Mercy Otis Warren
1728 – 1814
Mercy Otis Warren (1728-1814) was one of the most formidable female intellectuals in 18th century America. She wrote plays, poetry, letters, a pamphlet warning of the dangers of the new Constitution, and one of the most important contemporary histories of the American Revolution. In her history we see the continual struggle between liberty, virtue, and reason on the one hand, against the blind pursuit of power, luxury, and passion on the other.