Join Lewes Public Library, the History Book Festival, and Browseabout Books in-person at the library or online for a presentation by Ellen Carol DuBois, preeminent historian of women’s suffrage and author of Elizabeth Cady Stanton: A Revolutionary Life, the definitive biography of the American suffragist and women’s rights pioneer.

Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a singular leader, thinker, and organizer whose fight for women’s emancipation stretched from the 1840s to her death in 1902, a full fifth of America’s history. Yet her legacy has been marked by controversy. In this landmark biography, DuBois paints a fresh portrait of this complex crusader whose tireless work made contemporary feminism possible.

Born in 1815 into a family deeply marked by the tumult of the American Revolution and surging evangelicalism, Stanton was captivated by Enlightenment ideas about individual freedom and transformed by early experiences in what she called “the school of antislavery.” Though most remembered for her fight for the vote, she was also an early crusader for women’s reproductive autonomy and reforming the institution of marriage, and against Christianity’s subordination of women. Her rifts with Black reformers and embrace of nativist ideas tarnished her reputation, but her words still have the ability to move and agitate people today.

Ellen Carol DuBois is distinguished professor of history at UCLA. Her pioneering works on the US woman suffrage movement include Feminism and Suffrage: The Emergence of an Independent Women's Movement in America, 1848–1869 and Harriot Stanton Blatch and the Winning of Woman Suffrage. DuBois spoke at the 2020 Virtual History Book Festival on her book, Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote. She lives in Los Angeles.

We invite you to support the author by purchasing a copy of their book from Browseabout Books. Call-in orders are accepted at (302) 226-2665 or you can stop by the store to purchase a copy. For store hours, please visit their website. Each copy purchased comes signed. Books will be available for sale and for signing at the event.

Each individual attending in-person must register to reserve a seat. Do not list two people on one registration.

This program is part of Lewes 250, a commemoration of America’s 250th anniversary, honoring our town’s rich past and bright future. Lewes 250 brings neighbors, visitors, and local organizations together in celebration of the “First Town in the First State.”

NOTE: this session is available to attend in-person or through Zoom. You MUST REGISTER and indicate which you prefer.

If you have need assistance with registration or getting your Zoom invitation, please email the library.

Basic written instructions for using Zoom may be found here and a brief video tutorial may be found here. Closed captioning is available for all our sessions. Information on enabling closed captioning in Zoom may be found here.