Marie ware Dennett

“We must challenge oppressive laws and systems that deny women autonomy over their bodies.”

“Our body, our right” How many times have we heard this slogan? Many times but how many of you know that this slogan is a century old? Yes, you got me right. 100 years old. And yet, we’re fighting the same battle.

Time Magazine named her one of America’s 9 most important women in American history everybody should know and yet outside of academic circles, most people don’t know her.

She started or was involved with numerous reform organizations. She was a leader in the arts and crafts movement in Boston in 1890. She was the leader in the suffrage movement from 1908 until about 1915. She was a leader in the reproductive rights movement. And the founder of the first national birth control organization in 1915. She was an early advocate for sex education. She was a leader in the peace movement. Before World War 1 and World War 2, she was a champion of free speech and an advocate for equal pay for women. She is Marie ware Dennett.

Marie Coffin Ware was born in Worcester, Massachusetts on April 4th, 1872, to Livonia Coffin and George Ware, the second of 4 children. Mary’s father, a hide and wool merchant, often traveled and worked long hours, but sadly passed away from cancer when she was just 10 years old. Following his death, Mary’s mother relocated with the children to Boston to be closer to family.

In Boston, Livonia faced challenges in finding employment as a woman. She eventually took a job as a chaperone for Young Women Traveling to Europe, which kept her away from Mary and her siblings. During this time, the children stayed with their aunts and uncles, one of whom was an outspoken pacifist and suffragist, contributing to Mary’s exposure to early feminist ideals.

Raised in a family that valued education and with aunts who were pioneers in feminism, Mary was deeply influenced by these experiences. She displayed artistic talent from a young age, inspired in part by an uncle’s marriage to an artist. This sparked a lifelong passion for arts and crafts.

Marie ware Dennett pursued her artistic interests by enrolling in the School of Art and Design at the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, where she graduated with first honors. Her focus on textile design earned her recognition and prizes for her work, including tapestries and leatherwork.

At the age of 21, Marie ware Dennett broke societal norms by accepting a position as a professor at the Drexel Institute of Arts in Philadelphia. After three years, she returned to Boston and became involved in the revival of leatherworking crafts. Embracing the values of the handicraft movement, Mary advocated for the appreciation of handmade goods in response to the industrial revolution’s impact on society.

Mary’s advocacy for craftsmanship and the philosophy of “less is more” resonate with modern trends like minimalism. Her visionary approach to art and design reflects her commitment to creativity and social change.

During her college years, Mary met William Hartley Dennett, a budding architect, whom she would eventually marry on January 20th, 1900. Together, they established an architectural and interior design firm, embodying what they saw as a modern partnership. While Hartley focused on construction, Mary contributed her design and decoration skills to their projects. Their collaboration was both financial and emotional, reflecting a strong bond between them.

However, tragedy struck during Mary’s childbirth experiences. Despite having three sons, the couple endured the loss of their second child shortly after birth. The subsequent birth of their third son left Mary with a painful vaginal tear, leading doctors to advise against further pregnancies. However, Hartley’s solution to prevent more children, through abstinence, strained their marriage significantly.

Mary’s health suffered, leading her to withdraw from her professional pursuits to recover. Meanwhile, Hartley began an affair with a client’s wife, declaring it as a form of “higher” and “spiritual” love. Despite Mary’s efforts to salvage their marriage, including refusing to join the affair, their relationship deteriorated irreparably.

In 1913, Mary successfully fought for custody of their children after Hartley refused to support them financially. With her return to the workforce necessary to provide for her family, Mary transitioned from her previous career as an artist and interior designer to become a suffrage activist.

Joining forces with her aunt, who headed the Massachusetts Suffrage Association, Mary took on the role of corresponding secretary. She later advanced to a leadership position within the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), advocating for the enfranchisement of all women in the United States. Mary’s efforts included organizing successful marches, such as the one in March 1913.

Following disagreements within NAWSA, Mary resigned from her position in 1915, shifting her focus to other causes. She assumed the presidency of the Twilight Sleep Association in New York City, promoting painless childbirth through the administration of anesthesia. Additionally, Mary embraced her pacifist beliefs, becoming involved with anti-war organizations during World War I, such as the American Union Against Militarism and the Women’s Peace Party.

Mary’s tireless activism extended beyond suffrage and anti-war efforts. By 1915, she grew weary of the contentious debates surrounding inclusion within the suffrage movement, particularly regarding women of color. Despite the challenges she faced in her personal and professional life, Mary remained dedicated to her principles and continued to advocate for social change.

Mary expanded her advocacy beyond suffrage, delving into other aspects of women’s rights. In 1915, she took a significant step by establishing the first national birth control organization. Her mission was twofold: to eliminate the stigma surrounding discussions about sex and contraception and to lobby Congress for legislative change. This initiative was pivotal, especially at a time when women lacked the right to vote, and contraception was illegal across the United States.

During this era, discussing birth control was taboo, and laws prohibited doctors from advising patients or educators from informing students about contraception. The Comstock Act of the time criminalized the distribution of “obscene” materials through the mail, effectively censoring discussions on contraception. Mary tirelessly lobbied Congress for a decade, advocating for the legalization of contraception and challenging the restrictive laws.

One of her key strategies was to target the Comstock Act, aiming to remove the word “contraceptive” from its jurisdiction. This effort was crucial in paving the way for more open discussions and access to contraception. Despite facing significant opposition and legal hurdles, Mary remained steadfast in her commitment to women’s reproductive rights.

However, her journey was not without challenges. In 1919, Marie ware Dennett resigned from the National Birth Control League due to a lack of support from New York politicians in passing legislation to repeal state laws against birth control. Despite setbacks, Mary’s dedication to the cause laid the groundwork for future advancements in reproductive rights and paved the way for more open discussions about contraception in society.

Later, Marie ware Dennett established the voluntary parenthood league in New York City. It’s sought to remove birth control from obscenity laws and to educate parents about teaching their children Sex education. She believed that it was the parent’s right to decide whether they should have a child. This occupied her life till 1925.

When Mary’s older son became a teenager and started asking about sex she started to look around for educational materials to give him. Finding nothing adequate she wrote her informational pamphlet for her sons In 1915 called the sex side of Life, which described sex organs, the reproductive process, and even things like masturbation. And sexually transmitted diseases. After her sons responded positively to the pamphlet, she began to share it with friends who had children and words spread about the work in 1918. The Medical Review of Reviews published the pamphlet as an article in their February 1918 issue, following that Marie ware Dennett published the standalone pamphlet and sold it through the postal service. Then it ran up against the Comstock Laws.

In 1928, Marie ware Dennett was intercepted by a US government Sting operation. Much to their surprise, she fought back. She was convicted of it in 1929. She won her case on appeal. It sets a legal precedent and allows its publication. She also received critical acclaim for it.

She believed in total free access to sexual information. Contraceptive information was the way forward.

After the trial was over, she wrote Who’s Obscene in 1930 describing her account of the trial, and in 1931, she wrote the sex education of Children a book for parents. After retiring and moving to New York during the middle of the 1930s, she continued to participate in social reform groups from 1941 to 1944 she helped establish and worked at. As a chair of the World Federalists, an organization that promoted world peace in 1945, she moved to Valati New York to live in a nursing home. She died on 25th, July 1947, at the age of 75. Nearly 10 years after her death, the Comstock laws were repealed.

The echoes of Mary’s timeless battle for bodily autonomy reverberate through the corridors of history, weaving a narrative that spans a century and beyond. Like an eternal flame, the fight blazes on, its flames flickering with resilience and determination, yet casting shadows of uncertainty on the path ahead.

–Nidhi Raj is an independent writing professional, storyteller, and mother with a keen interest in women’s issues and International Relations.