Annie Besant was a prominent British socialist, theosophist, women's rights activist, writer and orator and supporter of Irish and Indian self-rule.
At age 20 she married Frank Besant, but separated from him over religious differences. She then became a prominent speaker for the National Secular Society and writer and a close friend of Charles Bradlaugh. In 1877 they were prosecuted for publishing a book by birth control campaigner Charles Knowlton. The scandal made them famous, and Bradlaugh was elected M.P. for Northampton in 1880.
She became involved with union actions including the Bloody Sunday demonstration and the London matchgirls strike of 1888. She was a leading speaker for the Fabian Society and the Marxist Social Democratic Federation. She was elected to the London School Board for Tower Hamlets, topping the poll even though few women were qualified to vote at that time.
In 1890 Besant met Helena Blavatsky and over the next few years her interest in theosophy grew while her interest in secular matters waned. She became a member of the Theosophical Society and a prominent lecturer on the subject. As part of her theosophy-related work, she travelled to India.
No philosophy, no religion, has ever brought so glad a message to the world as this good news of Atheism. religion
Refusal to believe until proof is given is a rational position denial of all outside of our own limited experience is absurd. experience
Motherhood: All love begins and ends there. 22 more views from Robert Browning
22 more views from Robert Browning
A mother's happiness is like a beacon, lighting up the future but reflected also on the past in the guise of fond memories. 53 views from Honore de Balzac
53 views from Honore de Balzac
With what price we pay for the glory of motherhood. 5 wisdom & wit from Isadora Duncan
5 wisdom & wit from Isadora Duncan
The babe at first feeds upon the mother's bosom, but it is always on her heart. 58 views from Henry Ward Beecher
58 views from Henry Ward Beecher