Sarah Hale
What She Did as a Reformer
Sarah Hale's Education
Sarah was self taught and also learned from her family members.
In 1813, after she married her husband David Hale, he expanded her education in ; botany, history and French.
Careers
Sarah's first career was teaching; she taught in a school that allowed both boys and girls to attend. She then married, David Hale. After her husband's early death in 1822, she worked for a short time as a miliner or a hat maker, but before long she knew that this was not enough to support her family of five. So she turned to writing.
Her New Career
Sarah's first literary project was co-publishing a book of poems with her sister-in-law. After this, she wrote a novel entitled Northwood. Because of the success of this book, she was offered the position of editor for the Ladies Magazine, so she temperarily left her children in the hands of relatives. When the Ladies Magazine was bought out by a new magazine named Goody's Ladies Book, they kept her on as editor.
Her Reform Movements
Through Goody's, Sarah was able to promote and add to womens' education. By subtly challenging the roles of both men and women of that time. Women were suppose to be happy with the role of mother and housekeeper, and they received little to no education at all. _________________________________________________________________________________________
Sarah did not think that this was right. She knew that women deserved and needed education as much as men did, she also believed that women should have jobs such as teaching and writing.
She wrote novels and magazine articles that not only suggested but promoted women's roles in society as well as in the home; saying that women could do more than just tend to the fires of home.
Her Legacy
On April 30th,1879 Sarah Hale died. She is probably most remembered today as the mother of Thanksgiving, being the women who pressed and pressed President Lincoln to make this a national holiday. As for a way she helped womens education; she helped to establish the Vassar Womens College in 1861. Sarah Hale is also the author of the popular nursery rhyme, Mary Had A Little Lamb.
Sarah is indeed a person who had a great effect on womens' education.