Ida Tarbell: The Most Powerful Influence On Ida

Words: 302
Pages: 2

Another powerful influence on Ida was her mother. Her mother often met reformers for women’s right into the at home. Meeting these women convinced Ida of the importance of financial independence for women. Thus she promised herself that she would get an education and avoid marriage. In autumn 1876, the young woman enrolled in Allegheny College in Meadville, Pennsylvania. At Allegheny, the energetic Ida edited the school paper; participated in a literary society that discussed current events, philosophy, and history; and evolved into a formidable public speaker. After graduating in the spring of 1880, she quickly found a job teaching high-school students in Poland, Ohio. Yet because of insufficient pay, Tarbell gave up teaching after two years