Frances Wright

Frances Wright (1795–1852) was a Scottish-born writer and social reformer who became an influential public lecturer in the United States. After traveling widely in America, she published *Views of Society and Manners in America* (1821), a book that praised aspects of the young republic while criticizing slavery and social inequality. Wright advocated women’s rights, secular education, and labor reform, and she aligned herself with radical democratic politics. In 1825 she helped found Nashoba, a utopian community in Tennessee intended to demonstrate a path toward emancipation for enslaved people. Her outspoken activism made her both celebrated and controversial in her lifetime.