Welcome to The Ernestine Rose Society

The mission of the Ernestine Rose Society is to revive the legacy of this important early nineteenth century reformer by recognizing her pioneering role in the first wave of feminism.

Photo by permission:
The Schlesinger Libary, Radcliffe Institute, Harvard University

"We are not crusading for the rights of the women of New England or of old England but of the world" - Ernestine Rose at the first National Woman's Rights Convention, Worcester, MA 1850

Read a short biography of Ernestine Rose.

Read excerpts from her speeches on women's rights issues (many of which are still current issues) Also, read Ernestine Rose's stirring address to the second National Women's Rights Conference in 1851.

NEW! Read about the Ernestine Rose Society Projects and Events. This section of our site has been recently updated and expanded with descriptions and photos from the commemorative events in London, August 2002.

See Bibliography of Ernestine Rose books and articles

Learn about the founder, honorary chair, and advisory board of the Ernestine Rose Society and some of their publications

Find out about membership in the Ernestine Rose Society

Susan B. Anthony recognized Ernestine Rose as one of the three foremothers of the 19th century women's rights movement in the United States. "....Mary Wollstonecraft and then Frances Wright and Ernestine Rose...All spoke about women's rights before Lucretia Mott, Stanton, and others." Anthony kept a large photo of Rose on the wall of her study and described her as "that noble worker for the cause of women's rights." Anthony and Rose probably first met in 1852 when Anthony attended her first Woman's Rights Convention. Rose had been advocating for women's rights in the U.S. since 1836.

This site is sponsored by the Women's Studies Research Center of Brandeis University, Waltham, MA 02454