Introduction to Mercy Otis Warren by Various Authors
Introduction to Mercy Otis Warren by Various Authors
Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814)
Mercy Otis Warren was an American activist poet, playwright, and pamphleteer during the American Revolution. During the years before the Revolution, she had published poems and plays that attacked royal authority in Massachusetts and urged colonists to resist British infringements on colonial rights and liberties. She was married to James Warren, who was likewise heavily active in the independence movement.
During the debate over the United States Constitution in 1788, she issued a pamphlet, Observations on the new Constitution, and on the Federal and State Conventions, written under the pseudonym “A Columbian Patriot”, that opposed ratification of the document and advocated the inclusion of a Bill of Rights.[1] Observations was long thought to be the work of other writers, most notably Elbridge Gerry. It was not until one of her descendants, Charles Warren, found a reference to it in a 1787 letter to British historian Catharine Macaulay that Warren was accredited authorship.[2] In 1790, she published a collection of poems and plays under her own name, an unusual occurrence for a woman at the time. In 1805, she published one of the earliest histories of the American Revolution, a three-volume History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution.
Early life
Warren was born on September 25, 1728,[3][a] the third of thirteen children and the first daughter of Colonel James Otis (1702–1778) and Mary (Allyne) Otis (1702–1774).[3] The family lived in Barnstable, Massachusetts.[3] Her mother was a descendant of Mayflower passenger Edward Doty.[3] Her father was a farmer and attorney, who served as a judge for the Barnstable County Court of Common Pleas. He won election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1745.[4] He was an outspoken opponent of British rule and the appointed colonial governor, Thomas Hutchinson.[5]
The Otis children were “raised in the midst of revolutionary ideals”.[6] Although Mercy had no formal education, she studied with the Reverend Jonathan Russell while he tutored her brothers Joseph and James in preparation for college. Her father also had unconventional views of his daughter’s education, as he fully supported her endeavors, which was extremely unusual for the 18th century.[7] Her brother James attended Harvard College and became a noted patriot and lawyer. What little of his correspondence with Mercy survives suggests that James encouraged Mercy’s academic and literary efforts, treating her as an intellectual equal and confidante.[8]
Marriage and children
Mercy Otis married James Warren on November 14, 1754. After settling in Plymouth, James inherited his father’s position as sheriff. His previous occupations included farming and merchanting.[9] Throughout their lives, they wrote letters of respect and admiration to each other. These exchanges of adoration showed both a mutual respect and an enduring bond betwee