Ann Dexter Gordon
Encyclopedia
Ann Dexter Gordon is a research professor in the department of history at Rutgers University
and editor of the papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton
and Susan B. Anthony
, a survey of more than 14,000 papers relating to the pair of 19th century women's rights activists. She is also the editor of the multi-volume work, Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and has authored a number of other books about the history of the women's suffrage
movement. She worked with popular historian Ken Burns
on his 1999 book and appears in his documentary film about Stanton and Anthony. Since 2006, Gordon has repeatedly weighed in on the Susan B. Anthony abortion dispute
stating that "Anthony spent no time on the politics of abortion. It was of no interest to her."
degree at Smith College
in Massachusetts, then went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison
for post graduate work. While there, the editors of The New York Review of Books
published a letter she wrote in May 1967 as a sharp response to a Paul Goodman
piece sympathetic to draft-card burning
by isolated individuals. She earned a Master of Arts
degree and a doctorate
in American history, writing in 1975 a doctoral dissertation entitled The College of Philadelphia, 1749–1779: Impact of an Institution.
Between 1975 and 1982, Gordon worked on the editorial staffs of two projects, one publishing the papers of Jane Addams
, the first American woman Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the other the papers of President Woodrow Wilson
.
The sixth volume is expected to cover Anthony and Stanton history from 1895 to 1906, including Anthony's final four years following Stanton's death.
Screenwriter Geoffrey Ward
helped bring Gordon's work into the 1999 documentary film, Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony, directed and produced by Ken Burns
. Gordon appears in the film and assisted Burns and Ward in writing an accompanying book, which includes a section by Gordon titled, "Taking Possession of the Country".
With Bettye Collier-Thomas, professor of history and the Director of the Temple University
Center for African-American History and Culture, Gordon edited African American women and the vote, 1837–1965, a book describing major turning points for women in African-American history. Gordon wrote in the introduction that the 1997 book originated as papers submitted in 1987 at the University of Massachusetts for the conference "Afro-American Women and the Vote: From Abolitionism to the Voting Rights Act". Gordon noted that the milestones set down in the book differ significantly from similar ones marking the history of white American women, including 1837 in New York City as the first time African-American women formally "define[d] their roles independent of men", predating the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention
as the touchstone used by Stanton and Anthony to mark the start of the American woman suffrage movement.
In 2000, Gordon reviewed Spectacular Confessions: Autobiography, Performative Activism, and the Sites of Suffrage, 1905–1938, a book by Barbara Green about British suffragists, the review published in Biography journal.
Gordon has written two electronic books, published online: The Trial of Susan B. Anthony and Travels for Reform: The Early Work of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1852–1861. The 2005 work The Trial of Susan B. Anthony was completed in collaboration with the Federal Judicial Center
, as a training aid for students of legal history. The book discusses Anthony's trial and felony conviction in 1873 for her 1872 vote cast illegally in that year's presidential and congressional elections. Earlier in 1999, Gordon worked with Ann Pfau, Tamara Gaskell Miller, and Kimberly J. Banks to edit Travels for Reform: The Early Work of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1852–1861, a book about the first decade of Anthony's partnership with Stanton and their travels around New York State to promote women's rights causes, primarily women's right to vote. The book was prepared with Model Editions Partnership, University of South Carolina
, from microfilm documents, images of original documents, and portions of Volume I of Selected Papers.
(FFL) and Susan B. Anthony List
(SBA List) that maintain that Anthony was "an outspoken opponent of abortion". Gordon holds that Anthony "never voiced an opinion about the sanctity of fetal life" and that "she never voiced an opinion about using the power of the state to require that pregnancies be brought to term." In October 2006, Gordon stated that she was beginning to see college students who only knew Anthony as an activist opposed to abortion, a view she said was "based more on fiction than fact". Gordon stated that "comparing the debate over abortion today with the debate that was taking place in the 19th century is misleading." For the North Adams Transcript in February 2010, Gordon said "I've watched the anti-abortion movement make these assertions since 1989. It's pretty far fetched". In a May 2010 opinion piece in The Washington Post's
"On Faith" blog
, co-authored with Lynn Sherr
, Gordon noted that Anthony's statements on abortion are limited to a single, ambiguous diary entry, and concluded that, "Anthony spent no time on the politics of abortion. It was of no interest to her, despite living in a society (and a family) where women aborted unwanted pregnancies." In a piece in the "On Faith" blog posted the same day, SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser responded to Gordon and Sherr, citing one anonymous anti-abortion article in Anthony's paper, to argue that "Anthony was passionate and logical in her arguments against abortion, which were consistent with the views of her suffragist contemporaries."
Rutgers University
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey , is the largest institution for higher education in New Jersey, United States. It was originally chartered as Queen's College in 1766. It is the eighth-oldest college in the United States and one of the nine Colonial colleges founded before the American...
and editor of the papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an American social activist, abolitionist, and leading figure of the early woman's movement...
and Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony
Susan Brownell Anthony was a prominent American civil rights leader who played a pivotal role in the 19th century women's rights movement to introduce women's suffrage into the United States. She was co-founder of the first Women's Temperance Movement with Elizabeth Cady Stanton as President...
, a survey of more than 14,000 papers relating to the pair of 19th century women's rights activists. She is also the editor of the multi-volume work, Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and has authored a number of other books about the history of the women's suffrage
Women's suffrage
Women's suffrage or woman suffrage is the right of women to vote and to run for office. The expression is also used for the economic and political reform movement aimed at extending these rights to women and without any restrictions or qualifications such as property ownership, payment of tax, or...
movement. She worked with popular historian Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
on his 1999 book and appears in his documentary film about Stanton and Anthony. Since 2006, Gordon has repeatedly weighed in on the Susan B. Anthony abortion dispute
Susan B. Anthony abortion dispute
American suffragist Susan B. Anthony's position on abortion has been the subject of a modern-day dispute, centered not around Anthony's personal position on abortion, but rather around whether she worked or spoke against it and how she would fit into the modern debate over the...
stating that "Anthony spent no time on the politics of abortion. It was of no interest to her."
Early career
Gordon received a Bachelor of ArtsBachelor of Arts
A Bachelor of Arts , from the Latin artium baccalaureus, is a bachelor's degree awarded for an undergraduate course or program in either the liberal arts, the sciences, or both...
degree at Smith College
Smith College
Smith College is a private, independent women's liberal arts college located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the largest member of the Seven Sisters...
in Massachusetts, then went to the University of Wisconsin–Madison
University of Wisconsin–Madison
The University of Wisconsin–Madison is a public research university located in Madison, Wisconsin, United States. Founded in 1848, UW–Madison is the flagship campus of the University of Wisconsin System. It became a land-grant institution in 1866...
for post graduate work. While there, the editors of The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books
The New York Review of Books is a fortnightly magazine with articles on literature, culture and current affairs. Published in New York City, it takes as its point of departure that the discussion of important books is itself an indispensable literary activity...
published a letter she wrote in May 1967 as a sharp response to a Paul Goodman
Paul Goodman (writer)
Paul Goodman was an American sociologist, poet, writer, anarchist, and public intellectual. Goodman is now mainly remembered as the author of Growing Up Absurd and an activist on the pacifist Left in the 1960s and an inspiration to that era's student movement...
piece sympathetic to draft-card burning
Draft-card burning
Draft-card burning was a symbol of protest performed by thousands of young American men as part of the opposition to the involvement of the United States in the Vietnam War. Beginning in May 1964, some activists burned their draft cards at anti-war rallies and demonstrations. By May 1965 it was...
by isolated individuals. She earned a Master of Arts
Master of Arts (postgraduate)
A Master of Arts from the Latin Magister Artium, is a type of Master's degree awarded by universities in many countries. The M.A. is usually contrasted with the M.S. or M.Sc. degrees...
degree and a doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
in American history, writing in 1975 a doctoral dissertation entitled The College of Philadelphia, 1749–1779: Impact of an Institution.
Between 1975 and 1982, Gordon worked on the editorial staffs of two projects, one publishing the papers of Jane Addams
Jane Addams
Jane Addams was a pioneer settlement worker, founder of Hull House in Chicago, public philosopher, sociologist, author, and leader in woman suffrage and world peace...
, the first American woman Nobel Peace Prize winner, and the other the papers of President Woodrow Wilson
Woodrow Wilson
Thomas Woodrow Wilson was the 28th President of the United States, from 1913 to 1921. A leader of the Progressive Movement, he served as President of Princeton University from 1902 to 1910, and then as the Governor of New Jersey from 1911 to 1913...
.
The Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony Papers Project
In 1982, Gordon joined the Stanton and Anthony papers project which was then forming at Rutgers, and helped the project produce a microfilm volume in 1991 of 14,000 relevant historical documents cataloged and described, composed equally of published texts and of manuscripts. Since then, more texts have been received and cataloged. Led by Gordon as editor, the project determined to produce six volumes of The Selected Papers of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, to "record the first half century of women's campaign for political rights in the US and provide the primary reference point for examining women's political history in the nineteenth century." The first five have been published:- In the School of Anti-Slavery, 1840–1866. (1997) ISBN 0-8135-2317-6
- Against an Aristocracy of Sex, 1866 to 1873. (2000) ISBN 0-8135-2318-4
- National Protection for National Citizens, 1873 to 1880. (2003) ISBN 0-8135-2319-2
- When Clowns Make Laws for Queens, 1880 to 1887. (2006) ISBN 0-8135-2320-6
- Their Place Inside the Body-Politic, 1887 to 1895. (2009) ISBN 978-0-8135-2321-7
The sixth volume is expected to cover Anthony and Stanton history from 1895 to 1906, including Anthony's final four years following Stanton's death.
Screenwriter Geoffrey Ward
Geoffrey Ward
Geoffrey Champion Ward is an author and screenwriter of various documentary presentations of American history. He graduated from Oberlin College in 1962.He was an editor of American Heritage magazine early in his career...
helped bring Gordon's work into the 1999 documentary film, Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony, directed and produced by Ken Burns
Ken Burns
Kenneth Lauren "Ken" Burns is an American director and producer of documentary films, known for his style of using archival footage and photographs...
. Gordon appears in the film and assisted Burns and Ward in writing an accompanying book, which includes a section by Gordon titled, "Taking Possession of the Country".
Other writings
In 1971, Gordon joined with Mari Jo Buhle and Nancy E. Schrom to author "Women in American Society: An Historical Contribution", an article that appeared in the journal Radical America. The article was "conceived as a response to the conceptual problems confronted by all who seek to comprehend the historically rooted sources of today's oppression" of women in America.With Bettye Collier-Thomas, professor of history and the Director of the Temple University
Temple University
Temple University is a comprehensive public research university in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. Originally founded in 1884 by Dr. Russell Conwell, Temple University is among the nation's largest providers of professional education and prepares the largest body of professional...
Center for African-American History and Culture, Gordon edited African American women and the vote, 1837–1965, a book describing major turning points for women in African-American history. Gordon wrote in the introduction that the 1997 book originated as papers submitted in 1987 at the University of Massachusetts for the conference "Afro-American Women and the Vote: From Abolitionism to the Voting Rights Act". Gordon noted that the milestones set down in the book differ significantly from similar ones marking the history of white American women, including 1837 in New York City as the first time African-American women formally "define[d] their roles independent of men", predating the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention
Seneca Falls Convention
The Seneca Falls Convention was an early and influential women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York, July 19–20, 1848. It was organized by local New York women upon the occasion of a visit by Boston-based Lucretia Mott, a Quaker famous for her speaking ability, a skill rarely...
as the touchstone used by Stanton and Anthony to mark the start of the American woman suffrage movement.
In 2000, Gordon reviewed Spectacular Confessions: Autobiography, Performative Activism, and the Sites of Suffrage, 1905–1938, a book by Barbara Green about British suffragists, the review published in Biography journal.
Gordon has written two electronic books, published online: The Trial of Susan B. Anthony and Travels for Reform: The Early Work of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1852–1861. The 2005 work The Trial of Susan B. Anthony was completed in collaboration with the Federal Judicial Center
Federal Judicial Center
The Federal Judicial Center is the education and research agency of the United States federal courts. It was established by an Act of Congress in 1967, at the recommendation of the Judicial Conference of the United States....
, as a training aid for students of legal history. The book discusses Anthony's trial and felony conviction in 1873 for her 1872 vote cast illegally in that year's presidential and congressional elections. Earlier in 1999, Gordon worked with Ann Pfau, Tamara Gaskell Miller, and Kimberly J. Banks to edit Travels for Reform: The Early Work of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, 1852–1861, a book about the first decade of Anthony's partnership with Stanton and their travels around New York State to promote women's rights causes, primarily women's right to vote. The book was prepared with Model Editions Partnership, University of South Carolina
University of South Carolina
The University of South Carolina is a public, co-educational research university located in Columbia, South Carolina, United States, with 7 surrounding satellite campuses. Its historic campus covers over in downtown Columbia not far from the South Carolina State House...
, from microfilm documents, images of original documents, and portions of Volume I of Selected Papers.
Anthony and abortion
Since 2006, Gordon has written and spoken out against pro-life organizations such as Feminists for LifeFeminists for Life
Feminists for Life of America is a non-profit, pro-life feminist, non-governmental organization . Established in 1972 and now based in Alexandria, Virginia, the organization describes itself as "shaped by the core feminist values of justice, nondiscrimination, and nonviolence." FFL is dedicated...
(FFL) and Susan B. Anthony List
Susan B. Anthony List
The Susan B. Anthony List, or simply SBA List, is a 501 non-profit, non-partisan organization that seeks to eliminate abortion in the U.S. by supporting pro-life politicians, primarily women, through its SBA List Candidate Fund political action committee...
(SBA List) that maintain that Anthony was "an outspoken opponent of abortion". Gordon holds that Anthony "never voiced an opinion about the sanctity of fetal life" and that "she never voiced an opinion about using the power of the state to require that pregnancies be brought to term." In October 2006, Gordon stated that she was beginning to see college students who only knew Anthony as an activist opposed to abortion, a view she said was "based more on fiction than fact". Gordon stated that "comparing the debate over abortion today with the debate that was taking place in the 19th century is misleading." For the North Adams Transcript in February 2010, Gordon said "I've watched the anti-abortion movement make these assertions since 1989. It's pretty far fetched". In a May 2010 opinion piece in The Washington Post's
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
"On Faith" blog
Blog
A blog is a type of website or part of a website supposed to be updated with new content from time to time. Blogs are usually maintained by an individual with regular entries of commentary, descriptions of events, or other material such as graphics or video. Entries are commonly displayed in...
, co-authored with Lynn Sherr
Lynn Sherr
Lynn Sherr is an American broadcast journalist and author, best known as a correspondent for the ABC news magazine 20/20....
, Gordon noted that Anthony's statements on abortion are limited to a single, ambiguous diary entry, and concluded that, "Anthony spent no time on the politics of abortion. It was of no interest to her, despite living in a society (and a family) where women aborted unwanted pregnancies." In a piece in the "On Faith" blog posted the same day, SBA List president Marjorie Dannenfelser responded to Gordon and Sherr, citing one anonymous anti-abortion article in Anthony's paper, to argue that "Anthony was passionate and logical in her arguments against abortion, which were consistent with the views of her suffragist contemporaries."