Mary Lyon Research Paper

Mary Mason Lyon, pioneer in women’s education, died on March 5, 1849, from a severe illness. While watching over a student in her care suffering from the disease, Mary Lyon contracted Erysipelas: an infectious skin disease. Only 52 years old, Mary Lyon died in her apartment after living a full and successful life. Born February 28, 1979, to Aaron and Jemima Lyon in Buckland, Massachusetts, Mary was the sixth of eight children. She attended school for thirteen years before extending her education and accepting a teaching job at age seventeen to help the family income. Mary Lyon suffered from a loss at an exceptionally young age. When she was five years old, Mary lost her father. Too young to get a job, Mary went to school for thirteen years, normal for that time. It was unusual that Mary went to school for the

While she enjoyed it immensely, Mary realized that she wanted to further her education. She attended Saunderson Academy in Ashfield, Massachusetts; Amherst Academy in Amherst, Massachusetts; and the Byfield Female Seminary in Byfield, Massachusetts; all while teaching at schools. In 1824, Mary Lyon opened an all-girl’s school in Buckland, Massachusetts. While she started off with a small number of students, it quickly grew due to low tuition costs. While working with different schools, she met Reverend Joseph Emerson, brother of Ralph Waldo Emerson. Reverend Joseph Emerson wrote Discourse of Female Education (1822), focusing on the idea that women should be teachers rather than to simply be for male pleasure. Due to their friendship, Mary Lyon joined the Congregational Church. The Christian faith was deeply ingrained in Lyon’s teachings. Mary Lyon was inspired by furthering women’s education, which previously was depended on the luck and skill of teachers or men. She believed that female education should be as permanent as male education. Therefore, Mary worked to open her own