Question

One strong prejudice inhibiting women from obtaining higher education in the early nineteenth century was the belief that

O they would gain political and economic power through education.

O women were inherently conservative and opposed to social reform.

O children should grow up without the influence of educated women.

O the Constitution prohibited women from attending colleges.

O too much learning would injure women's brains, ruin their health, and make them unfit for marriage.

Answer 1

The early nineteenth century belief was that excessive education could be detrimental to women's health and marital prospects. This was just one of the many societal beliefs limiting women's rights, which activists worked tirelessly to overcome, including fighting for education, legal rights, and suffrage. Therefore, the correct option is E.

Step-by-step explanation:

The strong prejudice inhibiting women from obtaining higher education in the early nineteenth century was the belief that too much learning would injure women's brains, ruin their health, and make them unfit for marriage. This misconception was one of many social biases that constrained women's roles and diminished their opportunities. The broader struggle for women's rights during this period saw activists fighting not only for education but for legal rights, property ownership, employment equality, and eventually, for the right to vote—manifested most notably with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Leaders in the women's rights movements understood the importance of education in advancing their role in society, and by the latter half of the nineteenth century, an increasing number of women were attending colleges and engaging in professional work.