Harriet Martineau, who lived from 1802 to 1876, said that the Declaration of Independence doesn’t include or relate to half of the human race Let me tell you what she meant and believed, she believed that the Declaration, a document that proclaimed independence of the united states, did not address or consider the rights and concerns of women. she is challenging the US 1776, US Declaration of the Independence.
Because in 1776 , The US Declaration of Independence says that “we hold these truths to be self evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by thier creator with certain unalienable rights, that among these are Life, Liberty, and the persuit of Happiness”.
Let me explain you this in simple language , The US Declaration of Independence says that it is obvious that all people are born with certain rights that cannot be taken away from them , they are natural rights which include the right to life, freedom, and the persuit of happiness.and the men that is mentioned above means everyone not specifically male , so everyone no matter who they are where they come from.
After 50 years of US Declaration of Independence , between 1834 and 1836, Harriet Martineau travelled around the USA and recorded a very different picture of US society. What she saw was a marked discrepancy between the ideals of equality and democracy, and the reality of life in the USA.Means she noticed a big difference between what America said it believed in like equality and democracy and what life was actually there .Despite the USA’s principles of fairness and equal rights for all, she saw that many people in America were not treated equally , especially women and marginalised groups.
So she noticed the gap between what America claimed to stand for and what was actually happening in the society.
Before her visit , she had her name as journalist writing on Political economy and social issues, so on her travel she set down in book from her impressions of US society. Her Theory and Practice of Society in America went beyond mere description, however , for it analysed the forms of social injustice she came across there, it means she was a well known journalist who wrote about political economy and social issues. During her travel , she wrote a book sharing her impression about the American society the name of her book “Theory and practice of society in America” was more than just a description of what she saw there. it also included analysis of social injustices that she observed in the country.she just not talk about what she saw in the country but she also tried to understand why these injustices are happening and how they are effecting the society.
Social Emancipator
For Harriet Martineau the degree to which a society can be thought as civilized is judged by the conditions in which its people live. Theoretical ideals are no measure of how civilized a society is if they do not apply to everbody.The supposed ideals of society , notably the cherished notion of freedom, were “made a mockery “by the continued practice of slavery, which She identified as the prime example of one section of society having domination over another.It means she believed that in the true sense if you have to know what and how the society should be , you should check the conditions of its people . Or in other sense it is not necessary for a society to have good sounding ideas only if those ideas don’t actually benefit everyone.Example Freedom , that is often considered important in society, were not meaningful if they are not applied to everyone equally. she pointed out that despite of being freedom slavery still exists/practiced, which she saw a clear example of one group is sunjugating the other weak one.
This contradiction, where a society claims to value freedom but still allows slavery,
She highlighted that the society was not as civilized as it claimed to be.
Essays that can be asked on this Quote in various exams
- The Role of social critics in shaping societal Discourse
- Civilization and social Justice
- The Impact of Gender on social standing
- The Intersectionality of Social Injustices
How you can use her words in feminism topic of political science
- Intersectionality: Martineau talked about how different forms of inequality , like race, class and gender can overlap and effect people’s lives in a unique ways, In feminism , this means understanding that women from different backgrounds may face different challenges because of their race, class , or other factors.
- Critique of Patriarchy: she criticised the idea that men should have more power than women in society. like you can relate it with the message of Barbie movie 2023 .In feminism , this idea is important because it shows that women should be treated equally and have the same opportunities as men.
- Social Emancipation: Martineau believed that everyone should be free from unfair treatment and deserve chance to live a good life .In feminism, this means fighting for women’s rights and working to change laws and policies that discriminate against women.
- Policy Implications: Martineau’s ideas can help you to understand how laws and government policies affect women differently based on their background.
Who is Harriet Martineau?
This image is taken from Flicker then edited by Author with her Biography.