Amelia+Bloomer+-+SP09

Amelia Bloomer, Publisher and Women's Rights Advocate

Commemorated on July 20 by the Episcopal calendar of saints along with other pioneers in the women's rights movement, Amelia is sadly now known primarily for her fashion choices. She was not as "revolutionary" as some of her peers and is therefore often forgotten by history. She attended the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, but did not play an active role. In 1849 she began publishing //The Lily//, a bi-weekly newspaper which originally concentrated on temperance, Bloomer's pet cause, as well as other social issues close to her heart. She spoke against the time's views on wives, calling such things as the duties of wives "twaddle" and wondering where the duties of husbands were listed. She encouraged women to pursue emploment, in the belief that it was necessary to mental and physical development. Elizabeth Cady Stanton later contributed articles specifically about women's rights. This was the first periodical owned and operated by a woman, for women. //The Lily// reached a circulation of 4000 before it stopped publication in 1853 and is believed to be a model for later periodicals released by women's rights activists. Amelia married Dexter Bloomer at the age of 22. Her husband published the //Seneca Falls County Courier// and encouraged her to write for it, later supporting //The Lily//. She sold her paper when she moved to Iowa with her husband. Some felt that this smacked of wifely obedience which she had so often spoken against, but Amelia saw it as an act of love, not obedience, explaining that the love for her husband took precedence over all else. Her attempts at reformation did not stop with her move. In 1878, she a letter to Congress that said, in effect, that as long as she could not vote, she should not be taxed, and Congress should therefore either give her the right to vote or stop taxing her property. Amelia is best known for a fashion faux pas. Elizabeth Smith Miller designed long, billowy pants with a short skirt over them. These were less restrictive and more comfortable than the dress of the time. Dress reformers, Bloomer included, began wearing them. After defending the new fashion in //The Lily// these pants became known as bloomers. Reformers soon realized that these "bloomers" looked ridiculous and stopped wearing them, but Amelia continued to sport the beast she helped create long after the trend had died. Bloomer's pet cause was temperence. Before she became an advocate for women's rights, she primarily focused on the banning of alcohol. It was fellow temperence activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton who set //The Lily// on its women's rights theme. It had previously been Bloomer's views on alcohol and other various social issues.

To President Jackson: It would be in our country's best interest if you were to outlaw alcoholic beverages in light of the great harm they do to our society. An amendment to the constitution prohibiting the sale and consumption of such beverages would surely stop these from poisoning the minds of our citizens. Bibliography Kerley, Jessica. "Amelia Bloomer." __Domesticating the Frontier__. 11 May 2001. Kenyon College. 3 Mar 2009 . "Amelia Bloomer." __Wikipedia__. 02 Mar 2009. Wikimedia Foundation Inc,. 3 Mar 2009 . "Amelia Bloomer." __National Parks Service__. National Park Service. 2 Mar 2009 .