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Nicole Langreck
Stone
American Lit.: 1820-1860
4 February 2016

Terms
The American Renaissance The American Renaissance was like a new beginning or a rebirth of
American literature. Though the country itself was at a juvenile stage in development, literature
began to take on a whole new approach.
Transcendentalism The transcendentalist writers of this time were writers who would think of
different approaches to various things than done prior. They would discuss spiritual ideas. They
also shunned conformity, leaning towards a more individualized approach to life.
Gothicism Gothicism places a large emphasis on the dark or spooky. Many literary works
encompassed this because it offered a touch into the darker parts of life and was a fascinating
retreat from everyday life.

Historical Event
During the busyness of the 1820s through the 1860s in American society, many things were
happening around the country, including wars and expansion of the country. However, through all
this women were still constrained by societal expectations. One woman, Elizabeth Blackwell,
defied what was expected of her and received a medical degree from the Medical Institute of
Geneva, located in New York, on January 23, 1849.
Blackwell was born in England but moved to America when she was eleven due to her
father wanting to fight to abolish slavery and for financial gain. She originally had been disgusted
by anything relating to the human body, choosing instead to focus on history. However, all that
changed for her when a close friend fell ill and was near death. The friend told Blackwell that she
thought her suffering would have been eased significantly if her physician had been of the same

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gender, and so Blackwell started researching how to become a physician (Dr. Elizabeth
Blackwell).
She worked with physicians who were family friends for a brief time before applying to a
variety of schools. The Medical Institute of Geneva thought that the males would shun her if she
was admitted, but put it up to a vote anyway. Jokingly, many voted yes, and she entered into her
schooling much to the anger of both students and faculty. Two years later, she received her degree
and became the first women to do so in the medical field (Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell).
She worked in various jobs as a physician for two years before becoming blind in one eye
due to a condition she had picked up from a patient. She then tried to find work, but with her
disadvantage of gender and partial blindness, she had to set up her own practice. She later helped
to set up a facility where women could learn how to practice medicine (Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell).
I believe that Elizabeth Blackwell earning her medical degree expresses quite well the
general attitude of that time in America. While Elizabeth Blackwell did get into the medical college
and earn her degree, she had to face a lot of adversity while accomplishing it due to her gender. At
the time, women writers were emerging and quite well received, however, they probably didnt
accomplish this without some people shunning them. The female authors had to overcome
adversity to end up being successful. No one just handed them the ability to be seen as great writers.
They had to earn it.
Also, Blackwell wasnt well received, however, she was still accepted. She wasnt
embraced by everyone, but she was by enough people to make a living for herself. I think this also
highlights the strange state that women were in during this time. It was like they belonged, but at
the same time, they didnt. They had societal expectations imposed upon them, but when they

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broke these expectations, the society didnt seem to know whether to be shocked or accepting.
While there were still a masculinity in the society that wasnt easily going away, Blackwell was
one of the people who had begun to chip away at it through earning her medical degree.

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Works Cited
"Dr. Elizabeth Blackwell." Changing the Face of Medicine. U. S. National Library of Medicine,
5 Dec. 2013. Web. 3 Feb. 2016.