Hear Judy Wiggins’s give a presentation titled, “A Will of Her Own, Judith Sargent Murray, 1751-1820,”
Judy Wiggins, retired humanities coordinator and English instructor at Copiah-Lincoln Community College, will give a presentation titled, “A Will of Her Own, Judith Sargent Murray, 1751-1820,” at the Tuesday, March 25 meeting of the Natchez Historical Society.
Judith Sargent Murray, (1751-1820) a playwright, essayist, and poet is considered one of the first public champions of women’s rights in the United States. In ‘On the Equality of the Sexes,” (1790) she uses humor and satire to prove that women are indeed equal to men mentally if not physically.
In 1818, when she arrived in Natchez with her daughter, Judith Sargent Murray, the wife of Adam Bingaman, brought 20 letter books with her. Those letter books, now in the Mississippi Department of Archive and History, give insight into the American Revolution and her hopes for women in the new Republic. Lack of education, argues Murray, is the stumbling block that keeps women in an inferior position.
Wiggins’ presentation will be given at the Historic Natchez Foundation, at 108 S. Commerce St. The program will begin with a social at 5:30 p.m., followed by the presentation at 6 p.m. It is free to the public. The presentation is part of a lecture series that is funded by a grant from the Mississippi Humanities Council through funding by the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information, send email to info@natchezhistoricalsociety.org.
Come and bring a friend!
WHAT: Meeting of the Natchez Historical Society
WHO: Judy Wiggins will present a lecture titled, “A Will of Her Own, Judith Sargent Murray, 1751-1820,”
WHEN: Tuesday, March 25, 2025
* 5:30 p.m. – Social
* 6 p.m. – Judy Wiggins’s presentation
