SPEAKER_04: Reboot your credit card with Apple Card. It gives you unlimited daily cash back that can earn 4.15% annual percentage yield when you open a savings account. A high yield, low effort way to grow your money with no fees. Apply for Apple Card now in the Wallet app on iPhone to start earning and growing your daily cash with savings today. Apple Card subject to credit approval. Savings is available to Apple Card owners subject to eligibility. Savings accounts by Goldman Sachs Bank USA. Member FDIC, terms apply.
SPEAKER_02: Sick of paying $100 for groceries and getting nothing but eggs, orange juice, and a paper bag? Then download the Drop app. Drop lets you earn points with your everyday shopping and redeem them for gift cards. Want a free dinner with those groceries? Drop it. How about daily lattes? Drop it. So download Drop today and get $5 just for signing up. Use invite code GETDROP777.
SPEAKER_00: Hello. From Wonder Media Network, I'm Jenny Kaplan and this is Womanica. This month we're highlighting ragers, women who use their anger, often righteous, though not always, to accomplish extraordinary things. Today we're talking about a woman whose sheer determination and wit transformed her into a pioneer of women's rights in 19th century England. Though as a married woman, she had no legal standing. She found herself in a starring role on the courtroom floor more than once. Please welcome Caroline Norton. Caroline was born on March 22nd, 1808 in London. She was the third child of Tom Sheridan and Caroline Callender. Both of her parents had literary roots. Her father was the son of a famous Irish playwright and her mother, the daughter of a society beauty with a keen interest in books. It was a tradition Caroline carried on. By the time she was 11, she and her sister had written a parody of a popular children's series. It was Caroline's first published work. The Sheridan family hit tough times. Caroline's playwright grandfather died penniless and her father died of tuberculosis when the kids were young. Caroline's mother was left with four sons, three daughters, and a modest allowance to raise them on. So when Caroline and her two sisters came of age, marriage became a top priority. Together, the three Sheridan sisters were referred to as the Three Graces. They were clever, beautiful, and three of the most eligible women of British society. Caroline had dark eyes and hair, a flirtatious streak, and a fiery wit. She caught the attention of George Norton, a 26-year-old who'd trained as a barrister but didn't practice law. He promised Caroline and her mother that he had plenty of money, family connections, and stability. On June 30th, 1827, 19-year-old Caroline was married to George, and the troubles began. It's hard to find a single piece of common ground between Caroline and George. She was headstrong and smart. He disliked cleverness and kept to himself. She was a political radical. He was a staunch Tory. She was close with her family. He wanted Caroline to himself. Their marriage was an instant catastrophe. George didn't have the money he'd promised, any titles to live off of, or any aspirations of working. He expected Caroline to use her family connections to get him a cushy government post and pay their bills. And within months, he became physically abusive. Meanwhile, Caroline dedicated herself to her writing. What had been a hobby in childhood soon blossomed into a steady career. She published a book of poems in 1829 that garnered praise, and fattened her and George's meager income. Caroline's sly wit always came out in her writing, turning simple tales and pamphlets into unmistakable hits. Caroline hosted salons, welcoming politicians and academics into her home. One frequent guest was Lord Melbourne, the home secretary. He and Caroline got on well, discussing Whig politics and poetry. He became a regular visitor to the Norton House, getting to know Caroline and her two young children, Fletcher and Brinsley. Maybe the only member of the family who didn't appreciate Lord Melbourne's company was George. He continued to antagonize Caroline and her friends. Eventually, around Easter Day in 1836, Caroline got so fed up that she walked out. When she returned, George had taken the kids to a cousin's house and ordered the servants there not to let Caroline in. The worst part? It was well within his legal right. At the time, married women in England had essentially no legal presence. As a wife, Caroline belonged to George, as did their children, their house, and everything in it. Not even Caroline's writings were her own, and she certainly couldn't initiate a divorce. In fact, the only way to get a divorce was on account of adultery. So in May of 1836, George hatched a plan to divorce Caroline, steal some money, and further his own interests. He took Lord Melbourne, who was by then prime minister, to court. He alleged that Melbourne and Caroline had had an affair. The case rocked British society. Though it was partly a manifestation of George's personal vendetta, larger political motives were also at stake. If Melbourne was found guilty, he and the Whig government would lose favor with the new Queen Victoria, and George and the Tories could rise up in his wake. For days, a room full of men argued over Caroline's reputation, her virtue, her marriage. Caroline herself never took the stand. Remember, she was a nonentity in the eyes of the law. Eventually, the trial went in favor of Melbourne, after George's witnesses were found to have perjured themselves. Caroline's reputation was saved, but since the court had explicitly ruled that she had not committed adultery, she had to remain married to George. He still wouldn't let her see her children. Caroline decided she spent enough time in court on George's whim. She was going to go back on her own terms and change the law. Caroline used the network she cultivated through her salon to raise concern for her legal battle. All she wanted was custody of her children. She published pamphlets, notices, and anonymous declarations supporting her platform. In 1839, Parliament passed the Custody of Infants Act, which gave legally separated mothers custody of children under seven. But even changing the law wasn't enough for George. He took the children to Scotland, where English laws couldn't apply. The game of cat and mouse took a tragic turn when Caroline's youngest son, William, died after an accident in George's care. Finally, George relented. In 1848, he granted her an allowance and separation, as long as she paid all her expenses herself. Caroline agreed. Less than five years later, George broke his word. He cut off Caroline's allowance and started channeling her earnings from writing into his bank account, which, again, he was legally entitled to. Caroline wouldn't stand for it. Sure, she wasn't a legal entity, so she couldn't sue him or bring any type of case against him, but she wasn't going to let that stop her. She got her creditors to sue George on her behalf. The trial was grueling. George antagonized her. He sat close to her, used private knowledge to try and publicly discredit her, and tried to dredge up the Melbourne trial. Caroline was livid. She was done being quiet, existing without a say in her own life. She got up and defended herself, addressing the court directly. She got applause, but lost the case on a technicality. In response, Caroline simply wrote, I do not ask for my rights. I have no rights. I have only wrongs. As she had before, Caroline turned to writing in her time of need. But this time, since George was legally entitled to her income from writing, she'd only write about the need to change marriage laws for women. When she overdents the subject matter, Caroline always infused it with her witty voice. I exist and I suffer, she wrote, but the law denies my existence. She published work after work about marriage, divorce, and women's legal standing in England. It worked. When a new divorce bill passed in 1857, portions of her own writing made it into the final document. Under this new law, married women could inherit and bequeath property, withdraw from a separated husband's claims on her earnings, and enter into contracts and civil suits on her own behalf. Finally, Caroline's legal battles came to a close. She dedicated herself to writing fiction and poetry and gained contemporary success. George died in 1875. Two years later, Caroline married an old friend, Sir William Sterling Maxwell. They got along much better, and married together until her death on June 15th, 1877. She was 69 years old. ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] All month, we're talking about ragers. For more information, check us out on Facebook and Instagram at Womanaka Podcast. Special thanks to Liz Kaplan, my favorite sister and co-creator. As always, we're taking a break for the weekend. Talk to you on Monday.
SPEAKER_03: ["The Star-Spangled Banner"] ["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
SPEAKER_05: ["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
SPEAKER_01: ["The Star-Spangled Banner"]
