Margaret Hope Bacon (1921–2011)
Author of Mothers of Feminism: The Story of Quaker Women in America
About the Author
Margaret Hope Bacon, author and lecturer is a Swarthmore College Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. The city of Philadelphia has honored her with both a Human Rights Award in 1976 and a Citation for Contributions to Women's History in 1987.
Works by Margaret Hope Bacon
Wilt Thou Go on My Errand?: Journals of Three 18th Century Quaker Women Ministers : Susanna Morris 1682-1755 Elizabeth… (1994) — Editor — 81 copies, 2 reviews
Sarah Mapps Douglass, Faithful Attender of Quaker Meeting: View from the Back Bench (2003) 36 copies, 2 reviews
One woman's passion for peace and freedom : the life of Mildred Scott Olmsted (1993) 24 copies, 3 reviews
Abby Hopper Gibbons: Prison Reformer and Social Activist (SUNY series in Women, Crime, and Criminology) (2000) 20 copies
Associated Works
Lucretia Mott speaking : excerpts from the sermons & speeches of a famous nineteenth century Quaker minister & reformer (1980) — Editor — 40 copies, 4 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1921-04-07
- Date of death
- 2011-02-24
- Burial location
- Friends Southwestern Burial Ground, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA
- Gender
- female
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Place of death
- Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA
- Places of residence
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Education
- Antioch College
- Occupations
- biographer
journalist
historian
memoirist
novelist - Organizations
- Pennsylvania Abolition Society
- Short biography
- Margaret Hope Bacon, née Borchardt, was born in New York City. Her father was an artist and she attended progressive schools. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1943 at Antioch College in Ohio, where she met her future husband, S. Allen Bacon. After the couple married and had three children, she wrote freelance articles for national magazines such as Parents and Good Housekeeping. She joined the Society of Friends -- known as Quakers -- in 1950 and worked as assistant director of information services for the American Friends Service Committee for 22 years. From 1969 through 2007, she wrote more than a dozen fiction and nonfiction works, many of them biographies about leading Quakers. Among her most popular books were The Quiet Rebels: The Story of Quakers in America (1969) and Valiant Friend: The Life of Lucretia Mott (1980). Her memoir, Love Is the Hardest Lesson, was published in 1999. She was a longtime trustee and vice president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society.
Members
Reviews
Remembering Agnes: A Lesson in Nonviolence by Magaret Hope Bacon
I first read this in 1990 or thereabouts, and I think part of my recollection of struggling with this book is borne out again. The scholarship is well done, and showing the Quaker faith to be what gave Quaker women a voice, but the details on many of the less-known women are too scattered and tend to diminish their stories.
From the very beginnings of Quakerism came the belief that the spirit of God lives within each being, regardless of gender or race or social standing. Many Quakers in the 1800's worked to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, in addition to their work as abolitionists and suffrage.
Examples of women's lives include how some Meetings allowed women to preach to the Friends gathered for Sunday service. Quaker women were allowed to travel in order to preach at other Meetings, or even travel to other cities to bring Quakerism to others. Evangelical, if you will.
Many women were researched in this book and that is a credit to the author. Each chapter has a historical focus, including Colonial America and the rise of Abolition in both the American Colonies and the United States, going through the struggles for Suffrage and Civil Rights.
However. I found myself struggling to find the continuity throughout each era or chapter or set of events. Once an idea was introduced as the main focus, women's lives followed in rapid succession with little to no narrative to bring them together. Other times, women's lives were explored or introduced, then referenced several pages or paragraphs later, again without a narrative voice. The dis-jointed-ness of this overall writing style lessened the strength of this book.… (more)
From the very beginnings of Quakerism came the belief that the spirit of God lives within each being, regardless of gender or race or social standing. Many Quakers in the 1800's worked to protect the rights of the indigenous peoples of the Americas, in addition to their work as abolitionists and suffrage.
Examples of women's lives include how some Meetings allowed women to preach to the Friends gathered for Sunday service. Quaker women were allowed to travel in order to preach at other Meetings, or even travel to other cities to bring Quakerism to others. Evangelical, if you will.
Many women were researched in this book and that is a credit to the author. Each chapter has a historical focus, including Colonial America and the rise of Abolition in both the American Colonies and the United States, going through the struggles for Suffrage and Civil Rights.
However. I found myself struggling to find the continuity throughout each era or chapter or set of events. Once an idea was introduced as the main focus, women's lives followed in rapid succession with little to no narrative to bring them together. Other times, women's lives were explored or introduced, then referenced several pages or paragraphs later, again without a narrative voice. The dis-jointed-ness of this overall writing style lessened the strength of this book.… (more)
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 30
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 1,247
- Popularity
- #20,577
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 36
- ISBNs
- 33