Women Take On America: Equality in the Progressive Era
One of the biggest questions during the twentieth century was whether or not women really made an adequate difference during that time, specifically during the progressive era. Prohibition was one of the key aspects that began to change the thoughts amongst women and how powerful they could be. How far did women go to let prohibition go into full effect and how did they play a prominent role during this age? How did this change their gender-ideal throughout the twentieth century?
The vitality of women’s rights and their roles leading into the nineteenth century had been nearly obsolete. However, on Christmas Eve of 1873, the stereotype would soon modify. Eliza Stewart was ready to strike after an incident with her husband occurred involving the use of alcohol. Nearly 200 women, known as the Women’s Crusade, joined Stewart on the way to protest against the use of alcohol outside places such as drug stores, saloons and bars, yelling and protesting to stop selling alcohol (Burns). As these women would later move across the United States, their power as one would begin to grow even more. These women would be neglected by the bars and men and some would throw things at them like stones or rocks, or they would even be kicked or hit at. This did not stop them from moving forward to get they wanted. They were able to close down up to 1300 liquor sellers, even though no law changes were made (Burns).
The near fail of the Women’s Crusade did not stop there for the power of women. St. Frances Willard was among one of the most powerful women during the temperance movement. She formed a 250,000 (non-violent) army in the fight for prohibition and women’s rights. She created an alliance called the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) in 1883. This organization accomplished aspects such as having twenty million kids take temperance classes in schools across the United States and also pass the nineteenth amendment and women’s suffrage (Burns). The beginning of the twentieth century took a turn for the best in terms of women’s rights. The Women were making a name for themselves and their fight for equality and changing the ideal gender role for themselves. The prohibition act may have not been “successful” to most people, but it was in terms of lowering per capita consumption and having more control on how much and when to drink alcohol. It was a “successful public health innovation” (Blocker, 241). By the end of the twentieth century, drinking had been seen differently and had different drinking patterns, in which had been shaped by American women (Blocker, 241).
The prominence role of women during this era was in no way obsolete. Certain women during this era and the women that joined them earned their role in the fight for equality for women. The gender-ideal changed remarkably in the turn of the twentieth century. If it was not for the women during this historical era, the women of today would not be able to change this world like they do.