Chastek Blawg

 

  Myra Bradwell Opening the Door for Women in Law For March's Women’s History Month, Chastek Library’s display recognized Myra Bradwell. Myra was a publisher, political activist, and supporter of women’s rights. Most notably, she was one of America’s first  female lawyers , creating a space for women in the legal field and making it possible for women to pursue law careers and beyond. In 1831, Myra was born in Vermont. Colleges did not allow women to enroll at that time, so she graduated from an all-women monastery in Illinois and became a teacher. Shortly after, she met and married aspiring lawyer  James Bradwell . James was studying to be a lawyer, but because there were very few formal law schools at the time, he had to study law on his own. Myra learned the basics of the legal field by studying alongside her husband. She saw  her marriage as a “partnership,” in which she used her own legal knowledge to help her husband in his career. In the mid-1850s, Myra and James