Published in Peru, Indiana, from 1861-1864, the Mayflower was intended to be an organ for the burgeoning woman's rights movement, picking up where other publications, especially the Lily left off. Dedicated to the cause of woman's rights, the image of womanhood most strongly presented is of equality with man and unbounded by the domestic sphere. In addition, the war was seen as providing opportunities for women's advancement and greater visibility in the public sphere. Adopting a position that texts reflect and reproduce the culture in which they are embedded, content reveals the beginnings of a divided women's rights movement and the impact of a woman's publication produced during the Civil War. The woman's rights movement declared a moratorium on itself during the war and despite enthusiastic initial support failed to sustain the young publication. In addition, the family-run publication could not sustain the financial and material constraints of wartime Thus, wartime exigencies and a suspended woman's rights movement during the war years prevented the Mayflower from exerting any long-lasting influence. Though editor Lizzie Bunnell's mission was to sustain the woman's rights movement, her publication may have served more to support the war, especially in terms of women's contribution to the effort.
Last updated: November 24, 1997
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