrine and authority were used to portray women as morally inferior and inherently sinful (see
Biblical patriarchy Biblical patriarchy, also known as Christian patriarchy, is a set of beliefs in Reformed Evangelical Protestant Christianity concerning gender relations and their manifestations in institutions, including marriage, the family, and the home. It ...
). She strongly supported the
separation of church and state The separation of church and state is a philosophical and jurisprudential concept for defining political distance in the relationship between religious organizations and the state. Conceptually, the term refers to the creation of a secular sta ...
, believing "that the greatest injury to women arose from theological laws that subjugated woman to man." She wrote in October 1881: In 1893, she published ''Woman, Church and State'', a book that outlined the variety of ways in which Christianity had oppressed women and reinforced
patriarchal Patriarchy is a social system in which positions of Dominance hierarchy, dominance and Social privilege, privilege are primarily held by men. It is used, both as a technical Anthropology, anthropological term for families or clans controll ...
systems. It was wide-ranging and built extensively upon arguments and ideas she had previously put forth in speeches (and in a chapter of ''History of Woman Suffrage'' which bore the same name). Gage became a
Theosophist Theosophy is a religion established in the United States during the late 19th century. It was founded primarily by the Russian Helena Blavatsky and draws its teachings predominantly from Blavatsky's writings. Categorized by scholars of religion a ...
, and the last two years of her life, her thoughts were concentrated upon metaphysical subjects, and the phenomena and philosophy of
Spiritualism Spiritualism is the metaphysical school of thought opposing physicalism and also is the category of all spiritual beliefs/views (in monism and dualism) from ancient to modern. In the long nineteenth century, Spiritualism (when not lowercase) ...
and Theosophical studies. During her critical illness in 1896, she experienced some illuminations that intensified her interest in psychical research. She had great interest in the occult mysteries of Theosophy and other Eastern speculations as to reincarnation and the illimitable creative power of humanity.


Witch trials

Gage also strongly opposed the witch hunts that took place throughout the 1600s, interpreting them as a church-supported means of dominating and intentionally killing women. Gage uses her book ''Woman, Church & State: The Original Exposé of Male Collaboration Against the Female Sex'', to highlight the connections between the church's core beliefs, restriction of women by both the church and state, and the extremes of the witch trials. She highlights this connection by arguing that we are able to understand the oppression of women that stemmed from the church on a deeper level if we substitute the term 'women' for 'witches'. Gage also asserted that educated women who opposed the patriarchy were viewed as a threat to the church and thus more likely to be accused of witchcraft.Fenton, Zanita E (2010). ''No Witch Is a Bad Witch: A Commentary on the Erasure of Matilda Joslyn Gage.'' Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal 20 (1): p. 23. In 1893, she wrote:Gage also advocated against ageism, claiming that elderly women deserve the Christian church to be held accountable for the extreme violence they faced throughout the seventeenth century. Gage used exaggerated numbers to further her arguments that older women were so commonly accused of witchcraft that they did not receive the affection and attentiveness they merit. Instead implying that those accused were subject to a life of humiliation and tribulation, making it rare for an elderly woman to die of old age. Although not historically accurate with numbers in her assertions, Gage used her interpretations of the witch hunts to denounce the Christian church's treatment of women and advocated for justice.


Abortion

Like many other suffragists, Gage considered
abortion Abortion is the termination of a pregnancy by removal or expulsion of an embryo or fetus. An abortion that occurs without intervention is known as a miscarriage or "spontaneous abortion"; these occur in approximately 30% to 40% of pregn ...
a regrettable tragedy, although her views on the subject were more complex than simple opposition. In 1868, she wrote a letter to ''The Revolution'' (a women's rights paper edited by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and
Parker Pillsbury Parker Pillsbury (September 22, 1809 – July 7, 1898) was an American minister and advocate for abolition and women's rights. Life Pillsbury was born in Hamilton, Massachusetts. He moved to Henniker, New Hampshire where he later farmed and w ...
), supporting the view that abortion was an institution supported, dominated and furthered by men. Gage opposed abortion on principle, blaming it on the 'selfish desire' of husbands to maintain their wealth by reducing their offspring:


Divorce

Gage was quite concerned with the rights of a woman over her own life and body. In 1881 she wrote, on the subject of
divorce Divorce (also known as dissolution of marriage) is the process of terminating a marriage or marital union. Divorce usually entails the canceling or reorganizing of the legal duties and responsibilities of marriage, thus dissolving the ...
: Other feminists of the period referred to " voluntary motherhood," achieved through consensual nonprocreative sexual practices, periodic or permanent
sexual abstinence Sexual abstinence or sexual restraint is the practice of refraining from some or all aspects of Human sexual activity, sexual activity for medical, psychological, legal, social, financial, philosophical, moral, or religious reasons. Sexual abstin ...
, or (most importantly) the right of a woman (especially a wife) to refuse sex. (This was before the concept of
marital rape Marital rape or spousal rape is the act of sexual intercourse with one's spouse without the spouse's consent. The lack of consent is the essential element and need not involve physical violence. Marital rape is considered a form of domestic vi ...
had been codified in the United States.)


Native American rights

Gage was influenced by the works of
Lewis Henry Morgan Lewis Henry Morgan (November 21, 1818 – December 17, 1881) was a pioneering American anthropologist and social theorist who worked as a railroad lawyer. He is best known for his work on kinship and social structure, his theories of social evol ...
and
Henry Rowe Schoolcraft Henry Rowe Schoolcraft (March 28, 1793 – December 10, 1864) was an American geographer, geologist, and ethnologist, noted for his early studies of Native American cultures, as well as for his 1832 expedition to the source of the Mississippi R ...
about
Native Americans in the United States Native Americans, also known as American Indians, First Americans, Indigenous Americans, and other terms, are the Indigenous peoples of the mainland United States ( Indigenous peoples of Hawaii, Alaska and territories of the United State ...
, and used her speeches and writings to decry their brutal treatment. She was angered that the
federal government A federation (also known as a federal state) is a political entity characterized by a union of partially self-governing provinces, states, or other regions under a central federal government (federalism). In a federation, the self-governin ...
attempted to impose citizenship upon them, thereby negating their status as a separate nation and their treaty privileges. She wrote in 1878: In her 1893 work, ''Woman, Church and State'', she cited the
Iroquois The Iroquois ( or ), officially the Haudenosaunee ( meaning "people of the longhouse"), are an Iroquoian-speaking confederacy of First Nations peoples in northeast North America/ Turtle Island. They were known during the colonial years to ...
society, among others, as a ' matriarchate' in which women had true power, noting that a system of descent through the female line (
matrilineality Matrilineality is the tracing of kinship through the female line. It may also correlate with a social system in which each person is identified with their matriline – their mother's lineage – and which can involve the inheritance of ...
) and female property rights led to a more equal relationship between men and women. Gage spent time among the Iroquois and received the name Karonienhawi - "she who holds the sky" - upon her initiation into the Wolf Clan. She was admitted into the Iroquois Council of Matrons.


Family

Gage, who lived at 210 E. Genesee St., Fayetteville, New York, for the majority of her life, had five children with her husband: Charles Henry (who died in infancy), Helen Leslie, Thomas Clarkson, Julia Louise, and Maud. Maud, by ten years the youngest of the family, initially horrified her mother when she announced her intention to marry
L. Frank Baum Lyman Frank Baum (; May 15, 1856 – May 6, 1919) was an American author best known for his children's books, particularly ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and its sequels. He wrote 14 novels in the ''Oz'' series, plus 41 other novels (not includ ...
, then merely a struggling actor with only a handful of plays to his writing credit. However, a few minutes later, Gage started laughing, apparently realizing that her emphasis on all individuals making up their own minds was not lost on her headstrong daughter, who gave up a chance at a law career when such opportunities for women were rare. Gage spent six months of every year with Maud and Frank, who grew to respect her greatly; his best-known works, the series beginning with ''
The Wonderful Wizard of Oz ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' is a children's novel written by author L. Frank Baum and illustrated by W. W. Denslow. It is the first novel in the Oz series of books. A Kansas farm girl named Dorothy ends up in the magical Land of Oz after s ...
'', are thought by scholars to show her political influence. Gage's only son and his wife Sophia had a daughter named Dorothy Louise Gage, who was born in
Bloomington, Illinois Bloomington is a city and the county seat of McLean County, Illinois, United States. It is adjacent to the town of Normal, and is the more populous of the two principal municipalities of the Bloomington–Normal metropolitan area. Bloomington ...
, on June 11, 1898. The baby's aunt Maud, who had longed for a daughter, doted on her. The infant died in November, only five months old, and the death so upset Maud that she required medical attention. To honor his wife's grief, Frank named the protagonist of his next book
Dorothy Gale Dorothy Gale is a fictional character created by American author L. Frank Baum as the protagonist in many of his ''Oz'' novels. She first appears in Baum's classic 1900 children's novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and reappears in most of its ...
Willingham, Elaine (1998)
“The Story of Dorothy Gage, the Namesake for Dorothy in The Wonderful Wizard of Oz..”
Beyondtherainbow2oz.com; accessed May 20, 2014.
In 1996, Dr. Sally Roesch Wagner, a biographer of Matilda Joslyn Gage, located young Dorothy's grave in Bloomington. A memorial was erected in the child's memory at her gravesite on May 21, 1997. This child is often mistaken for her cousin of the same name, Dorothy Louise Gage (1883–1889), the daughter of Matilda Gage's eldest surviving child, Helen. Gage died in the Baum home in Chicago, in 1898. Although she was cremated, there is a memorial stone at Fayetteville Cemetery that bears her slogan ''"There is a word sweeter than Mother, Home or Heaven. That word is Liberty."'' Her great-granddaughter was the U.S. Senator from North Dakota,
Jocelyn Burdick Jocelyn Louise Burdick (''née'' Birch; February 6, 1922 – December 26, 2019) was an American politician from North Dakota who briefly served as a Democratic United States senator during 1992. She was the first woman from the state to hold thi ...
.


Matilda effect and legacy

In the teleplay ''
The Dreamer of Oz ''The Dreamer of Oz: The L. Frank Baum Story'' is a 1990 American made-for-television biographical film starring John Ritter as Lyman Frank Baum, the author who wrote the 1900 novel ''The Wonderful Wizard of Oz'' and thirteen other Oz books. ...
'' (1990), Matilda Gage is played by
Rue McClanahan Eddi-Rue McClanahan (February 21, 1934 – June 3, 2010) was an American actress and comedian best known for her roles on television as Vivian Harmon on '' Maude'' (1972–78), Aunt Fran Crowley on ''Mama's Family'' (1983–84), and Blanche De ...
. In 1993, scientific historian
Margaret W. Rossiter Margaret W. Rossiter (born July 1944) is an American historian of science, and Marie Underhill Noll Professor of the History of Science, at Cornell University. Rossiter coined the term Matilda effect for the systematic suppression of information ...
coined the term "
Matilda effect The Matilda effect is a bias against acknowledging the achievements of women scientists whose work is attributed to their male colleagues. This phenomenon was first described by suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage (1826–98) in her ...
", after Matilda Gage, to identify the social situation where woman scientists inaccurately receive less credit for their scientific work than an objective examination of their actual effort would reveal. The "Matilda effect" is the opposite of the "
Matthew effect The Matthew effect of accumulated advantage, Matthew principle, or Matthew effect, is the tendency of individuals to accrue social or economic success in proportion to their initial level of popularity, friends, wealth, etc. It is sometimes summar ...
", in which scientists already famous are over-credited with new discoveries. Gage's legacy was detailed in biographies published by Sally Roesch Wagner and Charlotte M. Shapiro. In 1995, Gage 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 ...
. In 2022, a National Votes for Women Trail marker was unveiled in
Saratoga Springs Saratoga Springs is a city in Saratoga County, New York, United States. The population was 28,491 at the 2020 census. The name reflects the presence of mineral springs in the area, which has made Saratoga a popular resort destination for over 2 ...
, to commemorate Gage and how she helped start the New York State Women Suffrage Association in Saratoga Springs. A plaque commemorating Gage is outside of the Gage home in Fayetteville. The Gage home in Fayetteville houses the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation, and is open to the public as a
historic house museum A historic house museum is a house of historic significance that has been transformed into a museum. Historic furnishings may be displayed in a way that reflects their original placement and usage in a home. Historic house museums are held to a ...
.


Selected works

Gage was editor of ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', May 1878 - October 1881 (available on microfilm) and as editor of ''The Liberal Thinker'', from 1890 onwards. These publications offered her the opportunity to publish essays and opinion pieces. The following is a partial list. * "Is Woman Her Own?", published in ''The Revolution'', April 9, 1868, ed. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Parker Pillsbury. pp 215–216. * "Prospectus", published in ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', ed. Matilda E. J. Gage. May 1878 p 1. * "Indian Citizenship", published in ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', ed. Matilda E. J. Gage. May 1878 p 2. * "All The Rights I Want", published in ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', ed. Matilda E. J. Gage. January 1879 p 2. * "A Sermon Against Woman", published in ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', ed. Matilda E. J. Gage. September 1881 p 2. * "God in the Constitution", published in ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', ed. Matilda E. J. Gage. October 1881 p 2. * "What the government exacts", published in ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', ed. Matilda E. J. Gage. October 1881 p 2. * "Working women", published in ''The National Citizen and Ballot Box'', ed. Matilda E. J. Gage. October 1881 p 3. * ''Woman As Inventor'', 1870, Fayetteville, NY: F.A. Darling * ''History of Woman Suffrage'', 1881, Chapters by Cady Stanton, E., Anthony, S.B., Gage, M. E. J., Harper, I.H. (published again in 1985 by Salem NH: Ayer Company) * ''The Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer'', 14 and 21 March 1891, editor and editorials. It is possible she wrote some previous unsigned editorials, rather than L. Frank Baum, for whom she completed the paper's run. * ''Woman, Church and State'', 1893 (published again in 1980 by Watertowne MA: Persephone Press)


References


Attribution

* *


Bibliography

* * *Corey, M. E. (2003). Matilda Joslyn Gage: A Nineteenth-Century Women's Rights Historian Looks at Witchcraft. ''OAH Magazine of History'', 17(4), 51–59
Matilda Joslyn Gage: A Nineteenth-Century Women's Rights Historian Looks at Witchcraft
*Dail, Chrystyna. (2020). When for ‘Witches’ We Read ‘Women’: Advocacy and Ageism in Nineteenth-Century Salem Witchcraft Plays. ''Theatre History Studies'', 39(1), 70–88.
When for “Witches” We Read “Women”: Advocacy and Ageism in Nineteenth-Century Salem Witchcraft Plays
*Fenton, Z.E. (2010). No Witch Is a Bad Witch: A Commentary on the Erasure of Matilda Joslyn Gage. ''Southern California Interdisciplinary Law Journal'' 20 (1), 21–38

*Gage, M.J. (1980). Woman, Church and State: The Original Exposé of Male Collaboration Against the Female Sex. ''Persephone''. * * * * Hwang, Helen Hye-Sook (2020).
Rediscovering Matilda Joslyn Gage as the Pioneering Anti-Colonialist Feminist Thinker
"
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'. * * * * * * *Zwissler, Laurel. (2016). Witches’ Tears: Spiritual Feminism, Epistemology, and Witch Hunt Horror Stories. ''Pomegranate: The International Journal of Pagan Studies'', 18(2), 2016, 176–204, doi:10.1558/pome.v18i2.29886, https://doi.org/10.1558/pome.v18i2.29886.


External links


The Matilda Joslyn Gage FoundationWill of Matilda Joslyn GageMatilda Joslyn Gage papers, 1840-1974.Schlesinger Library
Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University. * * * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Gage, Matilda Joslyn 1826 births 1898 deaths American atheists American feminists American suffragists American Theosophists American women's rights activists Anti-Christian sentiment in the United States Critics of Christianity Freethought writers Native Americans' rights activists People from Cicero, New York People from Fayetteville, New York Writers from Syracuse, New York Underground Railroad people Women's rights support from the irreligious 19th-century American women writers 19th-century American writers Activists from Syracuse, New York American anti-abortion activists