you mentioned that she published harriet beecher stowe. could you talk about her involvement with abolitionism? >> well, she wasn't an abolitionist. she thought that slavery was morally wrong. she died when -- the census was a couple of years after her birth, it show that there was one slave in her little town in new hampshire. she certainly had visited -- i believe, again this is not proven or documented, but i believe that she visited the south. and she encountered slavery. and her first book wasn't amanda imaginative view of slavery. and she supported the arguments against if. but she, being a woman of the 18th century, i guess, doubt that the bargains that the founders had made over slavery should continue until a time that the country could piece of bly get rid of slavery. she supported what was known as colonization. and that is, sending freed slaves to africa. to a colony that became the country of liberia. she did this because she thought that freed slaves wouldn't be able to succeed in america. she called mr. pains experiments. in

the young harriet beecher stowe, and many others. >> i think that's extraordinary. and it wasn't just -- it was female education but she also believed that women needed to be educated so they can better instruct their children with the new republic's civil virtues. she called this the doctrine of republican, small "r" republican, motherhood. do you want to expand on that? >> this is a very important point. as i mentioned earlier, when she started her magazine only half of american women were literate. she deeply believed that women had the same intellectual capabilities as men, but the difference was that men were educated and women weren't. so she believed -- and she believed that education was a lifelong process. she wanted women to be educated, to read and write and study subjects that previously had been considered too taxing for the female mind. but she considered it a lifelong process. in her magazine she would publish reading lists and articles about science, and very serious stuff. but for 50 years, every issue of every magazine that she edited talked about

thank you so much for joining us today, a fascinating talk lexi mentioned that she published harriet beecher stowet an abolitionist, she was against slavery she thought was morally wrong i don't know if she ever knew any slaves when she died when she was born, pardon me, the sense of a couple years after her birth shows that there was one place in her little town in new hampshire but she certainly had visited i think she visited the south. she had encountered slavery in her first book was an imaginative view of slavery in which it was clear she was against it and supported the arguments against it she being being a woman of the 18th century thought that the bargains that the founders had made over slavery she supported what was known as colonization sending freed slaves to africa to connie to be king in the country of liberia. she thought that freed slaves wouldn't be able to succeed in america. she wrote a book called mr. payton's experiment they came out in the 1850s in which mr. payton slave owner wanted to free a slave in the novel he sends one group to northern city they all had terrible expe

permitted to opt out in favor of those unaccomplished writers like hemingway, fitzgerald, duane, harriet beecher stoweamerican writers but remember the goals are always shifting for the they eyebrow. 20 years ago tolerance for different points of view but that wasn't getting the far left anywhere so then they shifted to demanding diversity but that they found to be limiting so they moved on again. lecturer paloma medina gave a tutorial to a packed auditorium how to establish true racial and gender equity in the workplace. >> we need to verbalize the right goal. the goal isn't diversity. the goal is equity. [applause] >> and sitting saying your formula diversity committee, hire outside experts to help you audit and achieve equity in salary and promotions which you can do it in two years. you can. laura: look at those clapping field in the audience, don't even realize the speaker is showing for her own industry and her solutions would mean forcing a lot from the audience out of jobs and hiring others purely on racial and gender lines. the temptation is to laugh at this cottage industry for the perpetual

in favor of, i don't know, those on accomplished writers like hemingway, fitzgerald, twain, harriet beecher stowean writers. but remember, the goals are always shifting for the dei crowd. 20 years ago it was tolerance for different points of view. but that wasn't getting the far left anywhere. so then they shifted to demanding diversity, but that too they found to be limiting. so they moved on again. lecturer gave a tutorial to a packed auditorium on how to establish true racial and gender equity in your workplace. >> we need to verbalize the goal isn't diversity. the goal is equity. >> hell you! [applause] instead of saying you're going to form a diversity committee, higher outside experts to help you audit for and then achieve equity and salary in promotions. you can do it in two years. you can. >> laura: look at those clapping seals in the audience. they don't even realize that the speaker is showing for her own industry, and her solutions would mean forcing a lot of them in the audience out of jobs and hiring others purely on racial or gender lines. the temptation is to laugh at this cottage

you mentioned she published harriet beecher stowe and in no she was a fervent abolitionist. could you speak about the extent of her involvement in the abolitionist movement? >> she wasn't an abolitionist. she was against slavery. she thought it was morally wrong, and i don't know if she ever knew any slaves. when she was born, , the censusa couple years after her birth showed there was one slave in her little town in new hampshire, but she certainly had visited this -- i believe, again it's not proven, documented, i think she visited the south should she encountered slavery and her first book was kind of an imagined view of slavery in which it was clear she was against it and supported the arguments against it. but she being a great i guess being a woman of the 18th century thought that the bargain that the founders had made over slavery should continue until a time that the country could peaceably get rid of slavery. she supported what was known as colonization, and that is sending freed slaves to africa to a colony that became the country of liberia. she did this because s

harriet beecher stowe, the author of "uncle tom's cabin," famously said that a married woman has thesame rights as the slaves. no more no less. they were basically their husbands property. the way they built their evolution from taking their domestic authorities that they had in their home, taking it out to you merely by starting community organizations, then broadening up to social reform, and then finally suffrage. it was amazing, their efforts. and i think of my own mother, did not have the opportunities that her brother had. and this is just one generation back. i can remember when i was in high school and college reading articles in young women's magazine saying if you're going out with a boy and you were taller, you better where flat shoes. don't act too smart, you know? act in a little dumb. this isn't all that long ago. so yeah, i think we have a great deal to be thankful for. >> i agree. >> we are just about out of time and running out of questions. some going to leave you with this last question that circles back to your book. who was your favorite woman from the book? >> i

his half sister was harriet beecher stowe, author of uncle tom's cabin let's see -- a similar scene was repeated in all the ball places as each was raided by yankee troops. the balls feared the worst but in the end the soldiers and freed people just snatched a few hams the single exception came at the former home to william ball's cousin. the buck hall mansion, work buildings and crops were burned to the ground by federal soldiers and freed bowl slaves. this despite the slaughter of the war, no one was hurt. and so it was. it's possible to look in to the telescope into the past and see how slavery came to an end on specific places at specific times. it's a fascinating story. i told this story just now from a diary kept by a woman who lived on this plantation but elsewhere i spent a lot of time with a family named lucas in charleston. whose predecessors great-grandparents, had been free slaves. limerick plantation. on that very day and handed down oral tradition and stories, describing that very day. in terms that were nearly identical to the ones that were written down by women who we'r

harriet beecher stowe was a third. she also started publishing recipes. was the first to introduce a recipe section to her magazine. she published many tips about housekeeping. her big shtick was education for women, and that is a subject for another day. she introduced the white wedding gown to america, a tradition that is still followed today. she also introduced the christmas tree. in a few weeks when you start celebrating around your christmas tree, think of sarah hill. host: sarah hale in the making of the modern american woman. "lady editor" is a book you might be able to pick up if you want to learn more about her. melanie kirkpatrick is the author of that book and also this book, "thanksgiving: the holiday at the heart of the american experience." that is what we are talking about in this hour of the "washington journal." 400 years of the american thanksgiving story, asking you to call in on this thanksgiving morning on phone lines split regionally. in the eastern or central time zones, it is (202)-748-8000. if you're in the mountain or pacific ti