Frances Wright,
6th September, 1795
The French philosopher Charles Fourier was, for someone born in 1772, an incredibly forward-thinking sort of chap. He was an advocate of women’s rights who believed that any job should be available to women based on their ability to perform the task rather than on perceived failings of their gender and vice-versa for men, too.
When it came to sexuality, he believed that men and women had a huge range of sexual needs and preferences which could change throughout their lives and included the concepts of gender fluidity in which people could move between genders or even into an androgynous state of gender neutrality. Plus, he believed that as long as nobody was being abused, this sexual freedom could only be better for society.
I mean, sure, he had some whacky ideas about the oceans turning to lemonade or some shit, but otherwise he was pretty cool.
Until he went and fucked it all up with the rampant antisemitism. Every time you think you’ve found some 18th Century progressive thinker they have to go and fuck it up by having sex with chickens or drinking children’s blood or being swivel-eyed antisemites or something despicable like that. I might have made the bit about the chickens and the blood up, but you get the idea.
They always let you down in some way.
So, the perfect progressive free thinker doesn’t exi……
Wait a minute. Wait a damned minute. Perhaps the perfect progressive thinker did exist and perhaps her name was Frances Wright? Let’s see.
Frances Wright was born on September 6, 1795, in Dundee, Scotland. Her early life was marked by both privilege and tragedy. Her father, James Wright, was a wealthy linen manufacturer and political radical, and her mother came from an aristocratic family. Unfortunately, she was orphaned by the age of three and raised by relatives in England. The circumstances of her childhood, while financially secure, were devoid of the warmth and stability of a close-knit family, shaping her views on independence and self-reliance. Wright was a voracious reader from a young age, absorbing the works of Enlightenment philosophers and radical thinkers, particularly Voltaire and Rousseau, that would influence her life's work. Later, she also engaged with the ideas of Jeremy Bentham, a proponent of utilitarianism, and Robert Owen, a pioneer of utopian socialism.
Her education was largely self-directed, and she demonstrated an early interest in social issues, philosophy, and the human condition. By the time she reached adulthood, Wright had developed a passion for addressing social inequality, with a particular focus on the injustices suffered by women and enslaved people. Her interest in the United States stemmed from its revolutionary history, which she saw as a fertile ground for the social reforms she envisioned.
In 1818, Wright made her first visit to the United States, accompanied by her younger sister, Camilla. She was fascinated by the ideals of liberty and democracy but soon became disillusioned with the reality of American society, particularly its treatment of women and enslaved African Americans. During her stay, Wright became close friends with the Marquis de Lafayette, a hero of both the American and French revolutions, who shared her belief in human rights and freedom. After traveling across the U.S., she published Views of Society and Manners in America in 1821, a work that reflected her sharp observations and critiques of American culture, particularly its inequality and failure to live up to its revolutionary ideals.
Wright’s first visit to the United States was followed by a trip to France, where she immersed herself in the intellectual circles of Paris. She found herself in the company of many leading thinkers of the day, including Jeremy Bentham and Robert Owen. Owen, a Welsh social reformer and pioneer of utopian socialism, had a significant influence on Wright, particularly in the realm of educational reform and communal living. She began to embrace his ideas, which emphasized the importance of cooperation over competition and sought to address the social ills of capitalism through the establishment of self-sustaining, cooperative communities. Wright's critique of capitalism extended beyond economic systems to a broader condemnation of social structures that perpetuated inequality.
In 1824, Wright returned to the United States with a renewed sense of purpose. This time, she was determined to make a lasting impact on American society. She quickly became a popular speaker and writer, renowned for her eloquence and radical ideas. Unlike most women of her time, Wright had the audacity to speak in public, and her lectures drew large crowds, both of supporters and detractors. Her second stay in the U.S. marked the beginning of her most active period as a social reformer, during which she fought for a wide array of progressive causes.
Wright was an early and vocal advocate for women's rights, long before the feminist movement took shape. She argued for the complete equality of the sexes, particularly in education, believing that women were just as intellectually capable as men and deserved the same opportunities. She called for coeducational schooling and argued that women should have access to higher education, a revolutionary idea at the time. Wright also supported birth control, liberal divorce laws, and sexual freedom, positioning her as one of the most radical feminists of her era. She rejected the institution of marriage, which she saw as a form of legal bondage for women, and was highly critical of organized religion, which she believed reinforced patriarchy and stifled progress. Her disdain for organized religion was consistent with the broader freethought movement, which advocated for reason and secularism in opposition to religious dogma.
Her views extended beyond feminism into broader social reform. She was an outspoken critic of capitalism, which she saw as a system that bred inequality, and argued for the redistribution of wealth. Wright also opposed slavery and advocated for the emancipation of enslaved people, calling for their integration into society as equals. Perhaps most controversially, she supported interracial marriages, an idea that was considered shocking even among many abolitionists. Her public speeches on slavery and human rights were groundbreaking, particularly as she openly addressed the deep racial divide in American society.
One of Wright's most ambitious projects was the Nashoba Experiment, a utopian community she founded in Tennessee in 1825. The purpose of Nashoba was twofold: to demonstrate the feasibility of communal living and to provide a path to freedom for enslaved African Americans. Wright envisioned Nashoba as a place where enslaved people could work to earn their freedom and where all inhabitants, regardless of race, could live together as equals. She purchased land and invited both black and white residents to live and work on the commune. However, the experiment was fraught with difficulties from the start. The harsh climate, inadequate resources, and opposition from local slaveholders made it difficult for Nashoba to thrive. Wright's decision to allow interracial relationships and marriages at Nashoba further alienated her from mainstream society, leading to widespread condemnation.
Despite her best efforts, Nashoba ultimately failed, and by 1828, Wright was forced to abandon the project. In a bold move, she arranged for the remaining residents to be sent to Haiti, where slavery had been abolished following the Haitian Revolution. Although Nashoba was a failure in practical terms, it was a bold experiment in social reform that reflected Wright's unwavering commitment to equality and justice. The Haitian relocation, while criticized, was one of the first international efforts to provide freedom and refuge for formerly enslaved individuals.
Wright’s personal life was as unconventional as her public work. She never married, remaining true to her belief that marriage was a patriarchal institution that enslaved women. Her relationships with both men and women were the subject of much speculation, but she fiercely guarded her private life, refusing to conform to societal expectations of women. She was known for her independence and determination, qualities that both inspired and infuriated those around her. However, in 1831, Wright did marry a French physician, Guillaume Phiquepal d'Arusmont. The marriage shocked many of her contemporaries given her previous critiques of the institution. Despite this, the marriage was short-lived, and Wright separated from her husband, further reinforcing her belief that marriage was incompatible with her personal freedom. They had one daughter together, but Wright's independence remained her priority.
In her later years, Wright continued to write and lecture, though her influence waned as other reformers emerged on the scene. Her health began to decline, and she spent much of her time travelling between the United States and Europe. In 1831, she married a French physician named Guillaume Phiquepal d'Arusmont, a decision that surprised many given her previous views on marriage. The marriage was short-lived, and Wright soon separated from her husband, further reinforcing her belief that marriage was incompatible with her desire for personal freedom.
Despite the setbacks she faced in her personal life and the failure of Nashoba, Wright remained committed to her ideals. She continued to advocate for women's rights, abolition, and social reform until her death in Cincinnati, Ohio, on December 13, 1852. Though she was largely forgotten by the time of her death, her ideas laid the groundwork for many of the social reforms that would come to define the 19th and 20th centuries.
Frances Wright was a pioneer in the fight for equality, not only for women but for all marginalized groups. Her radical ideas on education, marriage, religion, and slavery challenged the status quo and paved the way for future generations of feminists, abolitionists, and social reformers. Though her efforts were often met with resistance, her legacy as a freethinker and advocate for human rights endures.