Background
On December 1,
1847, was born an intellectual and a determined
woman who ended up becoming a psychologist, mathematician and logician in the
society. Christine Ladd was her
name. She was born in Windsor
Connecticut to Eliphalet Ladd who was a successful merchant, and Augusta Niles
Ladd. Both parents originally came from
New England but they lived in New York.
Ladd lived in New York with her parents and her younger brother until
the age of six when her family decided to move back to Windsor
Connecticut. The following year after
they moved, her younger sister Jane Augusta Ladd McCordia was born. When Ladd turned 12 years old, her
mother died and she had to go live with her grandmother in Portsmouth, New
Hamsphire where she attended all her schools. She was so determined about her education and
her father who was an encouragement to
her, was able to enroll her into a two year program in a school called Wesleyan
Academy. It was a coeducational school,
located in Wilbraham Massachusetts.
Christine studied
courses that the boys in her school who were taking it enable to enter into
Havard University. Her father kept
encouraging her through letters he wrote to her and 1865, Christine graduated
as a valedictorian and was accepted into Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New
York. This college was more focused on
allowing women to be educated equally as men so her family opposed of her going
there at first, but eventually gave in and allowed her to school there. She paid her tuition with loans given to her
by her late mother’s sister and after the first year, she dropped out due to
financial issues. She became a teacher
and taught in Utica, New York. After
gaining a few profits from her teaching, she was able to return back to
college. She was interested in Physics
when she began school again but women were not allowed to take the course at
that time so she ended up studying mathematics.
In 1869, Ladd graduated from Vassar college. After graduating from Vassar, she became a
teacher in Washington, Pennsylvania and taught mathematics and science. After her graduation, she presented seventy
seven math problems and solutions to the Educational Times of London. With the
help of an English mathematician called James Sylvester who remembered her
works, she was able to enroll into John Hopkins University in 1878. When the school found out that she was a
woman, they allowed her to stay on one condition and that was if Sylvester
would be her only professor. After her
hard work started showing in the school, Ladd was allowed to take courses with
other professors. On August 24, 1882,
Ladd got married to a mathematician student named Fabian Franklin from John
Hopkins who was about 4 years younger than her.
She changed her name to Christine Ladd- Franklin and gave birth to two
children. Unfortunately one of the
children died at a very young age but the other child Margaret Ladd- Franklin
survived. On March 5, 1930, Christine
Ladd Franklin died in New York City from pneumonia.
Work
In Psychology
During 1879-1884, Ladd
wrote an essay on “The Algebra of Logic” which was influenced by Charles
Peirce, one of her professors in John Hopkins academic post. She used him has her thesis advisor and with
his assistant, she became the first American woman to incorporate psychology,
logic and mathematics to her studies.
After working with a German psychologist about color visions, Ladd-
Franklin made her own theory about it.
Her biggest accomplishment in psychology was her theory of color
vision. Even though Ladd-Franklin was
refused to get her Ph. D. in John Hopkins, in 1926 she was awarded her Ph.
D. She was seventy eight years old at
the time she got her Ph.D. In 1929,
Ladd-Franklin published her Color and Color Theories. In December 1893, she was the first woman to
join the American Psychological Association.
She was one of the noticeable member of the women’s rights movement and
in 1919, Ladd- Franklin became one of the first female members of the Optical Society
America.
Ladd-Franklin help to conduct the Sarah
Berliner fellowship for 17 years. The
goal of this fellowship was to support recent Ph.D. women in their research. During her whole life, she fought for women
education and academic employment. She
taught for 5 years in John Hopkins, lecturing in logic and psychology and was
the only woman in the faculty at that time.
Ladd- Franklin was the first woman to have her work published in the
Analyst. She did not give up on her
goals even though the society gave women less opportunities. Christine Ladd- Franklin proved that a woman
can do anything she puts her mind to if she is determined and willing to work
hard regardless of what the society think about her.
Hurvich, Dorothea Jameson . "Ladd-Franklin,
Christine" Notable American Women, Vol. 2, 4th ed., The Belknap
Press of Harvard University Press.
Russell, B., Human Knowledge: Its Scope and Limits.
London: George Allen & Unwin, 1948.
Sebastina Boakye
Psychology of Women
Professor Hill
O2/06/2013
Sebastina Boakye
Psychology of Women
Professor Hill
O2/06/2013
