Town Hall Meeting

Hello, my name is Louisa May Alcott. Throughout the 1800s I became an activist for women to become independent thinkers and directed efforts towards the cause of Women's Suffrage, while also being deeply inspired by the transcendentalist movement. I use my writing abilities to send the message of the nineteenth century constraints women had. I write multiple books throughout my lifetime all dealing with the issue of women being trapped in the expectations of society.

Due to the financial struggles of my family I had attended some schooling during my younger years. I was mostly taught to read and write by my father who believed children should enjoy learning. I also studied under a philosopher named Henry David Thoreau and authors such as Ralph Waldo Emerson. 

Throughout the late nineteenth century I wrote many books, some being Little Women, where I speak to the constraints of being a nineteenth century woman needing to meet the social expectations. Before I wrote my book Little Women I wrote a series of short stories, which was published in 1854. After my success in writing and selling Little Women I wrote the sequel Little Men. When the Civil War started I became a nurse in a Union Hospital. Unfortunately while I was serving as a nurse I contracted typhoid fever. While having typhoid fever left me permanently scared and incapacitated the experience influenced my next novel Hospital Sketches. The success of my book Hospital Sketches gave me my first taste of fame and led to me continuing to write my other books. 

I write Little Women to reflect on my own experiences and the lives of women during my time. Growing up in a progressive family, I was influenced by the ideals of independence and creativity, yet I also faced the societal expectations that often constrained women. I sought to capture the complexities of female relationships and the varied paths women could take, whether pursuing careers, nurturing families, or seeking personal fulfillment. I wanted to inspire young women to embrace their individuality and aspirations, encouraging them to defy societal norms. 

By writing "Little Women," I crafted a narrative that celebrated both the domestic sphere and the quest for personal identity, making it a timeless exploration of womanhood that continues to resonate with readers of the future. I also became the first woman to register to vote in Concord, Connecticut. To work against the societal norms of the nineteenth century I never got married or had any children but I did adopt my sister's daughter when my sister passed.

In the final years of my life, I faced a multitude of challenges, both personal and health related. After the success of Little Women I continued to write using the theme of the complexities of being a woman during the nineteenth century. I spent the last two years of my life in Boston and Concord caring for my mother and my incredibly helpless father. However, my health deteriorated due to the years of struggling with chronic illnesses, including the aftereffects of typhoid fever leading me to die two days after the passing of my father.