Discover One Woman's Revolutionary Ideas About Religious Freedom
Meet Mercy Otis Warren as she discusses religious freedom and its impact on liberty, conscience, and civic virtue. During this program, she will explore her personal views, George Washington's, and their shared dedication to religious freedom.
Through her words and experiences, discover how these revolutionary ideals helped shape a new nation where people may choose to worship, or not to worship, according to their conscience.
Get to Know the Playwright, Poet & Historian
Warren's sharp intellect and forthright political writings helped define the ideological backbone of the American Revolution.
Born in Barnstable, Massachusetts, in 1728, into an influential patriot family, Warren broke through the traditional boundaries placed on 18th-century women by publishing biting satirical plays targeting British colonial rule and corresponding extensively with leading founders such as John Adams and George Washington.
An outspoken advocate for individual rights and civic virtue, she authored influential critiques during the debates over the U.S. Constitution. She later published History of the Rise, Progress and Termination of the American Revolution (1805)—one of the nation's earliest and most comprehensive firsthand accounts of the founding era.
