Margaret Ossoli was a journalist, writer and women's rights activist in the 19th century. She is associated with the transcendentalist movement and her book Woman in the Nineteenth Century is considered the first major feminist work in the United States. Ossoli was a teacher and then worked for the New York Tribune. Her reputation as a well read person helped her become the first woman allowed to use the Harvard University library. The Tribune sent her to Europe as the first female correspondent, where she became involved in the Italian revolution. She was an advocate for prison reform, emancipation of the slaves and women's rights particularly in the area of education.