Considered by many as the first American poet, Anne Bradstreet (1612-1672) represents more than just another echelon of American literature. Her works may have very well been the starting point of feminism in America and the first step in the long road to the emancipation of women. Bradstreet wrote with considerable restrain, obviously in fear of the prejudiced reactions of her society towards women who display intellectual pursuits. However, wherever she exchanged directness with caution, she did so by infusing a huge amount of sarcastic wit and subtle fury, a testament to her true feelings about certain issues.

In “The Tenth Muse Lately Sprung Up in America, by a Gentlewoman of Those Parts” (1650), Bradstreet showcased some of her sharpest and most biting criticism towards societal norms concerning women. The fifth stanza sheds ample light on the way people of those times tended to look down upon female acts of intellect;

“For such despite they cast on female wits,

If what I do prove well, it won’t advance,

They’ll say its stol’n, or else it was by chance” (Bradstreet, 5)

These lines suggest a personal edge to her anger. There may have been incidents in her life where she had been scorned or apprehended for her endeavors in the creative field. Bradstreet showed very little restrain in these lines, preferring to hit at the heart of the problem, which proves that she herself was very frustrated at being shackled because she was a woman.

The following lines, also from “The Tenth Muse”, set the tone for the coming struggle for emancipation;

“Men can do best, and women know it well,

Preeminence in all and each is yours,

Yet grant some small acknowledgment of ours.” (Bradstreet, 7)

Although seemingly contradictory and un-feministic at first, the above lines actually are very subtle and cunning seeds of discontent that Bradstreet was trying to sow among members of society, especially young women. She chose to feed upon the lack of appreciation that women were suffering from while at the same time aiming to instill a sense of guilt among prejudiced individuals who viewed women as an inferior class.

Anne Bradstreet’s cautious and well-thought out approach to dealing with gender discrimination in the Puritan times proved to be an important stepping stone for the emancipation movement in America. She successfully avoided the trap of being branded an outcast or deviant while still generating enough food for thought that inspired feminism.