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"A very dangerous woman" is what Martha Coffin Wright’s conservative neighbors considered her, because of her work in the women’s rights and abolition movements. In 1848, Wright and her older sister Lucretia Mott were among the five brave women who organized the historic Seneca Falls Women’s Rights Convention. Wright remained a prominent figure in the women’s movement until her death in 1875 at age sixty-eight, when she was president of the National Woman Suffrage Association. At age twenty-six, she attended the 1833 founding of the American Anti-Slavery Society and later presided over numerous antislavery meetings, including two in 1861 that were disrupted by angry antiabolitionist mobs. Active in the Underground Railroad, she sheltered fugitive slaves and was a close friend and supporter of Harriet Tubman.

In telling Wright’s story, the authors make good use of her lively letters to her family, friends, and colleagues, including Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. These letters reveal Wright’s engaging wit and offer an insider’s view of nineteenth-century reform and family life. Her correspondence with slaveholding relatives in the South grew increasingly contentious with the approach of the Civil War. One nephew became a hero of the Confederacy with his exploits at the Battle of Fredericksburg, and her son in the Union artillery was seriously wounded at Gettysburg while repelling Pickett’s Charge.

Wright’s life never lacked for drama. She survived a shipwreck, spent time at a frontier fort, experienced the trauma of the deaths of a fiancé, her first husband, and three of her seven children, and navigated intense conflicts within the women’s rights and abolition movements. Throughout her tumultuous career, she drew on a reservoir of humor to promote her ideas and overcome the many challenges she faced. This accessible biography, written with the general reader in mind, does justice to her remarkable life. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (4)

A Lively and Interesting Woman
"No matter what a wife's annoyances may have been during the day, her countenance must always be wreathed in smiles on the approach of her husband."
-- Martha Wright, excerpt from a satirical newspaper piece.

"Just get hold of life's reverses & disappointments in a ridiculous point of view, & it helps along wonderfully - there is a great deal of fun, among all the annoyances, if one can only find it."
-- Martha Wright, excerpt from a letter to a relative.

The first women's rights convention, held in July, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York, was organized by five women, two of which have achieved nigh-sainthood in women's rights history: Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.Lesser known is Martha Wright, Lucretia Mott's younger sister, also one of the Seneca Falls organizers, and the great-great-grandmother of author James D. Livingston.Livingston and his wife Sherry H. Penney have sought to shed light on Wright's life and work with the publication of their book, "A Very Dangerous Woman."

Twenty-first century readers might find the book's title highly ironic when encountering the self-effacing, thoroughly domestic, and humorous Martha Wright within the pages of "Dangerous Woman."But set within the framework of 19th century America, Martha Wright -- who not only promoted abolition and repeatedly provided hospitality to Frederick Douglass, but whose home was also part of the underground railroad; who not only promoted the idea of female suffrage but also the concept of fair divorce and wage laws -- was indeed deemed quite dangerous.

During the numerous women's conventions that followed Seneca Falls, Wright served in various capacities but her main contribution was that of writer and the copious inclusion of her lively personal letters in "Dangerous Woman" sheds light not only on her variegated personality, the numerous women's rights and abolitionist conventions she took part in, but also on the characters of 19th century luminaries who she encountered.For instance, after a visit from Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Wright was charmed: "We all fell in love with Mrs. Stanton, the merry twinkle of her eye and her genuine hearty laugh."

After the war, when Harriet Tubman was settled in Auburn, she and Wright became quite close and when Tubman missed a chance to see Wright's visiting daughter Ellen (married to the son of William Lloyd Garrison, one of Tubman's heroes) and her new baby, Wright notes that Tubman was "so disappointed that her eyes filled with tears.She [had] never shed a tear in telling me of all her troubles."

When she visited the Boston transcendentalists after the war (Bronson Alcott, father of the famed author, among them), she was unimpressed and wrote "Just between ourselves I think those radical meetings a great humbug.Each essayist, in turn, trying to see how obscure he can make his meaning, by wrapping it, like a mummy, in spiced cloths, and then aping Emerson in the reading."

Penney and Livingston spend a good deal of time on the civil war and its affect both on the women's movement in general (the push to grant suffrage to freed male slaves basically shelved the women's suffrage movement) and on Martha specifically.Her tolerance of those with differing opinions and her peaceable nature is evident in her continued correspondence with her confederate relations from her first marriage, even when war was looming.When one of these young relatives expressed his approval of the vicious attack on Senator Charles Sumner in retaliation for Sumner's critical speech of a South Carolina senator, Martha reproved the young man thus: "I felt very sorry that you should justify the murderous attack on Sumner, & that you should be willing to endorse the sentiment, so unworthy an American citizen, that personal violence, under any circumstances, was allowable, for words uttered in debate . . . "

Yet, she signed off the correspondence thus: "I shall always be happy to hear from you & I trust that more mature reflection, & the generous impulses of youth, will lead you to judge wisely on this momentous question wh. is destined to shake the Union from centre to circumference."

However, the war became close and personal when her own son joined the Union forces and it affected the generous nature of Quaker-born Wright: "I dread any misplaced `magnanimity' towards the leaders of the Rebellion, & the murderers of our prisoners.I would not have one hanged, but disfranchised & their land confiscated."Later she wrote even more pointedly, "I for one wd. rather the war wd. last till the South is depopulated."

Her attitude says more about the war's powerful influences than it does about Martha's character because for the most part, Wright was a renowned peacemaker especially within the ranks of the sometimes divided woman's movement.Attempting to make peace between these warring factions she once quipped: "What's the difference between a bird with one wing & a bird with two? A mere difference of a pinion."Indeed, her humor was such an intrinsic part of her nature that William Lloyd Garrison, writing an obituary after Wright's death in 1875, said that "Beneath [Wright's] habitual gravity there lurked a keen sense of the ludicrous, her wit and humor being always at command."

"A Very Dangerous Woman," like its subject, is intelligent but accessible, a long overdue biography on a very interesting - if occasionally, dangerous -- woman.

A fascinating read and one I highly recommend.
A Very Dangerous Woman
Martha Wright and Women's Rights
by Sherry H. Penney and James D. Livingston
ISBN # 1-55849-447-2
University of Massachusetts Press
315 Pages

Though I am not typically a history buff, per se, I am a Christian and I enjoy learning more about past events that reflect on the political and social injustices, both human and animal related, and how we were able to surpass and/or overcome those. I chose to review this particular book because for one, I recognized the name - Martha Wright - however, I had no recollection that she had been directly involved with the women's rights movements or abolishing slavery.

The authors (a husband and wife team) have brilliantly weaved Martha's story in with not only the history behind this woman and her role in it, but have added photographs and references to where the information can be found. It was a unique and fascinating way to lure in even the average reader, such as I, who normally would not veer into the historical lessons. In summary, it is written as a story about the life of Martha Wright and her involvement in not only the women's rights movements, but also how she became a part of the few brave and often unknowns who assisted the slaves in reaching freedom from a cruel society who believed "owning" a person was proper.

The photographs entwined between the chapters only lend an even deeper understanding because you could actually see the person involved. And the inclusions of references on record nicely polished off the invaluable lesson learned from reading about this family's history.

Another reason I was drawn to read this book was the fact that one of the authors, Mr. Livingston, is a descendant of Martha Wright. Learning about one's genealogical flow in history has always been a fascination of mine and I was impressed with learning more about the family and their role in history.

Martha was actually not very well known for her part in all of this critical participation. I have a feeling that at the time, she didn't really mind her role in the shadows as it actually wound up being to her advantage and she was able to do more than even she thought she was capable of accomplishing, given the restraints of that era in time.

A fascinating read and one I highly recommend. I also believe this particular book should play an important role in schooling the children of our political future. Well done!

Reviewed by: Cindy Bauer - [...]

[...]

BookPleasures in an international community of over 40 reviewers that come from all walks of life and that review all genres. The site has been in existence for over 5 years, receives 7000 unique visitors per week, and has posted over 4000 book reviews and over 500 author interviews.

Cindy Bauer is the well-seasoned author of the Memory Box Trilogy (Chasing Memories, Shades of Blue and Crystal Clear), an Inspirational Fiction series. She is an avid reader, a freelance writer and editor, and reviews books for [...]. She's also a volunteer staff member at Visual Arts Junction and contributes articles on writing, publishing and marketing works.

Very well done indeed
This book is a model for a relatively concise but thorough biography of an under-appreciated historical figure.The writing is skillful, and the text benefits immensely from extensive quotations from Wright's voluminous letters.Wright's voice is lively and witty and she makes very good company for the 7 or 8 hours required to read this book.

In the eyes of history, Wright has been overshadowed by her older sister Lucretia Mott and her contemporaries Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.But her central participation in both the woman's rights and anti-slavery causes secures her a place as one of the giants of the mid-19th century.Wright believed strongly in the benefits of free expression and complete tolerance even of shocking views expressed by others.She thus anticipated many intellectual currents of the late 20th century.

This book is very much worth reading.

Interesting History
I am a descendent of Martha Coffin Wright and I had not know about her illustrious history before I read this book. I felt compelled to educate myself about her and her daughter Ellen who is my great grandmother. I had received a call from the National Park Service to ask me how I felt about being a relative of Martha Coffin Wright and did I know about the National Monument at Seneca Falls, New York and that then Mrs. Clinton would speak at the official celebration of the signing of the Women's Rights Manefesto. I was ignorant of the association of my family with the signers of the Document as I had been blinded by the weight of my patriarchal lineage from the Garrison side. I was thrilled to learn of the depth of the involvement of Martha Wright and Lucretia Coffin Mott, her older sister, and her daughter Ellen and their many adventures with the Underground Railway, especially through their deep connection with Sojourner Truth.
I have since met James Livingston and connected with him about our relationship and I enjoy being open to a whole new aspect of my family history. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

An Enjoyable Book
I truly enjoyed this little book. It is certainly not the definitive book on the buffalo hunts or the hide trade. I have read much more exhaustive histories, however this personal account by one of the major players in that business sort of rounds out the picture. Some of it may be the ramblings of a man in his 80's recalling his early 20's, as well as, the fact that there was virtually no one left to refute his stories. Still and all, he was there and he played a role.

A comment has been made about Mooar's mention of a 50/110 Sharps that did not exist. Again, this may be his failing memory, but I would offer another explanation. There were two .50 caliber Sharps that were available at the time of the buffalo hunts. They were the 50/70 and the 50/90. However, that terminology did not become common until the 1890's. The 50/90 was referred to as the .50-2.5" in reference to it's 2.5" case. The factory loadings at the time all had 100 grains of black powder so the term 50/90 was already a misnomer. I load the 50/90 today and depending upon bullet size and seating depth I can get a little more then 100 grains (by volume) of 2F black powder into the case. Typically, the old "balloon" cases of that time held a little more powder. The .45/70 Govt. round of the time held a legitimate 70 grains of powder, modern cases will not hold that much. It is certainly known that most buffalo hunters reloaded their own cartridges and I certainly believe that the so called 50/90 case of the time might hold 110 grains. So it could be that the old man's memory was faulty or it may be that he remembers spending countless nights pouring a 110 grain powder charge into those 2.5" balloon cases. Over the years that he hunted he would have performed that task perhaps thousands of times. Just a thought.

Interesting little book on Buffalo hunting days, not the best one
I've read in several other books about the Mooar brothers, major figures in the Buffalo hunting/hide trade days, this is a selection of stories told by one of the brothers.
Mr. Mooar told a writer a few stories in 1933, I think he'd have been about 82 if my math is good, that were serialized in a magazine.
The stories are mostly about his own adventures but some give details about things that happened to others, interesting but not the most educational or detailed to my way of thinking. The man, even in his 80's, was absolutely unapologetic about the buffalo slaughter and seems to have had no use or even respect for the Indians he had contact with. You get to read some details about hunting, thebuffalohide & meat trade and Indian fighting, a little about the guns used and just a bit about the people Mooar met, including (he says)Billy the Kid.
I'm thinking that at 82 Mr. Mooar's memory was failing him, he describes a .50 cal. Sharps rifle variation that I've never heard of (even in Frank Seller's big book on the Sharps company), I think he might've meant a .45, not 50. His telling of the Adobe Walls Indian battle sounds both self promoting (he was there before the fight and did some Indian fighting that would've been linked to the battle itself)and a little bit unlikely (he says the infamous cracking ridgepole was a fraudulent story and that the pole itself was 2 1/2 feet thick- seems kind of unlikely that such a heavy log would be a ridge pole).
I liked reading the information I did get but consider "Life of Billy Dixon" by Olive K. Dixon (Billy Dixon, who actually did fight at Adobe Walls- and was mentioned by Mooar, was only 63 when he dictated his biography) to be a much better book for most students of the Buffalo Hunting days.

Buffalo Days
Good personal reminiscence.Very good end notes.Certainly not politicaly correct but a very good view of the prevaling mind set of the nineteenth century buffalo hide trade. ... Read more

Product Description
The book has no illustrations or index. It may have numerous typos or missing text. However, purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original rare book from the publisher's website (GeneralBooksClub.com). You can also preview excerpts of the book there. Purchasers are also entitled to a free trial membership in the General Books Club where they can select from more than a million books without charge. Publication date: 1921; Subjects: Freedmen; Slavery; Slavery - Maryland; Freedmen - Maryland; History / United States / General; Social Science / Sociology / General; History / United States / General; Social Science / Ethnic Studies / African American Studies; Social Science / Slavery; ... Read more

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The large-scale, formal consumption of huge quantities of food and drink is a feature of many societies, but extracting evidence for feasting from the archaeological record has, until recently, been problematic. Now new techniques of scientific analysis are being combined with greater theoretical sophistication to shed exciting new light on this conspicuous social practice. This collection of essays, also published as a special issue (73.2) of the journal Hesperia (ISSN 0018-098X), investigates the rich evidence for the character of the Mycenaean feast. While much of the evidence discussed comes from the Palace of Nestor near Pylos, the authors also discuss new material from Tsoungiza near Nemea, and from other Bronze Age sites on mainland Greece and Crete. Textual evidence (from Linear B tablets) for the collection of raw materials, and the stocktaking of equipment, is complemented by discussions of the faunal and artifactual assemblages feasts left behind. Specially commissioned papers put Mycenaean practice in context by comparing it to contemporary activities on Cyprus and in Minoan Crete, while a final chapter compares Bronze with Iron Age Greece, especially as seen through the lens of Homeric epic. While not claiming to be a comprehensive survey of the practice of feasting, this volume offers, nonetheless, a rich and detailed collection of evidence, from a variety of sources, for conspicuous consumption in the Mycenaean period. As well as being core reading for Aegean prehistorians, it will be of interest to students of later Greek culture, anthropologists, and other scholars interested in the wider social aspects of eating and drinking. ... Read more

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A perceptive and detailed Civil War memoir of the First Minnesota Regiment chronicling such famous battles as Bull Run, Antietam, Fredericksburg, and Gettysburg. James A. Wright was an orderly sergeant in Company F of the First Minnesota Volunteer Infantry Regiment in the Civil War. His memoir, based on his diaries and letters, is the fullest personal account of the battles, marches, and soldier life of one of the most renowned regiments in the Army of the Potomac. The First took part in every significant battle and action in the war in the East from 1861 to 1864. In remarkable detail, he describes the fighting at Bull Run, the Peninsula Campaign, Antietam, Fredericksburg, Gettysburg, and Bristoe Station. At Gettysburg, the First Minnesota halted the Confederate charge and suffered an 82 percent casualty rate. Wright's account of the battle is striking in its description of the horror the men felt at facing their foes, their determination to do their duty, and the shock of the loss of so many of their comrades.With an eloquence rare in war memoirs, Wright recalls the long marches, the poor food, the inadequate shelter, the dedicated officers, the debilitating illnesses, the longing for home, and the sense of pride in carrying out the struggle to preserve the Union. For conveying what the Civil War meant to one man, it is unmatched. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Splendid "I was there" account
War accounts are usually written from the top down.Here the account is from the ground-up, literally.Sgt Wright tells the story of his volunteer company, Co.F of the 1st Minnesota exactly like it is seen by the average groundpounder.Being a former Viet Nam era "grunt" and also coming from Wright's hometown of Red Wing, Mn, I was able to viscerally feel the physical discomforts of the men as they walked, froze,sweated and stumbled though the boredoms, confusions, terrors and thrills of their experiences.Wright (and the editor) did a masterful job of focusing the story from the perspective of the average participant in the war with just enough background to keep it all in context with the overall events. If you are interested in the Civil War from this sort of perspective, this is the book to read.

The story is grand, the prose simple, the details fascinate
This memoir of service with the First Minnesota recounts the sojourn of James Wright, from Red Wing, Minnesota through the battle of Gettysburg.Wright wrote the book long after his service, and his over-long monograph sat in the Minnesota Historical Society until edited and published in this book.The book starts as a slow read, but picks up and eventually begins to mesmerize the reader.

Think of any major event of the day -- September 11th in New York, for example.How valuable will first person accounts be?A first person account of a major past event is very interesting for the details, the feel, the point of view.

Company F was Wright's home.He missed the famous charge of the First Minnesota at Gettysburg, as his Company was off to the side suffering severe casualties of their own during the battle.The story is as grand, even with this "missed" moment.

The editing is good, and preserves the author's tone.The book could have been even shorter, but with some effort during the opening chapters, the reader is well rewarded.

Excellent first person account of a union soldier
I was pleasantly surprised at the quality and content of this book.The author is Sergeant Wright of Co. F, First Minnesota Regiment.His writing is excellent.The editor has chosen to primarily include first person accounts while excluding most of the post war years analysis that often creep into such accounts.

This book so effectively complements "The Last Full Measure - The Life and Death of the First Minnesota Volunteers" by Richard Moe.The Moe book uses first person accounts though it focuses on the broader picture.This book, written by a soldier, effectively details the life of the soldier - including day to day activities from finding food, water, and shelter to the incredible hardships of the march and battle.

The First Minnesota Regiment fought in most of the civil war eastern battles from 1861-1863.It is noted for the highest union casualties at First Bull Run, as well as the highest casualties of any union regiment in the war (80%) at Gettysburg.The regiment has a brief appearance in the 2002 motion picture "Gods and Generals" - I was there for the filming although waiting to see the final production - fall 2002.

The book also contains interesting events not in the Moe book including a great chapter detailing the time in New York city during the draft riots and the eventful winter trip back to Minnesota. ... Read more

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A Brief Description Of The Everglades And Their Present Condition And A Discussion Of The Soil And Climatic Conditions Necessary For The Growth Of Sugar Cane, Methods And Cost Of Cultivating, Harvesting, And Manufacturing The Same. ... Read more

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This scarce antiquarian book is a selection from Kessinger Publishings Legacy Reprint Series. Due to its age, it may contain imperfections such as marks, notations, marginalia and flawed pages. Because we believe this work is culturally important, we have made it available as part of our commitment to protecting, preserving, and promoting the worlds literature. Kessinger Publishing is the place to find hundreds of thousands of rare and hard-to-find books with something of interest for everyone! ... Read more

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This is an EXACT reproduction of a book published before 1923. This IS NOT an OCR'd book with strange characters, introduced typographical errors, and jumbled words.This book may have occasional imperfections such as missing or blurred pages, poor pictures, errant marks, etc. that were either part of the original artifact, or were introduced by the scanning process. We believe this work is culturally important, and despite the imperfections, have elected to bring it back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide. We appreciate your understanding of the imperfections in the preservation process, and hope you enjoy this valuable book. ... Read more

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This volume is produced from digital images created through the University of Michigan University Library's large-scale digitization efforts. The Library seeks to preserve the intellectual content of items in a manner that facilitates and promotes a variety of uses. The digital reformatting process results in an electronic version of the original text that can be both accessed online and used to create new print copies. The Library also understands and values the usefulness of print and makes reprints available to the public whenever possible. This book and hundreds of thousands of others can be found in the HathiTrust, an archive of the digitized collections of many great research libraries. For access to the University of Michigan Library's digital collections, please see http://www.lib.umich.edu and for information about the HathiTrust, please visit http://www.hathitrust.org ... Read more