Samuel Johnson is revered and considered one of the greatest writers of the 18th century. However, when it comes to him as a person, he is often seen as disrespectful, unfair, or rude. Yet there were many times in his life where he was quite the opposite. However, it was still seen as pompous or negative because it went against the "accepted" popular culture of the time. There are two situations in particular in which he took an unpopular stance on issues: women's rights and slavery. In both cases, Johnson separated himself from what was commonly accepted and asserted his own opinions and viewpoints based on his beliefs. Additionally, by comparing Johnson to his contemporaries (Boswell and others) on the issue of slavery and women's rights, it becomes clearer how Johnson resisted popular culture. The position of women in 18th century Britain was similar to that of women. early in U.S. history, they did not have many rights or were not considered capable of having many rights. The social climate towards women in the 18th century was similar to that of slavery. Many did not think there was a problem with the way women were treated because: They too were not considered equal to white men. Therefore, it is commonly believed that in the 18th century, women's rights were somewhat stagnant. The cultural beliefs and practices of the British prevented many women from advancing or being considered equal to men. In 18th-century Britain, women had few rights and virtually no value as citizens. No training opportunities were available for them. “Powerful men opposed educating women beyond reading and writing. Their name...... middle of paper ...... able to persevere and maintain his "legitimacy" despite his "radical" opinion shows how good at what he did and respected for his opinion even if he was not always “accepted” for his opinion. Works Cited Basker, James G. “Johnson, Hawkesworth and Oroonoko.” Intimations of Abolitionism in 1759 12 (2001): 47-66. JSTOR. Internet. May 3, 2011. Boswell, James. Life of Johnson. London: Oxford UP, 1953. Print. Johnson, Samuel and Jack Lynch. Dictionary of Samuel Johnson. London: Atlantic, 2004. Print.Lustig, Irma S. “Boswell on Politics in the Life of Johnson.” PMLA 80.4 (1965): 387-93. JSTOR. Internet. May 3, 2011. Meyers, Jeffrey. Samuel Johnson: The Struggle. New York: Basic, 2008. Print. Stanlis, Peter J. “Commentary on Samuel Johnson and “Natural Law”” The Journal of British Studies 2.2 (1963): 76-83. JSTOR. Internet. May 3 2011.