Back to results

Oberlin College Honors Theses

Women in an Evangelical Community: Oberlin 1835-50

Abstract

dc:description

<p>Oberlin College is frequently mentioned in connection with women's education, women's rights, or the struggle for women's emancipation. The following passage from the 1834 First Circular is invariably cited: Oberlin's founders strove for"… the elevation of female character, by bringing within the reach of the misjudged and neglected sex, all the instructive privileges which hitherto have unreasonably distinguished the leading sex from theirs." Discussions seek to prove either that Oberlin is to be praised for its correct and "liberated" goals, or that it is to be condemned for hypocrisy in not going as far as publicized in the First Circular.</p> <p>A brief survey of the literature concerning women at Oberlin clarifies what is lacking in the analysis. One strand of thought applauds the coming of coeducation for opening up new paths for American women. James Fairchild, at various times student, teacher, and president of Oberlin College, found himself the defender of Oberlin's experiment, and of coeducation in general. Twenty years after criticizing women who spoke in public, he became the spokesman for coeducation, on the grounds that it worked."</p>

Degree

thesis:*
Name thesis:degree_name
BA
Level thesis:degree_level
bachelors
Discipline thesis:degree_discipline
History
Grantor dc:publisher
Oberlin College Honors Theses
Year dc:date
1978

Author and committee

dc:creator, dc:contributor.*
Author dc:creator
  • Ginzberg, Lori D.
Contributors dc:contributor
  • Steinson, Barbara

Subjects

dc:subject × 11

Rights

dc:rights
Statement dc:rights
  • unrestricted
  • This thesis or dissertation is protected by copyright: all rights reserved. It may not be copied or redistributed beyond the terms of applicable copyright laws.
Language dc:language
English

Identifiers

dc:identifier.*
OAI identifier oai:identifier
oai:etd.ohiolink.edu:oberlin1363702142

Chain of custody

source
Harvested from
OhioLINK
Base URL
etd.ohiolink.edu/acprod/odb_etd/ws/oai/oai
Last updated
2026-07-24
Source record
OAI-PMH GetRecord
citation

Ginzberg, Lori D.. Women in an Evangelical Community: Oberlin 1835-50. bachelors thesis, Oberlin College Honors Theses, 1978. http://rave.ohiolink.edu/etdc/view?acc_num=oberlin1363702142