“She Comes Armed With The Proper Documents”: Myra Bradwell’s Fight For Women’s Rights In Bradwell V. Illinois

Myra Bradwell was the first woman to seriously challenge the United States Supreme Court for a woman’s right to an employment of her choosing, specifically the right to practice law. Even though Myra Bradwell’s case was struck down in the Supreme Court, the case still marks two important aspects of American History. Not only was her Supreme Court case Bradwell v. Illinois 1873 a landmark case for the advancement of Women’s Rights, but it was also a landmark case in Post-Civil War America. Bradwell v. Illinois became the second Supreme Court case to rule on the newly ratified Fourteenth Amendment, though The Slaughterhouse Cases are far more often noted among historians for the impact of the Fourteenth Amendment. This paper seeks to examine the tactics in which Myra Bradwell employed her gender to secure advancements for women and how this case changed the social atmosphere Post-Civil War America.