Warren, Mercy Otis

Warren, Mercy Otis
orig. Mercy Otis

born Sept. 25, 1728, Barnstable, Mass.
died Oct. 19, 1814, Plymouth, Mass., U.S.

U.S. poet, dramatist, and historian.

The sister of James Otis, she received no formal education but nevertheless became a woman of letters and a friend and correspondent of leading political figures. She commented on the issues of the day in political satires, plays, and pamphlets. Though a defender of the American Revolution, she opposed the Constitution, arguing that power should rest with the states. Her most significant work, History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution (3 vol., 1805), covered the period from 1765 to 1800.

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▪ American writer and historian
née  Mercy Otis  
born Sept. 25 [Sept. 14, Old Style], 1728, Barnstable, Mass. [U.S.]
died Oct. 19, 1814, Plymouth, Mass., U.S.
 American poet, dramatist, and historian whose proximity to political leaders and events of her day gives particular value to her writing on the American Revolutionary period.

      Mercy Otis was the sister of the political activist James Otis (Otis, James), who was early involved in events leading to the American Revolution. She received no formal schooling but managed to absorb something of an education from her brothers' tutors. In 1754 she married James Warren, a Massachusetts political leader. Knowing most of the leaders of the Revolution personally, Warren was continually at or near the centre of events from 1765 to 1789. She combined her vantage point with a talent for writing to become both a poet and a historian of the Revolutionary era. She wrote several plays, including the satiric Adulateur (1772). Directed against Governor Thomas Hutchinson (Hutchinson, Thomas) of Massachusetts, the play foretold the War of Revolution.

      The Defeat, also featuring the character based on Hutchinson, followed, and in 1775 Warren published The Group, a satire conjecturing what would happen if the British king abrogated the Massachusetts charter of rights. The anonymously published The Blockheads (1776) and The Motley Assembly (1779) are also attributed to her. In 1788 she published Observations on the New Constitution, whose ratification she opposed.

      Warren corresponded with her friend Abigail Adams (Adams, Abigail) on her belief that the relegation of women to minor concerns reflected not their inferior intellect but the inferior opportunities offered them to develop their capacities. In 1790 she published Poems, Dramatic and Miscellaneous, a collection of her works. In 1805 she completed a three-volume history titled A History of the Rise, Progress, and Termination of the American Revolution, which remains especially useful for its knowledgeable comments on the important personages of the day. The book's sharp comments on John Adams (Adams, John) led to a heated correspondence and a breach in her friendship with the Adamses that lasted until 1812.

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Universalium. 2010.

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  • Warren, Mercy Otis — orig. Mercy Otis (25 sep. 1728, Barnstable, Mass.–19 oct. 1814, Plymouth, Mass., EE.UU.). Poeta, dramaturga e historiadora estadounidense. Hermana de James Otis, no recibió educación formal y sin embargo fue una mujer letrada, amiga y… …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Mercy Otis Warren — Mercy Otis Warren, circa 1763, oil on canvas by John Singleton Copley Mercy Otis Warren (September 24,[1] 1728 – October 19, 1814) was a political writer and propagandist of the American Revolution. In the eighteenth century, topics such as… …   Wikipedia

  • Mercy Otis Warren — par John Singleton Copley. Mercy Otis Warren (14 septembre 1728 – 19 octobre 1814) est une historienne et auteur américaine. Elle est connue comme la « conscience de la Révolution américaine », certains historiens la …   Wikipédia en Français

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  • Warren — /wawr euhn, wor /, n. 1. Earl, 1891 1974, U.S. lawyer and political leader: Chief Justice of the U.S. 1953 69. 2. Joseph, 1741 75, American physician, statesman, and patriot. 3. Mercy Otis, 1728 1814, U.S. historian and poet (sister of James… …   Universalium

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  • mercy — /merr see/, n., pl. mercies for 4, 5. 1. compassionate or kindly forbearance shown toward an offender, an enemy, or other person in one s power; compassion, pity, or benevolence: Have mercy on the poor sinner. 2. the disposition to be… …   Universalium

  • Otis — (as used in expressions) Howard, Oliver O(tis) Otis, Harrison Gray Otis, James Skinner, Cornelia Otis Warren, Mercy Otis Mercy Otis …   Enciclopedia Universal

  • Mercy — /merr see/, n. a female given name. * * * (as used in expressions) mercy killing Warren Mercy Otis Mercy Otis * * * …   Universalium

  • warren — /wawr euhn, wor /, n. 1. a place where rabbits breed or abound. 2. a building or area containing many tenants in limited or crowded quarters. [1350 1400; ME warenne < AF; OF g(u)arenne < Gmc *warinne game park, equiv. to *war (base of *warjan to… …   Universalium

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