Bloomer, Amelia Jenks (1818-1894)
- Title
- Bloomer, Amelia Jenks (1818-1894)
- Contributor
- Zizelmann, Evelyn
- birthday
- 1818-05-27
- Birthplace
- Homer, NY
- Death Date
- 1894-12-30
- Occupation
- Women's right activist, Newspaper owner, Editor
- Biographical Text
-
Amelia Bloomer was born to Ananias Jenks and Lucy Jenks as one of the youngest in her large family. Having at least six siblings meant that Bloomer received only a few years of formal training, so she became a teacher to start making money. At 17, she relocated to live with her sister and teach her sister's children. When Bloomer's husband suggested she started to write for his paper, she did so, and this inspired her to attend the Seneca Falls Convention, which in turn inspired her to start her newspaper, The Lily. After experiencing ups and downs, she took on editing and publishing the paper herself, which spoke on women's rights, activism, and fashion. Through the friend of a friend, Bloomer experienced a new fashion statement and spread it through her newspaper, hence its name "bloomers." She was also noteworthy for introducing Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to each other in 1851. Additionally, Bloomer led suffrage campaigns in Iowa and Nebraska, and served as the president of the Iowa Women's Suffrage Association in the 1870s.
Amelia married her husband, Dexter Bloomer, on April 15, 1840, and had no children with him. She died in 1894 at the age of 76. Bloomer is one of three figures in the "When Anthony Met Stanton" statue in Seneca Falls, New York, where their meeting took place. Additionally, she was the inspiration for the "Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18," a list of books with significant feminism and female empowerment for young readers.
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