Elizabeth Wilson, the Bible, and the Legal Rights of Women in the Nineteenth Century
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.1558/post.v5i2.219Keywords:
Elizabeth Wilson, Abigail (biblical figure), Nabal (biblical figure), Elizabeth Cady Stanton, property laws, feme covert, coverture, 1 Samuel 25Abstract
In 1849, Elizabeth Wilson (fl. 1849-1850) published an impassioned defense of women’s rights entitled A Scriptural View of Woman’s Rights and Duties. Her work critiques patriarchy in church and society, arguing in favor of women’s social and legal rights within marriage. Challenging prominent male biblical commentators, Wilson asserted that male and female were created as equal co-sovereigns over creation. She claimed that biblical patriarchs and matriarchs exercised equal authority within the marriage relationship. Wilson’s most striking example is Abigail, who distributed household property, an extravagant gift of dressed sheep and other food, to David, against her husband Nabal’s wishes (1 Samuel 25). Wilson uses this story to prove that wives have equal right to administer marital property. Thus she offers an incisive critique of American property and inheritance laws biased against wives and widows.
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