Mary Ritter Beard
Encyclopedia
Mary Ritter Beard was an American
historian
and archivist
, who played an important role in the women's suffrage
movement and was a lifelong advocate of social justice through educational and activist roles in both the labor and woman's rights movements. She wrote several books on women's role in history including On Understanding Women (1931), (Ed.) America Through Women's Eyes (1933) and Woman As Force In History: A Study in Traditions and Realities (1946). In addition, she collaborated with her husband, eminent historian Charles Austin Beard on several distinguished works, most notably The Rise of American Civilization (1927).
, the fourth of seven children, and the first daughter, born to Narcissa Lockwood and Eli Foster Ritter. Narcissa was born in Paris, Kentucky
, graduated from Brookville Academy in Thornton, Kentucky and later worked there as a teacher for a short time before moving with her family to Greencastle, Indiana
(home to Asbury, now DePauw University
) in 1861. Born to Quaker parents, Eli grew up on a farm close to Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Northwestern Christian College for two years before enrolling in Asbury University in 1861, and made the unorthodox decision for a Quaker of joining the Union Army
shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War
. He went back to Greencastle to marry Narcissa in 1863 before returning to the army where he served for the remainder of the war. Back at Asbury following his service he completed his bachelor’s degree and entered into law practice in Indianapolis. His eyes weak from exposure during the war, Eli relied on Narcissa to read to him to help him complete his studies at Asbury and in preparation for the bar exam.
and president of her class.
Beard claimed to be influenced by two of her sorority sisters who refused to limit themselves to conventional courses and activities for women and, most importantly by her German professor, Dr. Henry B. Longden. He taught German as more than a language, incorporating culture, literature and philosophy into his teaching, asking his students to see their studies in a much broader context. It was at DePauw where she met and started a relationship with her future husband, Charles Austin Beard.
for graduate studies at the University of Oxford
in 1898. He returned in late 1899 for Mary, they were wed in March 1900 and she accompanied him to England a month later, where he continued his studies. They settled first in Oxford and later in Manchester where their first child, Miriam, was born in 1901. Deciding they wanted to raise Miriam in the United States
, they moved to New York City
in 1902 where they both enrolled as graduate students at Columbia University
. While Mary eventually discontinued her studies in Sociology
, Charles completed his PhD, became a lecturer and then a professor at Columbia where he remained until 1917. Their son William was born in 1907.
and her daughters, the Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin
and other influential European intellectuals. It was here that Beard began to read and write history and was deeply influenced by what she learned of the struggles of the working class
, the urgency and passion of the women’s suffrage movement and the possibilities for social reform.
(WTUL) where she hoped to improve the conditions under which women labored. She came to believe that suffrage would hasten governmental regulation of economic conditions which would improve the lives of the working class. In addition to WTUL, Beard worked for the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later the Women's Political Union) and became a leader within the New York City Suffrage Party (NYCSP) where she helped edit its publication The Woman Voter. She left the NYCSP in 1913 to join the Congressional Union
(CU) (later the National Woman's Party
) at the request of the young feminists Alice Paul
and Lucy Burns
, where she became an executive member of its board and editor of its weekly magazine The Suffragist. As an important contributor to the CU, Beard helped plan strategy, organized and participated in demonstrations, lectured, wrote articles and testified before Congress on multiple occasions.
(ERA). To Beard, that history was not only inaccurate but unhelpful and that striving to be like men was not an adequate goal, she felt, because women can and should offer something different and more socially beneficial to society, that women should be providers of “culture and civilization”. She attempted to educate women about their history through her writing and when she felt she wasn’t reaching her audience she changed tactics.
, Beard founded the World Center for Women’s Archives (WCWA) in 1935. As director of the Center, Beard hoped to not only collect any and all manner of women’s published and unpublished records, but to establish an educational institution, a place that would aid in the writing of history and the education of women. While the Center initially gained a great deal of publicity, collected many materials, inspired records preservation, generated interest in women’s history, was endorsed by Eleanor Roosevelt
, and eventually led to the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Radcliffe College
and the Sophia Smith Collection
at Smith College
, the Center never lived up to Beard’s expectations. She directed the Center for five years while dealing with a multitude of competing interests, a result of long-standing differences within the women’s movement, before resigning in 1940. The Center folded two months later, largely because of internal strife as well as a lack of funding.
, chief editor of the Britannica. However, the recommendations of the report were ignored despite Yust's expressed interest and assurances that the Britannica would include improvements. Hence, Beard was disappointed with the effort and in 1947 correspondence she suggested that women no longer write for the Britannica.
The report included significant recommendations on existing articles as well as suggestions for new articles. For example, the authors noted that the treatment of abortion was not comprehensive as it was more than a moral question; abortion was also relevant to population, political, health, medical, and social issues. The study also noted that the article in education was too masculine, questioned why there was no article on "Queen," and why women were not included in the Britannica's treatment of health and medicine. Additionally, from the article on "Song" the report noted: "No women sang in Europe, it appears from this review. The contributions of nuns, in choir composition and singing, is not recognized at all." Topics that the authors recommended for inclusion included bathing
, breadmaking, dyeing
, hospital
, hunger
, laundry
ing, salon
s and social implements.
She was interred in Hartsdale
in Westchester County
in New York
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
historian
Historian
A historian is a person who studies and writes about the past and is regarded as an authority on it. Historians are concerned with the continuous, methodical narrative and research of past events as relating to the human race; as well as the study of all history in time. If the individual is...
and archivist
Archivist
An archivist is a professional who assesses, collects, organizes, preserves, maintains control over, and provides access to information determined to have long-term value. The information maintained by an archivist can be any form of media...
, who played an important role in the women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement and was a lifelong advocate of social justice through educational and activist roles in both the labor and woman's rights movements. She wrote several books on women's role in history including On Understanding Women (1931), (Ed.) America Through Women's Eyes (1933) and Woman As Force In History: A Study in Traditions and Realities (1946). In addition, she collaborated with her husband, eminent historian Charles Austin Beard on several distinguished works, most notably The Rise of American Civilization (1927).
Family background
Mary Ritter Beard was born on August 5, 1876 in Indianapolis, IndianaIndiana
Indiana is a US state, admitted to the United States as the 19th on December 11, 1816. It is located in the Midwestern United States and Great Lakes Region. With 6,483,802 residents, the state is ranked 15th in population and 16th in population density. Indiana is ranked 38th in land area and is...
, the fourth of seven children, and the first daughter, born to Narcissa Lockwood and Eli Foster Ritter. Narcissa was born in Paris, Kentucky
Kentucky
The Commonwealth of Kentucky is a state located in the East Central United States of America. As classified by the United States Census Bureau, Kentucky is a Southern state, more specifically in the East South Central region. Kentucky is one of four U.S. states constituted as a commonwealth...
, graduated from Brookville Academy in Thornton, Kentucky and later worked there as a teacher for a short time before moving with her family to Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle, Indiana
Greencastle is a city in Greencastle Township, Putnam County, Indiana, United States, and the county seat of Putnam County. It was founded in 1821 by Scots-Irish American Ephraim Dukes on a land grant. He named the settlement for his hometown of Greencastle, Pennsylvania...
(home to Asbury, now DePauw University
DePauw University
DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, USA, is a private, national liberal arts college with an enrollment of approximately 2,400 students. The school has a Methodist heritage and was originally known as Indiana Asbury University. DePauw is a member of both the Great Lakes Colleges Association...
) in 1861. Born to Quaker parents, Eli grew up on a farm close to Indianapolis, Indiana. He attended Northwestern Christian College for two years before enrolling in Asbury University in 1861, and made the unorthodox decision for a Quaker of joining the Union Army
Union Army
The Union Army was the land force that fought for the Union during the American Civil War. It was also known as the Federal Army, the U.S. Army, the Northern Army and the National Army...
shortly after the outbreak of the American Civil War
American Civil War
The American Civil War was a civil war fought in the United States of America. In response to the election of Abraham Lincoln as President of the United States, 11 southern slave states declared their secession from the United States and formed the Confederate States of America ; the other 25...
. He went back to Greencastle to marry Narcissa in 1863 before returning to the army where he served for the remainder of the war. Back at Asbury following his service he completed his bachelor’s degree and entered into law practice in Indianapolis. His eyes weak from exposure during the war, Eli relied on Narcissa to read to him to help him complete his studies at Asbury and in preparation for the bar exam.
Education and intellectual development
Beard attended public schools in Indianapolis and graduated as valedictorian of her high school class before enrolling at DePauw University, as would all the Ritter children, in 1893. She was a member of Kappa Alpha ThetaKappa Alpha Theta
Kappa Alpha Theta , also known as Theta, is an international fraternity for women founded on January 27, 1870 at DePauw University, formerly Indiana Asbury...
and president of her class.
Beard claimed to be influenced by two of her sorority sisters who refused to limit themselves to conventional courses and activities for women and, most importantly by her German professor, Dr. Henry B. Longden. He taught German as more than a language, incorporating culture, literature and philosophy into his teaching, asking his students to see their studies in a much broader context. It was at DePauw where she met and started a relationship with her future husband, Charles Austin Beard.
Marriage and family life
After graduating from DePauw in 1897 Mary found employment in the Greencastle public school system as a German teacher while Charles traveled to EnglandEngland
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
for graduate studies at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
in 1898. He returned in late 1899 for Mary, they were wed in March 1900 and she accompanied him to England a month later, where he continued his studies. They settled first in Oxford and later in Manchester where their first child, Miriam, was born in 1901. Deciding they wanted to raise Miriam in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, they moved to New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
in 1902 where they both enrolled as graduate students at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
. While Mary eventually discontinued her studies in Sociology
Sociology
Sociology is the study of society. It is a social science—a term with which it is sometimes synonymous—which uses various methods of empirical investigation and critical analysis to develop a body of knowledge about human social activity...
, Charles completed his PhD, became a lecturer and then a professor at Columbia where he remained until 1917. Their son William was born in 1907.
European influences
While in England Beard observed the plight of British industrial society, developed friendships with a wide variety of radicals and progressive leaders amongst the cooperative Socialists and the labor movement as well as the militant suffragist Emmeline PankhurstEmmeline Pankhurst
Emmeline Pankhurst was a British political activist and leader of the British suffragette movement which helped women win the right to vote...
and her daughters, the Russian anarchist Peter Kropotkin
Peter Kropotkin
Prince Pyotr Alexeyevich Kropotkin was a Russian zoologist, evolutionary theorist, philosopher, economist, geographer, author and one of the world's foremost anarcho-communists. Kropotkin advocated a communist society free from central government and based on voluntary associations between...
and other influential European intellectuals. It was here that Beard began to read and write history and was deeply influenced by what she learned of the struggles of the working class
Working class
Working class is a term used in the social sciences and in ordinary conversation to describe those employed in lower tier jobs , often extending to those in unemployment or otherwise possessing below-average incomes...
, the urgency and passion of the women’s suffrage movement and the possibilities for social reform.
Suffrage movement
Beard became involved in the suffrage movement through her activism in labor organizations such as the Women's Trade Union LeagueWomen's Trade Union League
The Women's Trade Union League was a U.S. organization of both working class and more well-off women formed in 1903 to support the efforts of women to organize labor unions and to eliminate sweatshop conditions...
(WTUL) where she hoped to improve the conditions under which women labored. She came to believe that suffrage would hasten governmental regulation of economic conditions which would improve the lives of the working class. In addition to WTUL, Beard worked for the Equality League of Self-Supporting Women (later the Women's Political Union) and became a leader within the New York City Suffrage Party (NYCSP) where she helped edit its publication The Woman Voter. She left the NYCSP in 1913 to join the Congressional Union
Congressional Union
The Congressional Union was a radical American organization formed in 1913 and led by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns. It campaigned for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women’s suffrage. It was inspired by the United Kingdom's suffragette movement....
(CU) (later the National Woman's Party
National Woman's Party
The National Woman's Party , was a women's organization founded by Alice Paul in 1915 that fought for women's rights during the early 20th century in the United States, particularly for the right to vote on the same terms as men...
) at the request of the young feminists Alice Paul
Alice Paul
Alice Stokes Paul was an American suffragist and activist. Along with Lucy Burns and others, she led a successful campaign for women's suffrage that resulted in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution in 1920.-Activism: Alice Paul received her undergraduate education from...
and Lucy Burns
Lucy Burns
Lucy Burns was an American suffragist and women's rights advocate. She was a passionate activist in the United States and in the United Kingdom. Burns was a close friend of Alice Paul, and together they ultimately formed the National Woman's Party.-Early life and education:Lucy Burns was born in...
, where she became an executive member of its board and editor of its weekly magazine The Suffragist. As an important contributor to the CU, Beard helped plan strategy, organized and participated in demonstrations, lectured, wrote articles and testified before Congress on multiple occasions.
Developing ideas and changing tactics
With the successful passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution behind her, Beard began to concentrate more fully on her writing and to further develop her philosophy concerning women in history which frequently set her at odds with the feminist movement. Along with her husband Charles, she had been an active proponent of the “New History” movement which sought to include social, cultural and economic factors in written history —an important step towards including the contributions of women. Beard expanded on this concept, contending that the proper study of women’s “long history”, from primitive pre-history to the present would reveal that women have always played a central role in all civilizations. She emphasized that women were different from men but that did not make their contributions of any less value, their significance was simply not being recognized. Beard took issue with feminists of the era who she believed viewed their history as one of oppression and their goal as equality with men, which they worked toward through, among other things, their advocacy for an Equal Rights AmendmentEqual Rights Amendment
The Equal Rights Amendment was a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution. The ERA was originally written by Alice Paul and, in 1923, it was introduced in the Congress for the first time...
(ERA). To Beard, that history was not only inaccurate but unhelpful and that striving to be like men was not an adequate goal, she felt, because women can and should offer something different and more socially beneficial to society, that women should be providers of “culture and civilization”. She attempted to educate women about their history through her writing and when she felt she wasn’t reaching her audience she changed tactics.
Archives
With the help of international peace activist and feminist Rosika SchwimmerRosika Schwimmer
Rosika Schwimmer or Bédy-Schwimmer "Rózsa" Rózsika was a Hungarian-born pacifist, feminist and female suffragist.Rosika Schwimmer was born on September 11, 1877 to a Jewish family in Budapest in Austria-Hungary...
, Beard founded the World Center for Women’s Archives (WCWA) in 1935. As director of the Center, Beard hoped to not only collect any and all manner of women’s published and unpublished records, but to establish an educational institution, a place that would aid in the writing of history and the education of women. While the Center initially gained a great deal of publicity, collected many materials, inspired records preservation, generated interest in women’s history, was endorsed by Eleanor Roosevelt
Eleanor Roosevelt
Anna Eleanor Roosevelt was the First Lady of the United States from 1933 to 1945. She supported the New Deal policies of her husband, distant cousin Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and became an advocate for civil rights. After her husband's death in 1945, Roosevelt continued to be an international...
, and eventually led to the Arthur and Elizabeth Schlesinger Library on the History of Women in America at Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College
Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and was the coordinate college for Harvard University. It was also one of the Seven Sisters colleges. Radcliffe College conferred joint Harvard-Radcliffe diplomas beginning in 1963 and a formal merger agreement with...
and the Sophia Smith Collection
Sophia Smith Collection
The Sophia Smith Collection at Smith College is an internationally recognized repository of manuscripts, photographs, periodicals and other primary sources in women's history. It was founded by Margaret Storrs Grierson in 1942 to be the library's distinctive contribution to the college's mission...
at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
, the Center never lived up to Beard’s expectations. She directed the Center for five years while dealing with a multitude of competing interests, a result of long-standing differences within the women’s movement, before resigning in 1940. The Center folded two months later, largely because of internal strife as well as a lack of funding.
Critique of Britannica
After the dissolution of the World Centre for Women's Archives in 1940, Beard's next project was an analysis of Encyclopaedia Britannica's representation of women. Beard convened a team of fellow female scholars (Dora Edinger, Janet A. Selig, and Marjorie White) to produce A Study of the Encyclopaedia Britannica in Relation to its Treatment of Women. Beard and her colleagues worked on the report over an 18 month period and in November 1942 delivered its 42 pages to Walter YustWalter Yust
Walter M. Yust was an American journalist and writer. Yust was also the American editor-in-chief of the Encyclopædia Britannica from 1938 to 1960. He was the father of filmmaker Larry Yust and Jane Yust Rivera....
, chief editor of the Britannica. However, the recommendations of the report were ignored despite Yust's expressed interest and assurances that the Britannica would include improvements. Hence, Beard was disappointed with the effort and in 1947 correspondence she suggested that women no longer write for the Britannica.
The report included significant recommendations on existing articles as well as suggestions for new articles. For example, the authors noted that the treatment of abortion was not comprehensive as it was more than a moral question; abortion was also relevant to population, political, health, medical, and social issues. The study also noted that the article in education was too masculine, questioned why there was no article on "Queen," and why women were not included in the Britannica's treatment of health and medicine. Additionally, from the article on "Song" the report noted: "No women sang in Europe, it appears from this review. The contributions of nuns, in choir composition and singing, is not recognized at all." Topics that the authors recommended for inclusion included bathing
Bathing
Bathing is the washing or cleansing of the body in a fluid, usually water or an aqueous solution. It may be practised for personal hygiene, religious ritual or therapeutic purposes or as a recreational activity....
, breadmaking, dyeing
Dyeing
Dyeing is the process of adding color to textile products like fibers, yarns, and fabrics. Dyeing is normally done in a special solution containing dyes and particular chemical material. After dyeing, dye molecules have uncut Chemical bond with fiber molecules. The temperature and time controlling...
, hospital
Hospital
A hospital is a health care institution providing patient treatment by specialized staff and equipment. Hospitals often, but not always, provide for inpatient care or longer-term patient stays....
, hunger
Hunger
Hunger is the most commonly used term to describe the social condition of people who frequently experience the physical sensation of desiring food.-Malnutrition, famine, starvation:...
, laundry
Laundry
Laundry is a noun that refers to the act of washing clothing and linens, the place where that washing is done, and/or that which needs to be, is being, or has been laundered...
ing, salon
Beauty salon
A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment dealing with cosmetic treatments for men and women...
s and social implements.
Death and Legacy
Despite Beard’s passion for the archives project and extensive work in acquiring the personal papers of women throughout the world from all times in history, she, along with her husband destroyed nearly all of their papers and manuscripts before their deaths and requested of their children in their will that they not publish any of their letters, while never giving any explanation.She was interred in Hartsdale
Hartsdale, New York
Hartsdale is a hamlet and a census-designated place located in the town of Greenburgh, Westchester County, New York. The population was 5,293 at the 2010 census.-Geography:Hartsdale is located at ....
in Westchester County
Westchester County, New York
Westchester County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. Westchester covers an area of and has a population of 949,113 according to the 2010 Census, residing in 45 municipalities...
in New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
.
Further reading
- Julie Des Jardins: Women and the historical enterprise in America : gender, race, and the politics of memory, 1880-1945, Chapel Hill, NC [etc.] : Univ. of North Carolina Press, 2003
External links
- Woman’s Work in Municipalities
- A Short History of the American Labor Movement
- Mary Ritter Beard Papers, Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University
- Sophia Smith Collection