"Let Greeks be Greeks, and women what they are. "

Anne Bradstreet is one of the most important figures in the history of American Literature.  She is considered by many to be the first American poet and her first collection of poems was the first book written by a woman to be published in the United States.  Mrs. Bradstreet's work also documents the struggles of a Puritan wife against the hardships of New England colonial life. Her life was a constant struggle, from her difficult adaptation to the rigors of the new land, to her constant battle with illness and her poetry is testament to plight of the women of the age.. 

Anne Bradstreet wrote poetry for herself, her family, and close circle of educated friends, and did not intend on publication, as it was frowned upon for women to pursue intellectual enlightenment, let alone create and air their views and opinions.  

Lecture by Charlotte Gordon
about Anne Bradstreet