The Great Lawsuit

Margaret Fuller’s "The Great Lawsuit. Man versus Men. Woman versus Women" was published in The Dial (1843), of which she was editor. After initial success, Fuller expanded her article into a book which she published in 1845 titled "Woman in the Nineteenth Century". This piece discusses a transcendentalist, feminist, vision for the future.
Fuller’s first point is that women and abolitionists are fighting for the same cause and ought to join forces to be more effective in fighting for what they want. Fuller makes the point that men should not be considered the head of the household. Instead the husband and wife should be equal. Fuller points out that if the husband dies, the wife only inherits half of the property which forces her into poverty. Fuller points out that men are unlikely to solve this problem, and therefore women must take part in government to solve it themselves. Fuller finishes her point by stating that the current arrangement would be fine if men were angels, but they are not and so women need to speak for themselves. Fuller emphasizes the value of self- reliance in women, contrary to the views of most men who believed women ought to rely on men completely. She adds that sentimental value left over from childhood is is unlikely to motivate sons to help their mothers, and women are more than just mothers.
On the topic of marriage, Fuller defines four types which parallel Aristotle's three types of friendship.  The first type of marriage is a household partnership: the couple is married because of necessity. The woman needs a husband to provide for her and the husband needs a wife to make his home comfortable. This type of marriage is comparable to Aristotle’s definition of a friendship of utility; the friends use each other to gain an end (eg. higher social standing). The second type of marriage is mutual admiration: here the husband and wife admire each other for their beauty or personality. This type of marriage is similar to Aristotle’s definition of friendship of pleasure. The friends like each other but their love is only skin deep so to say. The third type of marriage is intellectual companionship; the couple loves each other for their mind and they make each other better people. This version of marriage ties in with friendship of the good. The friends bring out the best in each other and truly love and respect each other. The final type of marriage is religious marriage. This type of marriage invites a spiritual dimension into the marriage. Fuller’s final point is that girl’s education needs to be equal to boys, not so that they can be better mothers or wives, but so they can be better people.