Margaret Fuller

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Margaret Fuller

• As factories increased and cities grew, some felt
  that it was important to remember nature and how
  to live simply. Margaret Fuller, a writer and
  activist, believed in living close to nature.
  She worked with Ralph Waldo Emerson to publish a
  newspaper called The Dial devoted to the subject
  of nature. Margaret Fuller influenced Americans
  through her writing and activism. What else did
  she do to influence America?

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In the early and mid 1800s, American society in
the Northeast was becoming increasingly modern.
Factories appeared throughout the region,
providing many jobs. Cities grew bigger and
bigger. New inventions like the steam engine and
railroad allowed people to travel more easily.
Life in general seemed to be moving away from the
more traditional style, of small farms and
country living to a newer, city-based model. In
this era of rapid social and economic change, a
group of writers, artists, and activists worked
to remember and promote the more traditional
lifestyle. They believed it was important to live
simply, close to nature, and without all the
hassle and stress that the new factory-based city
life brought with it. One of these people was
Margaret Fuller. Margaret Fuller was a writer and
activist who strongly believed in living close to
nature. She worked with fellow writer Ralph Waldo
Emerson on a newspaper dedicated to the subject
of nature, called The Dial. She was also one of
the first womens rights activists and wrote
extensively on the subject. Unknown.
(1840-1880). Margaret Fuller. Library of
Congress Prints Photographs.
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This is a page from Summer on the Lakes, one
of Margaret Fullers books about nature. In it,
Fuller paints an idealized view of nature. She
describes some buildings around Niagara Falls ,
and argues that although people protested their
presence, natures beauty is even stronger than
these industrial buildings. Her praise of nature
was common among other philosophers and activists
at that time in history. Unknown.
(1843). Summer on the Lakes in 1843. Library of
Congress American Memory, Pioneering the Upper
Midwest Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and
Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910.
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In another section of Summer on the Lakes,
Fuller writes about female settlers. She
identifies the various hardships female settlers
faced on the journey westward. Unknown.
(1843). Summer on the Lakes in 1843. Library of
Congress American Memory, Pioneering the Upper
Midwest Books from Michigan, Minnesota, and
Wisconsin, ca. 1820-1910.
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In the 1830s, Lowell , Massachusetts , became one
of the first factory towns in America . Using the
local river water as a power source, many mills
emerged in the town to produce textiles. Many
other towns in the Northeast were built using
Lowell as a model for building new cities around
factories. Detroit Publishing Co.
(1900-1910). Lowell, Mass., mills on Merrimack
River. Library of Congress Prints
Photographs, Detroit Publishing Company
Collection.
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Margaret Fuller was born in Cambridge ,
Massachusetts , in this house. She and many other
activists from the early and mid 1800s were from
the Northeast. Fuller grew up as the first wave
of industrialization swept through places like
Lowell in Massachusetts . Detroit Publishing,
Co. (1910-1920). Margaret Fuller House i.e.
Brattle House, Cambridge, Mass. Library of
Congress Prints Photographs, Detroit
Publishing Company Collection.