SOURCE: "'An Inestimable Prize,' Educating Women in the New Republic: The Writings of Judith Sargent Murray," in Journal of Thought, Vol. XX, No. 3, Fall, 1985, pp. 250-62.

In the following essay, Cheek analyzes Murray's ideas about the education of women, and argues that Murray's call for expanded roles for women was influential for later feminist thinkers and educational theorists.

The revolution in women's education caught fire in America during the formative years of the republic. This movement, which began in England and America prior to 1776, presented a challenge and a hope to a new nation confronted with increased responsibilities. One of its primary concerns was the necessity of educating the next generation of citizens. Following the war, women expressed greater awarenes of their restricted intellectual space and limited educational and political opportunities. However, no major changes occurred to improve their educational status, and in fact, such scholars as...