Augusta Evans Wilson- Fame and Fortune

Since the creation of the United States of America, there has been certain views the rest of the world associated with it such as, success, wealth, greed, exploitation, and fame. The view of this outlook has changed as our country has evolved and grown. In early U.S history the view of the American dream was viewed differently especially by women. Early American women were seen as merely the home makers, mothers, and wives, this encompassed their identity. Augusta Wilson, however, did not conform to this stereotype, she provided for her family, and made a career of her own. The life of Augusta Wilson uniquely captures the fame and fortune aspect of the American dream.

Augusta Evans Wilson was born in Columbus, Georgia on May 8, 1935. Coming for a family of wealth, education was an important to her family. From a very young age her mother made sure that she could read and write, and Augusta excelled in it very well. She became an avid reader as she grew older. Around the age of fifteen Augusta’s family was facing financial hardship and her father was having trouble providing a sufficient income for the family. Realizing this, Augusta took it upon herself to try and help with the hardship and financial struggles of her family and began writing her first novel. She began this work in secret but eventually told her mother. Upon completing her first novel, Inez A Tale of the Alamo, she presented it to her father as a Christmas present. Soon after, her work was published by Harpers, and had it became very successful.

Augusta wrote multiple novels throughout her life and became the first female author to make 100,000 dollars off of the royalties of her work. This was not only a tremendous accomplishment for a woman during this time period, but for any author. With the wealth she attained she continued to support her family. Many people began to become fans of Augusta and her writing, some even made pilgrimages to her home. The fame throughout the years as Augusta became more well-known never went to her head. She continued to write because she felt inspired or to help her family, it was never about the fame or the wealth to her.

Each of her novels had very different themes, which is uncommon of authors, however the great success that accompanied each of her publications spoke to how widely accepted and anticipated her novels were. Augusta Evans Wilson became a household name. The fame of that would be enough to fulfil the American dream. Augusta would travel to give speeches and attend conferences. She made her presence known in throughout the country.

One huge testimony to her fame was that even when the country was divided by the Civil War and her novel Macaria, dedicated to the brave soldiers of the southern army, it was also snuck into the north to be published. This novel became a success in the north and the south. Not many writers were able to reach both sides of the country in this time of conflict. Augusta, however, had already gained a fan base and regardless of the political opinions of the readers or the region in which they lived, each of them wanted to read her work. The publication of this novel throughout the north ended up being a blessing for Augusta when the south lost the Civil War. As the south fell, so did Augusta’s wealth. Her confederate money was now worthless, and her family faced financial hardship once again. Although Augusta did not know how the north would respond to her after the war, she traveled to a long-time publisher friend, Derby. Upon her arrival he welcomed her and surprised her with the information that Macaria was published throughout the north and gave her a generous amount of money from her novel’s royalties.

Augusta Evans Wilson never planned to become an extremely successful famous American author, but her writing allowed her to become so. She came from humble beginnings and her hard work was what let her achieve the American Dream of fame and fortune. The fact that she was a girl was an even bigger accomplishment. This was a big step for women across the country, and only added to her support from these women. 100,000 dollars was a large amount of money that Augusta obtained from her royalties. Augusta’s American dream was fulfilled by the fame and the riches that came from the novels she published.