Final answer:
Judith Sargent Murray argued that women had the same intellectual potential as men and advocated for equal educational opportunities. Her vision included economic independence for women, while also valuing traditional roles in family life. Her ideas, alongside those of other feminist leaders, challenged prevailing notions of gender and contributed to the women's suffrage movement.
Step-by-step explanation:
Judith Sargent Murray was a pioneering advocate for women's rights and equality, especially in terms of education and intellectual capacity. In her argument, she asserted that women were capable of the same intelligence as men, challenging the prevalent belief of her time that women were inherently less intelligent. Murray argued that if women were given the same educational opportunities as men, they could achieve the same levels of intellect and reasoning. This was a radical idea at the time, as it went against the established norms that relegated women to domestic spheres and denied them access to comprehensive education.
Furthermore, Murray believed that women should be economically independent and possess enough education to support themselves and their families. Her views on women's capabilities also extended to their roles in the family, maintaining that women were adept at raising children and upholding the family's moral and virtue standards. Despite her progressive stance on education and economic independence, she did hold some traditional views on gender roles.
Throughout the 19th century, feminists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth, alongside other proponents of women's rights, leveraged their intelligence and eloquence to dismantle arguments against women's suffrage and gender equality. Their contributions significantly advanced the discussion on women's roles in society and laid the groundwork for subsequent movements towards gender equality.