Mary Edwards Walker, advocating for female equality and slavery

Mary Edwards Walker: Advocating for Female Equality and Slavery Abolitionist Movement
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Mary Edwards Walker: Advocating for Female Equality and Slavery Abolitionist Movement
Introduction
Mary Edwards Walker defied conventions at a time when women’s role in society was clearly defined. Her beliefs in herself to accomplish great things despite the challenges made her a defining piece of history through the things she was able to do not only for herself but also for other women. Her efforts to propel women into greater heights pushed her into setting milestones that later enabled women to delve into professions and other aspects of society previously unheard of in the American community. Despite the significant roadblocks, Walker was able to push through and fight for female equality and the discrimination of black people in the United States.
Early life and development
During her early years, women were limited in terms of what they could do in society, especially with slavery rampant at the time. However, her parents led an unconventional life where they supported both sexes' freedom to do whatever they pleased with their lives (Pass & Bishop, 2016). Furthermore, their progressive nature enabled them to provide all their daughters with the same education as their only brother. The decision to allow the girls in the family to wear short dresses to feel more comfortable while walking also formed part of their progressive view of the world. Therefore, her parents played an essential role in shaping her lifestyle.
Walker went on to train to become a teacher, after which she practiced the profession even though she had a passion for medicine. Through persistence, she saved enough money over several years and was able to fund her medical school fees, after which she graduated to make history as a woman physician who were very few at the time in America (Pass & Bishop, 2016). Despite being fully knowledgeable in her profession, many patients at the time did not trust a woman to treat them adequately. Therefore, her practice did not yield much fruit in New York, where they had opened a practice. Consequently, with much spare time in her hands, Walker began to take her abolitionist ideas public by speaking openly about social injustices and the need for women’s rights.
Due to her gender, she could not gain employment during the civil war in the Union army. However, she still volunteered her services to treating soldiers in the Union by traveling to treat them in various hospitals and the battlefield. However, she finally gained a contract with the 52nd Ohio Volunteers m...