...November 17, 2015 Three Women that helped Advance Women’s Rights Abigail Adams made her strongest appeal for women’s rights in her letters of 1776. Abigail wrote “Remember the ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” She went on to write “Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember all men would be tyrants if they could.” Those statements stressed her concern for how the women would be treated. Abigail sensed the struggles that were to come by her statement “If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies we are determined to ferment a rebellion.” She understood the unfairness of making one group subject to the will of another. John Adams response of “We know better than to repeal our masculine system.” Did not please Abigail. It was obvious by her response in a subsequent letter. Abigail wrote “Whilst you are proclaiming peace and good will to Men, Emancipating all Nations, you insist upon retaining an absolute power over wives.” That response said it all. It was obvious that she saw the hypocrisy in the Founding Fathers quest for equality. While they were fighting for freedom, they found it acceptable to suppress the rights of women denying them equal freedom. Abigail Adams was ahead of her time. She did not have a great impact on eighteenth century America but her ideas would continue to spread for generations to come. Women’s rights activists remained small throughout the first half...
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...work of reformers such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, women of the twenty-first century hold the same political and economic stature of men. The historiography of womens rights presents itself as an uphill battle for the majority of the 19th century and slowly began to gain support in the early 20th century. Post Revolutionary War, women were encouraged to raise the future generations of Americans, this became known as “Republican Motherhood” and remained in effect for decades. With the emergence of a market economy and rapid...
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... Where did Elizabeth Cady Stanton grow up? Elizabeth Cady was born in Johnstown, New York on November 12, 1815. She had 10 brothers and sisters, however, many of them died during childhood. Only Elizabeth and four of her sisters lived well into adulthood. Her last brother, Eleazar, died when he was 20 years old leaving her mother depressed and her father wishing that Elizabeth was a boy. Elizabeth (sitting) with Susan B. Anthony Not Fair for Women Growing up Elizabeth was exposed to the law through her father Daniel. He was a lawyer who also served as a judge and a U.S. Congressman. She learned that the law was not the same for men and women. She learned that only men could vote and that women had few rights under the law. She didn't think this was fair. She thought she was as good as any boy and should be given the same opportunities. Going to School When Elizabeth reached school age she wanted to go to school to learn. Not many women went to school in those days, but her father agreed to send her to school. At school Elizabeth was an excellent student. She won awards and proved that she could do as well or better than most of the boys. After high school, Elizabeth wanted to go to college. She quickly learned that girls were not allowed into the major universities. She ended up going to a college for girls where she was able to continue her studies. Abolitionist and Human Rights Elizabeth began to believe strongly in the rights of all individuals...
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...The women’s right movement is an ongoing campaign to abolish inequality between the sexes on a multitude of platforms. The movement has been a prevalent part of history around the world, with origins as early as the 1500s with literature sprinkled with the mention of women having mind, reason and a voice that is equal to that of a man. This fight for women to be placed on the same level as men has seen much struggle and oppression that is still prevalent in today’s world. However, the fight for women in today’s world is labeled as feminism, which quite literally means the social, political, and economic rights of the sexes. Rebecca Lewin depicts feminism as a “model for a social state – an ideal, or a desired standard of perfection not yet attained in the world”. Lewin expressed this in 1983, and still today’s society has failed to reach this goal. Feminism has transformed into the second “F” word, where society labels feminism as a harmful, extremist movement. The feminist movement has become synonymous with man – hating, bra – burning, lesbians who engage in radical protests to ultimately eliminate men from society and become a female dominated world. Which, is why this world needs a continued women’s rights movement to eradicate the ideology that fighting for the equality of women is obscene or unnatural. Feminism eventually inspired the term “Herstory”, which emerged in the 1960s, a very exciting time in American history full of social change. Herstory aims to look at history...
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...extent did individualism, new religious sects, abolitionism, and women’s rights change American culture during the antebellum period (1820-1860)? Chapter 11: Religion and Reform 1800-1860 Individualism: The Ethic of the Middle Class Discuss the differing opinions on the lack of rigid class structures in America: Alexis de Tocqueville: Ralph Waldo Emerson: Transcendentalism: How did Second Great Awakening preachers like Finney adopt portion of Emerson’s philosophies regarding man? How did the main teachings of Transcendentalism differ from the teachings of most Protestant faiths of the time? Emerson’s Literary Influence (For each author describe their main literary focus and delineate between fiction or nonfiction) Henry David Thoreau: Margaret Fuller: Walt Whitman: Nathaniel Hawthorne: Herman Melville: Rural Communalism and Urban Popular Culture Utopias: Communalists: Shakers: marriage? Socialism: property ownership? Humphrey Noyes and Oneida: perfectionism: marriage? Joseph Smith: Mormonism: What was summary of Book of Mormon? How were Mormons accepted by those outside of their faith and what did this lead them to do? Brigham Young: Abolitionism -Skip (We will cover this in class) The Women’s Rights Movement Women became involved in what aspects of public life? What was meant by the statement that women belonged in a “separate sphere” from men? What role did women...
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...Running head: WOMEN'S RIGHTS, THE STRUGGLE IS FAR FROM OVER. Women's Rights, The Struggle Is Far From Over. Gerald Lee Ashford University American History Since 1865 HIS204 Gregory Lawson May 13, 2012 Women's Rights, The Struggle Is Far From Over. During the course of history, women have always fought to improve esteem, equivalence, and to have equal rights as men. Nevertheless, this mission has been challenging because of the notion in which men are higher to and have the right to rule over women. This way of life has saturated the societal construction of civilizations all the way through since the creation of man. The free-for-all of women rights was even more problematic for women. Wifehood and parenthood were considered to be the women's most important jobs. In the 20th era, however, women in some countries won the right to vote and improved their educational and job opportunities. Conceivably most significant, they took an enormous step by changing everyone’s thinking of the customary visions of their roles in society. This value has drenched the social structure of societies throughout the world. Even in today’s times, women are still struggling for rights that men take for granted. The struggle of women rights was even more problematic for women of color because not only did they have to deal with issues of sexism. They also had to deal with discrimination. The first known women’s right conference was held in Seneca Falls, New York...
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...reason; including equal civil rights and the discrimination that should not be made based on gender, sexual orientation, skin color, ethnicity, religion, or culture. Feminist movements have campaigned and continue to campaign for women's rights, including the right to vote, to hold public office, to work, to earn fair wages, to own property, education, and to have equal rights within marriage. Feminists have also worked to promote bodily independence, integrity, to protect women from rape, sexual harassment, and domestic violence. Feminism underlies five major concepts. First, we have patriarchy which is the authority of men in society and the oppression of women for men’s gain. Second, discrimination that leads to the unequal treatment that women receive. Third, we have gender stereotypes which are negative misconceptions about women. Forth, economic dependency; where women are forced to quit their job in order to take care of their household responsibilities. Fifth, emotional work; where women are predicted to do the majority of emotional care of their family. As feminism started to rise, it encountered three waves. The first wave of feminism took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, where it emerged out of an environment of urban industrialism and liberal, socialist politics. Their goal was to open up the opportunities for women, with a focus on suffrage. The wave legally began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 when three hundred men...
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...Chustz 1 Sara Chustz Mrs. Cirigliano Literature and Composition III 3 April, 2015 Ms. Magazine and the Feminist Movement in America In 1920, a remarkable thing happened where women fought for their rights and were given the right to vote. The fight for this was a huge struggle and took many years before it was approved. Women had already started the feminist movement in America when they started fighting for any and all equality between men and women. Feminism is not just about women, many people think that since it’s called feminism it must be only having to do with women, but the truth is men can be feminists as well. Feminism is usually defined as being a belief or idea that men and women should be equal, in all ways. At this time, women...
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...This essay will compare and contrast the thoughts of two great activists for women’s rights, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. Their perspectives on women, class, and race were in opposition to one another, yet they both share some common views on white male dominance of 19th century America. Status of Women in the 19th Century The industrialization of the 19th century brought change to the world of women. One significant impact during this time was the formation of socioeconomic classes. The distinction was made between the middle class, the working class and much poorer classes. Regardless of social class, women's focus on spousal relationships, childrearing, personal fulfillment, and relationships with other women was affected by 19th century change. Industrialization left women in control of the domestic domain, thus affecting her role as a woman (Woloch, (2002) p72). The power and responsibility that came along with this new status would be dictated by the middle-class lifestyle. Unfortunately this new focus was not easily attained by working class women. "Most women, moreover, were only remote beneficiaries of or untouched by the social changes being affected by the Industrial Revolution. “ In rural areas, on farms North and South, and on the frontier, traditional ways of life persisted (Woloch, (2002) p72)." Generally, women and children continued to be part of the "family labor force" under the authority of the male head of household. The new sphere...
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...Nathaniel Hawthorne wrote The Scarlet Letter during the 1800s in Boston, Massachusetts when men were the dominant gender in society. The whole book is based on how Puritan society always chose men over women. They would punish women constantly and without any hesitation. In this book, Hawthorne writes about Hester who had an affair but had also recently gave birth to a child. Throughout the book we tend to see how there were many punishments towards women. Hawthorne lets us know that he is not on the same side as all of these Puritans because he thinks that women do need to have rights and should be able to be independent. While Puritans wanted women to be pure and always be in the house hold, in this book we realize that if you made a...
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...fundamental human right: the right to vote and to have a voice in the democratic process. But this right is only the result of a hard fought battle. The suffrage campaigners of the nineteenth and early twentieth century struggled against opposition from both parliament and the general public to eventually gain the vote for the entire British population in 1928. ------------------------------------------------- Who took part in the campaign? The first women's suffrage bill came before parliament in 1870. Soon after its defeat, in 1897, various local and national suffrage organisations came together under the banner of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies (NUWSS) specifically to campaign for the vote for women on the same terms 'it is or may be granted to men'. The NUWSS was constitutional in its approach, preferring to lobby parliament with petitions and hold public meetings. In contrast, the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU), formed in 1903, took a more militant view. Almost immediately, it characterised its campaign with violent and disruptive actions and events. Together, these two organisations dominated the campaign for women's suffrage and were run by key figures such as the Pankhurstsand Millicent Fawcett. However, there were other organisations prominent in the campaign, including the Women's Freedom League (WFL). These groups were often splinter groups of the two main organisations. ------------------------------------------------- What did they campaign...
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...Women Breadwinners By: Arcelia Orozco-Medina MGMT 358 – Culture & Gender Issues in Management Dr. Dolores Olson August 7, 2013 Women of Yesteryear The traditional women has always been portrayed as the home caretaker, but was this always the case. We can look into centuries of history and see women of different eras and of different ethnic backgrounds, were they a picture of the traditional woman? Let’s look at some examples; let’s turn back the clock to Egyptian times. During the 15th Century B.C. there was Hatshepsut a women of political power promoting trade and arts. It wasn’t until a later times that she received the title of Pharaoh, Queen of Egypt. She was also one of the first known finding in Egyptian history. We follow with the most famous and ambitious of all, Cleopatra. She is mostly know for her struggles to win the crown and keep her country free among other things. She was with Julius Caesar, Roman general bearing him a son. Additionally she won the protection of Rome through an affair with Mark Anthony, and had three children with him. A lesser-known fact is that Cleopatra was highly educated and possessed an impressive intellect, being a student of philosophy and international relations We move now to the Victorian times and start off with Joan of Arc. Joan came from a peasant family, became a French heroine by leading the army of Charles VII. She captured and put on trial for witchcraft...
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...it follows Kunta Kinte. This male dominated history fails to acknowledge, belittles and devalues the role of women at all levels of slavery. What about the female slave traders, slave owners, enslaved females, female rebels and abolitionists? Are they really invisible? Verene Shepherd, in Women in Caribbean History states that up until the 1970s Caribbean books neglected women because early historians looked at colonisation, government, religion, trade and war fare, activities men were more involved in. Also some historians felt that women’s issues did not merit inclusion and where women could have been included, such as slave uprisings, their contributions were ignored. Shepherd believes changes occurred with the influence of women’s groups who tried to correct the gender neutral or male biased history. There was also a shift into social history, looking at the non elite and into topics such as family life. Books started to look at women’s social and political activities. Unfortunately there was a lack of first hand accounts from the period of the transatlantic slave trade – accounts written by men at the time either ignored women or perpetuated the myth of female inferiority and stereotyping. Gender sensitivity history was one...
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...Gonzalez 1 Rachel Gonzalez AP U.S. History Mr. Cranston 20 March 2015 Chapters 12 and 13 Essay Assignment Major themes of history evolve as time progresses. From the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, to the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, massive shifts occur. Regarding work, exchange, and technology; America in the World; politics and power; as well as ideas, beliefs, and culture, the evolution between the centuries have changed the significant themes throughout the United States. Work, exchange, and technology play a huge role in Americans lives throughout each century. People rarely used money; services and products were paid for mostly through trades and barters. Home and work were not separated; they were the same place. Nobody stuck to a schedule; things were done as needed. Skills were acquired through apprenticeship. An apprenticeship lasted from three to seven years. Apprentices lived with their masters during this time period, while trading knowledge for labor. However, women were not allowed to have such apprenticeships. Women gained knowledge of domestic skills through their mother, as it was assumed that the women would marry. Some women would work respectably as: servants, laundresses, seamstresses, cooks, and food vendors—or not respected as prostitutes. Men directed the lives of family members and apprentices: deciding occupations for sons, marriages for daughters, etc. Women (the wives) were responsible for: food, clothing...
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...Problem The history of women and minorities in the American workforce has been shaped by diverse cultural, legal, demographic, and ethno-racial influences. African American men had to prove themselves worthy to fight alongside white Americans in past wars for the same rights. Women had to fight for their rights to work along men whether it was for paid or unpaid labor. Minorities have had to prove themselves to others to advance to a higher position. Sometimes after proving their skills and leadership abilities, the job or else the opportunity still does not get delivered. Minorities have been struggling to get notice in America for hundred of years. Many people have been paving the way for future advancement of people no matter the race, sex, or national origin. Whenever a minority has the opportunity and skills to advance in the workforce, but is not given a fair chance, this is commonly known as glass ceiling. According to the online database, Answers, glass ceiling refers to situations where the advancement of a qualified person within the hierarchy of an organization is stopped at a lower level because of some form of discrimination. This situation is in reference to the term glass ceiling because there are limitations of upward movement or advancement. The word glass comes from being transparent because the limitations are not immediately apparent and is normally an unwritten or unofficial policy. This barrier prevents large numbers of women, ethnic, and sexual minorities...
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