Born: February 23, 1787 (Berlin, Connecticut)
Died: 1870
Biography:
Emma Hart Willard was an American female education activist who dedicated her life to education. She worked in several schools and founded the first school for women’s higher education, the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York. With the success of her school, Willard was able to travel across the country and abroad to promote education for women. The seminary was renamed the Emma Willard School in her honor.
Emma Willard was born on February 23, 1787, in Berlin, Connecticut. She was the sixteenth of seventeen children born to her father, Samuel Hart, and his second wife Lydia Hinsdale Hart. Her father, a farmer, encouraged his children to read and think for themselves. Despite the limited educational opportunities for women at the time, Willard’s father recognized her passion for learning and included her in family discussions on various subjects usually reserved for men such as politics, philosophy, world events, and mathematics.
At the age of 15, Willard was enrolled in her first school in 1802 in her hometown of Berlin. She progressed rapidly and just two years later, at the age of 17, she began teaching there. As she continued her education, Willard eventually took charge of the academy for a term in 1806.
In 1807, Willard left Berlin and briefly worked in Westfield, Massachusetts, before accepting a job offer at a female academy in Middlebury, Vermont. From 1807 to 1809, she served as the principal of the Middlebury Female Academy. However, she was unimpressed by the material taught there and decided to open her own boarding school for women, the Middlebury Female Seminary, in 1814, which was hosted in her own home.
Willard was inspired by the subjects her nephew, John Willard, was learning at Middlebury College and was determined to improve the curriculum taught at girls’ schools. She believed that women were capable of mastering subjects like mathematics and philosophy instead of just the traditional subjects taught at finishing schools. Willard’s passion for women’s education led her to fight for the establishment of the first women’s school for higher education.
Her success in running the Middlebury Female Seminary inspired her to share her ideas on education and write a pamphlet titled A Plan for Improving Female Education in 1819. She presented this plan to the members of the New York Legislature, proposing publicly-funded women’s seminaries similar to men’s schools. However, her proposal initially received little support, with some legislators believing that women’s education went against God’s will.
Willard’s luck changed when New York Governor DeWitt Clinton expressed his support for her cause and invited her to open a school in New York. Originally, Willard opened an institution in Waterford, New York, but the promised financial support did not materialize. Forced to seek alternative options, she opened the Troy Female Seminary in Troy, New York, in 1821. This school became the first official institution for higher education for women in the United States.
Throughout her career, Willard continued to push for the recognition and advancement of women’s education. She traveled extensively across the United States and even ventured abroad to promote her ideas. Willard believed that education was the key to women’s empowerment and societal progress, and she dedicated her life to providing women with the same educational opportunities as men.
Emma Willard’s groundbreaking work in the field of women’s education left a lasting impact on society. Her commitment to women’s rights and her tireless efforts to improve education for women cemented her as one of the most significant figures in women’s history. The legacy of Willard’s work continues to this day, with the Emma Willard School still educating young women and empowering them to achieve their full potential.