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The Abolitionist Origins of American Feminism
From Mary Wollstonecraft to Sojourner Truth, the fight for women’s rights emerged alongside—and was fundamentally shaped by—the struggle to abolish slavery and secure universal human rights.
On the 250th anniversary of the founding of the republic, it is timely to trace the history of American feminism, whose roots lie in the revolutionary era and are inextricably bound with the movement to abolish slavery.
(This essay is part of the FEMINIST 250: Founding Feminists series, marking the 250th anniversary of America by reclaiming the revolution through the women and gender-expansive people whose ideas, labor and resistance shaped U.S. democracy.)
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Founding Feminists: 250 Years of an Unfinished Revolution (With Janell Hobson)
Two hundred and fifty years ago, a small group of men declared that “all men are created equal,” casting a vision of liberty that has shaped the American imagination ever since. But even as they debated freedom in Philadelphia, women were writing, organizing, governing, resisting and insisting on their place within the nation taking form.
As Ms. launches a new series on our country’s Founding Feminists this month, Dr. Michele Goodwin is joined by the series’ editor, Professor Janell Hobson, to discuss what America’s 250th anniversary means for women and the feminist agenda.
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Drew Angerer / AFP via Getty Images; Michael Siluk / UCG / Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Jeffrey Markowitz / Sygma via Getty Images; art by Brandi Phipps
War on Women Report: Georgia Woman Arrested for Self-Managed Abortion; Idaho Forces Teachers to Out Trans Youth; Ohio Bill to Force Doctors to Report Pregnancies to the State
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Cover Reveal and Spring 2026 Issue Sneak Peek: ICE Is ‘the Army of the Patriarchy’
In early February, while the nation was still reeling from the murders of Renee Good and Alex Pretti by federal agents, Loretta Ross and Jackson Katz—two feminist academics with decidedly different backgrounds and identities—discussed how U.S. federal agents became the enforcement arm of the nation’s racism and misogyny.
You’ll find this, and more, in the Spring 2026 issue of Ms.
‘The Economy Isn’t Flourishing for Us’: A Single Mother’s Reality Check From Mississippi
As costs climb and support systems lag, one Mississippi mother shares what it takes to raise three children, stay in school and fight for stability in an economy that isn’t built for families like hers.
“A lot of our leaders are trying to paint a picture that the world is in a great place and the economy is flourishing. That’s not what I see as a low-income, working-class, single Black mother.
“Meanwhile, it seems easy for the government to send billions overseas, but somehow there’s not enough to properly support citizens here at home who are working and paying taxes that fund that money in the first place?
“I tell my story because I hope that if they keep hearing from families like mine, they will finally feel moved to make a real change.
“To every mother working hard and caring for your children—with help or without—keep going. Life will try to knock you down, but if you keep praying, keep your faith, and keep putting in the work toward your goals, you will see good results. Just keep moving forward and keep being the great mother you are; you will get where you need to be.
