Described after her death "as a beacon light in the path of female education," Emma Willard distinguished herself as a notable and influential educator, historian, travel writer, and public figure in the antebellum United States. Willard was born Emma Hart, the ninth child of Captain Samuel and Lydia (Hinsdale) Hart of Berlin, Connecticut. Captain Hart, a liberal Republican in a state dominated by conservative Federalists, represented Berlin in the Connecticut State Assembly and served in other local offices during his life. During his tenure as treasurer of the First Congregational Church of Berlin, he gained notoriety by opposing the Puritan-era law that required townspeople to pay taxes to support the Congregationalist Church. Captain Hart resigned his office and withdrew entirely from the church as a result of this dispute; he also provided his daughter Emma with other compelling examples of acting on one's beliefs.

Captain Hart readily encouraged...