Published in 1845, Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States. The basis of the essay is the notion that while mankind has the potential to becomes an elevated species understanding divine love, chronic inequality, selfishness and hypocrisy serve as barriers to this end that Americans inherited from the depravity of Europe. She describes the status of women as clearly inferior, equal to children and parallel to that of slavery, in contrast to historical evidence of equality between the sexes and to the example of Christianity, with male and female saints.  She outlines four types of marriages: mutual dependence, mutual idolatry, intellectual companionship, and a religious union that contains all three.  She asserts that the souls of men and women are equal, despite gender, and that individuals each possess a unique mix of masculine and feminine energies. She urges an end to domination by men and calls for women to assert themselves so all can be self-dependent and autonomous individuals. A shorter version was first published in 1843 as “The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women” in The Dial Magazine, the journal of the transcendental group edited by Margaret Fuller.  Noted publisher Horace Greeley was impressed and encouraged her to rewrite it as a book. He helped in the publication by releasing it as part of his “Cheerful Books for the People” series.  Readers were seldom indifferent to its radical notions and unsparing insights. Opinions ranged from Thoreau’s high regard to the discomfort of those who thought that it “speaks of many things that should not be spoken of”.

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