In her most important work, Matilda Joslyn Gage, founder of the Women's National Liberal Union, attacks the religious ideas and customs which historically have oppressed women.

This work explains itself and is given to the world because it is needed. Tired of the obtuseness of Church and State; indignant at the injustice of both towards woman; at the wrongs inflicted upon one-half of humanity by the other half in the name of religion; finding appeal and argument alike met by the assertion that God designed the subjection of woman, and yet that her position had been higher under Christianity than ever before: Continually hearing these statements, and knowing them to be false, I refuted them in a slight resume of the subject at the annual convention of the National Woman Suffrage Association, Washington, D.C., 1878. A wish to see that speech in print, having been expressed, it was allowed to appear in The National Citizen, a woman suffrage paper I then edited, and shortly afterwards in "The History of Woman Suffrage," of which I was also an editor. The kindly reception given both in the United States and Europe to that meager chapter of forty pages confirmed my purpose of a fuller presentation of the subject in book form, and it now appears, the result of twenty years investigation, in a volume of over five hundred and fifty pages. Matilda Electa Joslyn Gage (1826-1898) was a 19th-century women's suffragist, a Native American rights activist, an abolitionist, a freethinker, and a prolific author, who was "born with a hatred of oppression."

In her most important work, Matilda Joslyn Gage, founder of the Women's National Liberal Union, attacks the religious ideas and customs which historically have oppressed women.

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In 'Woman, Church and State', Matilda Joslyn Gage delves into the historical account of the status of women through the Christian ages, shedding light on the struggles and triumphs faced by women in a patriarchal society. Written in a scholarly and insightful prose, Gage explores the role of the church in perpetuating gender inequality and the erasure of matriarchal traditions. This work serves as a powerful critique of the oppressive nature of organized religion and its impact on women's rights. Gage's literary style combines meticulous research with a passionate advocacy for gender equality, making this book a significant contribution to feminist literature. 'Woman, Church and State' is a compelling read for anyone interested in women's history and the intersection of religion and gender politics.