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• T H R E E • "O, th e Glorious Privileg e of Bein g Independent " Defining Independent Womanhood in the Progressive Era Edith Stedma n graduate d fro m Radcliff e Colleg e in 1910 . Tak ing a position a t the Framingham Reformator y fo r Women, sh e appeared t o b e situatin g hersel f fo r a life an d caree r withi n th e women-centered socia l welfar e network s o f th e Progressiv e Er a (Gordon 1994) . He r plan s wer e disrupte d whe n he r brothe r pressured he r t o resig n fro m he r positio n t o ru n th e family owned cand y store . Sh e hated thi s jo b an d lef t afte r tw o years , escaping the business in spite of her brother's continuin g effort s to contro l he r lif e an d work . A t th e ag e o f twenty-nine , sh e joined th e Worl d Wa r I effor t i n Europ e wit h th e YMCA . O f her determinatio n sh e wrote , "Th e wor k a t th e sho p seeme d useless, and I made u p my mind tha t I wasn't goin g to mis s th e greatest cataclysm of my life" (Stedma n Papers SL). As the y entere d th e publi c worl d o f educatio n an d work , none o f th e turn-of-the-centur y wome n claime d ful l knowledg e 47 48 • "Th e Glorious Privilege of Being Independent " of or an expectation fo r independent womanhood. At most they stated thi s growin g notio n tha t the y wer e goin g t o hav e t o b e self-supporting, bu t withou t a clea r visio n o f how . Wha t thei r lives sugges t i s a step-by-ste p exploratio n o f possibilitie s an d realities. The thre e mos t importan t step s were education, trave l and work . Education The sens e o f physica l freedom , o f no t bein g confine d o r re stricted , i n thei r childhood s i s parallele d i n th e live s o f th e turn-of-the-century wome n b y an equall y importan t intellectua l freedom.1 I n thi s aren a thes e youn g wome n receive d stron g encouragement fro m thei r immediat e families . Thei r familie s fostered i n th e daughter s a sens e o f intellectua l competency , providing forum s fo r discussion s an d guidanc e fo r study . On e after th e othe r recall s ho w he r fathe r and/o r he r mothe r sup ported he r intellectua l growth , rea d classic s alou d t o her , an d generally stressed the importance of books and knowledge. And when thes e wome n di d receiv e forma l education , the y ha d al ready internalized hig h standard s fo r themselves . The economi c and geographical diversit y of these families' situations produce d an accompanyin g variabilit y i n th e basi c educations the y coul d provide for their daughters. Nevertheless, each daughter demon strated a dee p an d determine d commitmen t t o educatio n i n th e fullest sens e of the concept . Among th e working-clas s women , th e nee d t o wor k pre cluded regular participation i n formal education , but they foun d other mean s t o continu e thei r intellectua l explorations . Mar y Anderson left school in her native Sweden after th e eighth grade. When sh e immigrate d t o th e Unite d State s an d settle d i n th e upper Midwest , sh e diligentl y taugh t hersel f English , readin g newspapers an d talkin g t o he r employers . Thi s proces s o f self education becam e a life-lon g habit . France s Kello r complete d [3.129.247.196...

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