Margaret Hope Bacon (1921–2011)
Author of Mothers of Feminism: The Story of Quaker Women in America
About the Author
Margaret Hope Bacon, author and lecturer is a Swarthmore College Honorary Doctor of Humane Letters. The city of Philadelphia has honored her with both a Human Rights Award in 1976 and a Citation for Contributions to Women's History in 1987.
Works by Margaret Hope Bacon
Wilt Thou Go on My Errand?: Journals of Three 18th Century Quaker Women Ministers : Susanna Morris 1682-1755 Elizabeth Hudson 1722-1783 Ann Moore 17 (1994) — Editor — 85 copies, 1 review
Sarah Mapps Douglass, Faithful Attender of Quaker Meeting: View from the Back Bench (2003) 39 copies, 2 reviews
One woman's passion for peace and freedom : the life of Mildred Scott Olmsted (1993) 25 copies, 3 reviews
Abby Hopper Gibbons: Prison Reformer and Social Activist (SUNY series in Women, Crime, and Criminology) (2000) 20 copies
Associated Works
Lucretia Mott speaking : excerpts from the sermons & speeches of a famous nineteenth century Quaker minister & reformer (1980) — Editor — 43 copies, 4 reviews
Tagged
Common Knowledge
- Birthdate
- 1921-04-07
- Date of death
- 2011-02-24
- Gender
- female
- Education
- Antioch College
- Occupations
- biographer
journalist
historian
memoirist
novelist - Organizations
- Pennsylvania Abolition Society
- Short biography
- Margaret Hope Bacon, née Borchardt, was born in New York City. Her father was an artist and she attended progressive schools. She earned a bachelor's degree in 1943 at Antioch College in Ohio, where she met her future husband, S. Allen Bacon. After the couple married and had three children, she wrote freelance articles for national magazines such as Parents and Good Housekeeping. She joined the Society of Friends -- known as Quakers -- in 1950 and worked as assistant director of information services for the American Friends Service Committee for 22 years. From 1969 through 2007, she wrote more than a dozen fiction and nonfiction works, many of them biographies about leading Quakers. Among her most popular books were The Quiet Rebels: The Story of Quakers in America (1969) and Valiant Friend: The Life of Lucretia Mott (1980). Her memoir, Love Is the Hardest Lesson, was published in 1999. She was a longtime trustee and vice president of the Pennsylvania Abolition Society.
- Nationality
- USA
- Birthplace
- New York, New York, USA
- Places of residence
- Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, USA
- Place of death
- Kennett Square, Pennsylvania, USA
- Burial location
- Friends Southwestern Burial Ground, Upper Darby, Pennsylvania, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Pennsylvania, USA
Members
Reviews
The author gives us a vivid account of her experience working in a state psychiatric institution as the young wife of a conscientious objector during World War II. She portrays the insulated and dehumanizing world of Sykesville, where patients lost their individuality and caregivers behaved abusively from their own fear. The tale reminds us of our own vulnerabilities as as of the critical importance of community-based mental health treatment. Her personal story movingly illustrates the show more transformative power of love which casts out fear and restores to others their sense of humanity. show less
The author gives us a vivid account of her experience working in a state psychiatric institution as the young wife of a conscientious objector during World War II. She portrays the insulated and dehumanizing world of Sykesville, where patients lost their individuality and caregivers behaved abusively from their own fear. The tale reminds us of our own vulnerabilities as as of the critical importance of community-based mental health treatment. Her personal story movingly illustrates the show more transformative power of love which casts out fear and restores to others their sense of humanity. show less
“The author gives us a vivid account of her experience working in a state psychiatric institution as the young wife of a conscientious objector during World War II. She portrays the insulated and dehumanizing world of Sykesville where patients lost their individuality and caregivers behaved abusively from their own fear. Margaret’s personal story movingly illustrates the transformative power of love which casts out fear and restores to others their sense of humanity.” –Lee Junker
Since I have Quaker ancestry on both sides of my family, I read this book by Quaker historian Bacon to learn more about the origin and beliefs of the Society of Friends. My ancestors were no longer Quaker by the end of the Civil War, so the later history wasn’t of quite as much interest to me. Quaker influence throughout US history has been disproportionate to the number of adherents. The Quaker emphasis on honesty, equality, and justice found its expression in social movements for causes show more such as abolition, women’s suffrage, peace, and civil rights. One factual error about the date of the Bill of Rights combined with the absence of footnotes or endnotes would make me hesitant to cite this book in an academic context. (On page 39, Bacon states that “the Bill of Rights was adopted at the beginning of the Revolutionary War.” It was not adopted until nearly a decade after the war ended.) show less
Awards
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Associated Authors
Statistics
- Works
- 30
- Also by
- 3
- Members
- 1,318
- Popularity
- #19,501
- Rating
- 4.0
- Reviews
- 36
- ISBNs
- 33