Clarina Nichols

Clarina Nichols was one of the nation's most amazing women of the Civil War Era--or any era. Any of the hats that she wore--crusading newspaper editor in Vermont, temperance lecturer and political activist in four states, pioneer abolitionist and Underground Railroad conductor in "Bleeding Kansas," and defender of abused women--would be more than a lifetime of work for most people. Diane Eickhoff's superbly researched and presented biography Revolutionary Heart: The Life of Clarina Nichols And the Pioneering Crusade for Women's Rights shows us how far we have come in 150 years--largely due to the heroic efforts of women such as Nichols and Eickhoff herself!

When I got Revolutionary Heart, I had a hard time putting it down. Diane knows how to make history come alive through her writing about a woman who seems as contemporary as today's news. Her writing is spell-binding. I feel I know Clarina very well after reading the book.

Reviewed by Mary Nyland for Reader Views (5/06) Revolutionary Heart, written by Diane Eickhoff, is not only well written, but also well researched and extremely readable. The text is intelligent, provocative, and moves at an interesting pace. Clearly, this author has done her homework. Not only is she historically accurate, she also puts meat on the bones of her characters to make them dynamic and memorable. Clarina Nichols is a rare and determined woman. Life in the 1800's in early America is no place for a woman who liked to make up her own mind, yet she became one of America's first female newspaper editors. She moved on to public speaking and is a founder of the woman's movement. Married twice, she faced the challenges of choosing the wrong mate, of being a single parent, and of having opinions that she simply had to express. Amid the laughter and the heartache, we get a glimpse of the life of a strong, resourceful early settler who set the pace for many to follow. Early in her career she says: 'If we are the weaker sex, oh, give us, we pray you, equal protection with the stronger sex!' (p63) and in later years: 'Only those who have suffered as I have can have the courage and determination to move steadily forward against such opposition (as the laws against women's rights). She spoke out against the laws that protected fatherhood: fatherhood included 100% custody of the children. If a man died, his children were, by law, given to people who were considered worthy to raise a child. This short list did not include the mother. Wives were to 'submit to the will of her husband in all things.' But what, she asks, is a woman to do if her husband wishes her to vote? I would encourage all historians, students of American history, and any man or women wanting a good read to pick up "Revolutionary Heart." Although the title is fitting, it is the only criticism I have. I would not buy a book with that title off the shelf. The word 'Heart' would confuse someone with my taste as I am not a romance reader. Sorry, I cannot think of a better title but that is my opinion. If Diane Eickhoff writes more books, and I hope she does, I will definitely purchase them.

Revolutionary Heart: The Life of Clarina Nichols and the Pioneering Crusade for Women's Rights is the amazing true life story of Clarina I. H. Nichols (1810-1885), one of America's first female newspaper editors. A founder of the American women's movement, Nichols had experienced some of the most terrible heartbreak a married woman could experience, yet she not only faced head-on the challenges of financial hardship and single motherhood; she also crusaded to improve life for women and remedy their mistreatment. Author Diane Eickhoff has gone to great lengths to collect Nichols' scattered writings, and assemble as many other sources as possible to give a complete portrait of this trailblazing woman. Highly recommended, especially for library and women's studies collections.

Subtitled: The Life of Clarina Nichols and the Pioneering Crusade for Women's Rights With great embarrassment I must admit I had no more than a fleeting knowledge of what the women's suffragist movement was all about. Reaching adulthood in the early 1970s, I was more familiar with that era's movement to garner equal pay for equal work. Little did I know the wheels had been set in motion more than a hundred years earlier. Revolutionary Heart details the life of Clarina Nichols, an educated Vermont native with a flair for journalism and public speaking. Through records of Mrs. Nichol's writings and speeches, Diane Eickhoff has pieced together the early history of women's rights in America. I marvel at the courage, strength and determination of Clarina Nichols, who has been overshadowed in history books by her better-known contemporary Susan B. Anthony. Both women challenged the issues of their day regarding slavery, temperance and women's rights. All at a time when women had no rights. No right to own property, no right to be awarded custody of children in the rare event of divorce, and no right to vote. The author has written a beautiful biography of this woman who was no stranger to hardship. She divorced one husband and buried another. Her courage and determination carried her from the comforts of her Vermont home to the rugged terrains of Wisconsin, Kansas and ultimately California. By her intellect and wit, Mrs. Nichols was a welcome speaker and journalist who was clearly instrumental in bringing about change. In one of my favorite passages, Mrs. Nichols addressed the accusation that women's rights leaders wanted to "wear the pants in the family." It reads: She said that though she bought the dress she wore with her own money, her husband by law owned it, not of his own will, but by a "law adopted by bachelors and other women's husbands." She said she didn't think it was fair for men to tease women about wanting to wear men's pants until men had given up their right to own women's skirts. It is with gratitude that I reflect on the hardships many endured to assure women equal rights under the law. With heartfelt appreciation, I thank the author for bringing this important woman's story to light. Armchair Interviews agrees.