“Let the generations know that women in uniform also guaranteed their freedom.” - Mary Edwards Walker A Rebel is Born Mary Edwards Walker was born on November 26th in Oswego, New York. As a child she was encouraged by her parents, farmers who also ran a small school. Her father felt that girls should have the right to an education and supported Mary’s studies. At the time this was considered a progressive viewpoint. Most people felt that a woman's place was in the home,
Mary was born November, 26th Oswego NY in either the year 1831 or 1832.
not the classroom. Mary was not discouraged by this type of thinking and enrolled at Syracuse Medical College to train as a physician. In 1851 she was the first woman to be given a medical degree from the college. With her new degree Mary attempted to open a practice in Columbus Ohio, but the people of Columbus were not as open minded as Mary’s family and were not accepting of a female doctor. Like most
In 1855 Mary was awarded her medical degree from Syracuse Medical College.
In 1863 Mary went to Tennessee to help the survivors of the Battle of Chickamauga.
people at that time, the felt that the only appropriate profession for a woman was a teacher.
A Pioneer for Pants
In the early 1850’s Mary was one of the first women to become involved in a political statement by the feminist movement. She had always resented the restrictive way that women were expected to dress and when Amelia Bloomer invented the “Bloomer Dress” Mary began to hem her dresses and wear long full pants underneath her dresses instead of petticoats. This was a practice that she continued throughout the rest of her life. In fact later in life Mary was arrested several times for “masquerading as a man,” because the police did
On April 10th, 1864, Mary was captured behind enemy lines and was imprisoned by the Confederates.
The Pants that Sparked A Fashion Revolution!
not several times for “masquerading as a man,” because the police did not approve of the way that she was dressed.
Depiction of what Bloomer Girls might wear for different occasions.
Persistence Pays Off
In 1865 Mary received the Medal Of Honor as a civilian. She is the only woman to date to receive this honor.
Mary died on February 21st , 1919
In Oswego New York.
In modern society it is not uncommon to see a woman or girl in pants, but this was not always the case. Throughout the 1800’s it was expected that all women would be burdened with tightly laced corsets, petticoats that could weigh up to 10 pounds and a floor length dresses that would drag along the ground. Then in 1851, Amelia J. Bloomer, a women reformer and publisher of The Lily, supported the dress reform movement that allowed women to swap their torturous corsets and petticoats for long puffy pants worn under a long tunic. As a result of her support for this scandalous style of dress, people began to refer to these odd looking pants as “Bloomers”. The brave women, who often suffered public ridicule for wearing this style of dress were known as “Bloomer Girls”.