TAKE A STAND ASSIGNMENT 2

Take a Stand Assignment

Dr. Benjamin Rush advocated for women to receive an education hence the reason he
founded the Young Ladies Academy of Philadelphia, to further support female education and
give women an opportunity to acquire education. For a very long time, female education had
been sidelined, with men being given priority to receive education and take on high positions in
society. Women, on the other hand, were given caretaking roles at home. Rush proposed that
women receive more instructions and be equipped with skills such as on bookkeeping as well as
knowledge of figures (Webb, 2014). He had good intentions to narrow down the education gap
that had existed for long between men and women in society. Educating women meant
narrowing down the disparity in intellectual and reason strengths that existed between the two
sexes. It implied that women would get more power hence the reason Dr. Rush’s proposal was
the best. He wished well for the women of his time. education empowers an individual, and
women needed to be empowered to carry on their roles in society in a better way.
Female education and literacy would enable women to gain access to other points of view
by establishing wider communication networks. It would ensure that women interact with people
in other areas as opposed to just those in their localities. Reforms in the education sector were
good for the republic. They ensured that women would propel society forward in the absence of
the male gender hence ensuring that the chaos that had taken place during the world war when
men went to the battleground and left women on their own (Campbell, 2000). Besides, women
played a very critical role in the education of their children. Therefore, having the women
receive education qualified them as better nurturers of societal values. Women deserved a better
education that would help stabilize their influence in the lives of their husbands and children.

TAKE A STAND ASSIGNMENT 3
Female education would ensure that everyone becomes enlightened and better-abed at
accomplishing daily tasks.
The third reason why I defend Dr. Rush’s position on female education is that improving
female education signified that it was time to change the behavior and attitude of the Americans.
It was time to stop providing women with ornamental instruction and have a well-planned
education that would be based on principles of justice, equality and liberty. It was time to
educate women appropriately and Rush’s proposal advocated for such changes. Besides, proper
education prepared women to be guardians and custodians of the husband’s property. They
needed to be able to support their husbands in performing certain roles, and this could only be
possible through ensuring that they first receive a better education (Webb, 2014). Even though
Rush’s ideas on women education often fell short of egalitarianism, they were the best of his
time when it came to supporting women education. He wanted women to get educated and
become more submissive to their husbands, while that would make women more malleable, the
value that education would add in the lives of those women cannot be underrated. Therefore, I
take a stand to support Dr. Benjamin Rush’s position on women education.

TAKE A STAND ASSIGNMENT 4

References

Campbell, J. (2000). Benjamin Rush and Women’s Education: A Revolutionary’s
Disappointment, A Nation’s Achievement. John and Mary’s Journal, 13.
Webb, L. D. (2014). History of American education: Voices and perspectives [Electronic
version]. Retrieved from https://content.ashford.edu/