Rebel for Rights, Abigail Scott Duniway

by Ruth Barnes Moynihan

New Haven 1983 1st Yale. Suffragette and pioneer to Oregon who lived 1834-1915. 8vo., 273pp., photo illustrations, index, hardcover. Fine in Fine DJ.

Genres: Biography

273 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1985

Reviews

[Carolyn Dobervich · Rating 4 out of 5]

Abigail Scott Duniway sounds like a true grit kind of individual—someone I have to respect for her unflagging dedication to the rights of women, but someone I probably wouldn’t form a close friendship with. Her language is brutal, and she seems to have little ability to empathize or compromise or soften her views. The author notes that Abigail could have chosen to compromise a little to fit in with the East Coast leaders of the women’s suffrage movement but she didn’t. As a result, her view of the small farmers and tough, hardworking settlers as the truly deserving is captured in her writing and diaries and add to our understanding of that time in the American past. I still find it hard to be comfortable with people who can’t compromise. I’m especially interested in her story because she is a distant relative through my great-grandmother.