...However, the great debate is “has America truly changed for the better?” A closer look at the positive changes developed through social movements, societal policy expansion, and technological advancements paints a picture of an improved American society. Social Movements After World War II ended in 1945, America experienced a brief moment of contented peacefulness and growth. However, this quickly changed as the country moved toward a decade of cold war in an effort to prevent the spread of Russian communism, which denied those under its rule the right to basic human freedoms. This cold war was founded on the principle of protecting global human rights, which would sparked an era of social unrest among American minority groups who desired to have their own basic human freedoms recognized. Martin Luther King & The Civil Rights Act of 1964 By the late 1950’s, American was experiencing the first in a long line of civil rights movements demanding that the government take action to end social inequalities. The most prominent of these was the battle over racial segregation in public areas, such as schools, restaurants, stores, and...
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...In the 1920's women's roles were soon starting to change. After World War One it was called the "Jazz Age", known for new music and dancing styles. It was also known as the "Golden Twenties" or "Roaring Twenties" and everyone seemed to have money. Both single and married women we earning higher- paying jobs. Women were much more than just staying home with their kids and doing house work. They become independent both financially and literally. Women also earned the right to vote in 1920 after the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted. They worked hard for the same or greater equality as men and while all this was going on they also brought out a new style known as the flapper. All this brought them much closer to their goal. In the 1920's the term flapper referred to a "new breed" of women. They wore short skirts and dresses which were straight and very loose. The arms were left bare and the waistline was dropped to the hips. By 1927 the length of the skirts had rose just below the knee which when they danced would be shown. The chests appeared to look very small and women would tape themselves to look even smaller. Bras were also sold to make them appear very small. Their hairstyles were cut very short and were known as a bob, another popular style that was later introduced was the "Eaton" or "Shingle". These styles had slicked the hair back and covered the ears with curls. Women started wearing "kiss proof" lipstick in shades of red, their eyes were ringed a dark black color, and...
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...The Equal Rights Amendment is one of the twenty-seven failed amendments to the United States Constitution. This amendment would give equal rights to men and women, under federal and state laws within the United States. The amendment was written in 1923, by Alice Paul, a suffragist leader and founder of the National Woman’s Party. It was presented at every Congress from 1923, until 1972 when it was passed and sent to the states for ratification. However, only 35 out of the 38 required states, ratified the amendment, it was given an extension until 1982, but still failed to pass and has become extinct within Congress. The amendment has been proposed at every Congress since its failure to be ratified. The proposed amendments states that “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.” The amendment has three sections, and this statement is featured as the first. The second section states that “The Congress shall have the power to enforce, by appropriate legislation, the provisions of this article,” and the third section states that “This amendment shall take effect two years after the date of ratification.” Essentially, the amendment would affirm the equal application of the United States Constitution, to both sexes. However, according to some opposers of the Equal Rights Amendment, it would also take away some of the rights granted to women in previous years. The amendment would require women to sign...
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...Merrit Duke History of American Women May 27, 2015 Equality: Too Much to Ask For? The Equal Rights Amendment has been the source of much debate for almost an entire century now. Since first purposed by Alice Paul in the 1920s one’s stance on the potential amendment has been a dividing factor in the political sphere. Though the amendment was shut down in the 1920s there has been discussion about adding the Equal Rights Amendment into the constitution today. If the potential amendment was to be brought back up my stance on the debate would be in support of the amendment. For some background on the debate on the Equal Rights Amendment it would be good to look back and see where activists in the past were split and what about the Equal Rights Amendment has divided them. The Antebellum era gave two different types of women activists, the true women and the Early Feminists. The True Women argued for gender distinctions, separate spheres, domesticity, and women as moral guardians in their natural role as a mother. The True Women would be the women who be apposed to the Equal Rights Amendment and would be active in the fight against it. Arguing against the True Women were the Early Feminists who stressed gender equality, suffrage for women, equal education, human rights, and saw women as rational beings. This group of activists would be in support of the Equal Rights Amendment. Next would be the Progressive era where the two parties in the debate would be the Early Feminists and...
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...Dark Money and its Influence on US Politics Dark Money and its Influence on US Politics Abstract The influence of voters is overcast by lobbyists who funnel channels of dividends toward the candidate or party of their choosing. With our self-galvanized democracy, this is becoming all too common as our voices in collusion begin to fade. To placate reign, we acknowledge fault as the American public pleads with the top justices to limit lobbyist inequity through entitled equity only to be dismayed by the brittleness of our justice system as it concedes to an ambiguous constitutional amendment that endures free speech equates to filled pockets. Dark money’s malignant strike is designed to silence the many who toil for the sake of the few who take. Conservatives protest anonymity for protection from public outrage which could lead to dwindling sales and lost revenues from faithful lobbyists and big businesses. The American public demands disclosure to ensure greater confidence and voter turnout and prosperous turn in gracious candidacy. In a political climate built on attack ads, clarity is essential for due process not matter how high the stakes are for candidate. Association will either lead to adequate support or an inevitable defeat. Introduction A 5-4 vote was need for the Supreme Court to dislodge the necessary caps to plug lucrative high-profile tycoons and corporate conglomerate...
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...has left its mark on history, being focused on a specific goal. However, over time these goals have shifted from wave to wave to wave. The first wave is known today for getting women all over the country the right to vote. The second wave rejected traditional labor, house wives everywhere seeking to work outside of the home and hold jobs other than a nurse or a school teacher. The third wave was more individually centered especially when it came to the arts, but it also focused on violence against women. Today there are many who believe the feminist movement to be dead, but they would be wrong. While today’s movement still focuses on some of the same issues from the second and third wave such as equal job opportunity and violence against women, it has also spread beyond just our countries boarders. These days, our voices have shifted to become less focused about the individual and more geared toward helping women everywhere. In our country we still don’t have equal opportunity for women, and women in general are pushed into thinking that men are more important in their everyday lives. This usually starts at a young age, from the time that we’re told we need to change our clothes so we don’t distract the twelve year old boys in our classrooms. Even the equal rights amendment is still not a part of our constitution. So we have a long ways to go ourselves, but our focus,...
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...Courage Essay Contest I am writing my essay Carl Levin. Carl Levin was a United States Senator from Michigan from 1979 to 2015. Carl Levin had some courageous actions. He supported the civil rights movement, women rights movement, legalizing same sex-marriage he also believed in a better education equals a better future. I believe he will be best served in a larger public interest. I think that because he had a lot of experience, he was the longest-serving senator in the state's history. He does exemplify political courage because he not afraid to take a stand for what he believes is right. During the Women’s Right Movement in the 60’s and 70’s, the World of American women was limited in almost every respect, from family life to the workplace. A woman was expected to follow one path: to marry in her early 20s, start a family quickly, and devote her life to homemaking. Carl Levin signed the Women’s Equal Right’s Amendment in 1972. Proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States relative to equal rights for men and women. Constitutional Amendment: Prohibits denying or abridging equality of rights under the law by the United States or by any state on account of sex (Source: HJR69&SJR21 11-SJR21 on Jun 22, 2011). Levin co-sponsored re-introducing the Equal Rights Amendment. Levin co-sponsored Paycheck Fairness Act. This act makes sure women gets paid the same as men. Levin also voted yes on $100M to reduce teen pregnancy by education & contraceptives on March...
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...to have equal rights and many are still fighting. Years ago, women were not allowed to vote, not allowed to hold jobs, and were simply thought of being the ones who stayed at home to be with the children. Now women can vote, have jobs, and do things men can do. With all the advancements towards equality, women seem to be taking a step back, because women are treated unfairly today. The United States Federal Government should re-ratify the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA), making sure all the 50 states accept it, because it will insure everyone will be treated equal. In this essay, I will briefly trace the history of women inequality and explain why it is a problem. Next, I will provide evidence as to how women are treated unfairly, and explain what the Equal Rights Amendment is. Lastly, I will explain how re-ratifying the ERA will guarantee equality for all, by eliminating women inequality. It has been over 100 years since the first women’s rights convention was held in 1864 and there have been so many advancements for women rights. The first Women’s Trade Union League was established in 1903, women gain the right to vote in1920, and Equal Rights Amendment was finally introduced in 1923. The ERA was what women in America were fighting for; something that would guarantee equality. According to equalrightsamendment.org, the ERA guaranteed freedom from legal sex discrimination and was separated into three sections: * Section 1. Equality of rights under the law...
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...The Evolving Women The role women play in our society is and has been an ever-changing one, from mother to doctor to soldier and everything in between. With increasing standards and demands on them to be the one who keep’s the family grounded and together in a chaotic society that thinks none to highly of them or their rights as citizens. I chose to focus on women’s changing roles during the time period from 1865 through 1920 and then through 1920 to this present day. The reason I chose to focus on the women of our history is because this was a very unstable time in history, due to the changing status of minorities in the culture at this time due to the end of the Civil War and the impending revolution for women’s rights with the passage of the 19th amendment. Dating as far back as the early 1800's women’s roles were consistently being challenged and questioned, it was not so much the women’s rights marches of the 60's but it was the beginning of that revolution. During the early part of the 19th century women’s character was separated with four basic attributes: piety, purity, submissiveness, and domesticity. Even the foreign visitors to America during this period found fault in American male’s attitude towards women, they thought males treated women as inferiors and subjected women to double standards. "By marriage, the husband and wife are one person in law; that is, the very being and legal existence of the woman is suspended during marriage." This is according...
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...In 1923, the Equal Rights Amendment was drafted by Alice Paul, who believed that the amendment was the appropriate follow-up to the 19th Amendment in guaranteeing equal rights for all. The ERA was aimed at the large number of state laws that restricted women’s jury service, controlling property, and guardianship rights over their children, among others. However, the ERA did not get passed in the United States Congress until 1972, forty-nine years later. It was quickly sent to the states for ratification. Initially, the amendment was met with great support and was approved by 30 out of the needed 38 state legislators within the first year. Because Congress put a seven-year deadline on the ratification process, the ERA needed to be approved three-fourths of the states by March 22, 1979. The amendment seemed promising as federal politicians and a majority of the public showed support (Stidolph). In Oklahoma, the ERA received following from many organizations such as the American Bar Association, Church Women United, and the American Association of University Women. The amendment passed in the Oklahoma Senate with a voice vote. However, there was growing controversy...
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...with men. According to the U.S. Department of Labor and Statics in its 2006 report, “At all levels of education women have fared better than men with respect to earnings.” Upper-class women may use a college education as a stepping-stone into the primary labor market. Their educational credentials and family background will help them get good positions. Working-class women, without family connections and educational opportunity, are likely to remain in the secondary labor market and fall further behind. A few new words that I learned this chapter are comparable worth, Equal Rights Amendment, and Beguines. Comparable worth is evaluating and rewarding different occupations equally if the work in each occupation requires the same level of skill and is of equal value to the employer. Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the Constitution of the United States giving equal rights to women that was not ratified. Beguines are communes, existing...
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...discharge against Maggies Market under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights act as it pertains to religious discrimination. The following memo will cover the relevance of constructive discharge and the 1964 Civil Rights Act, Title VII, in addition to my recommendations with specific court cases that pertain. For your information and for further perusal, I have attached a references page to this document with the article, book, and cases referenced within this memo. Relevance of Constructive Discharge Constructive discharge has complete applicability to the situation at hand. Constructive discharge as explained in the case Turner v. Anheuser-Busch (1994) is termed when an employee can prove that a work situation created by an employer was so intolerable or in our situation, incompliant to Ms. Jackson's Sabbath day observance, that the employee feels compelled to resign. Although Ms. Jackson may be required to provide evidence that we as a company were allowed the opportunity to make allowances for Ms. Jackson's religious needs and in some courts, that we as an employer deliberately created a work environment with the intent of forcing Ms. Jackson to resign, which we of course did not, there is still great relevance to the claim of constructive discharge and Ms. Jackson's claim should be treated with care and timeliness. Title VII of the Civil Rights Act (1964) Relevance Under Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act we as a company are prohibited from discrimination based on...
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...Women in the Workforce Ask yourself if the rights and equality of the women in the workforce has changed as much as it should have over the last eighty eight years and then ask why. The women were given the right to vote in August 1920 after years of protests, but even then it took another fifty years before all fifty states had it written into law and practiced. The Second World War provided another opportunity for women to crush the belief that they could not perform and maintain the work or work load of a man by doing their jobs. Even though they performed the work at a level equal, and sometimes more proficient than a man, the jobs were handed back over to the returning military men with only a fraction of change in making these jobs more available to women. Now knowing they could do a man’s job, bring home the bacon and fry it up in a pan to support a family, was now know throughout the country and world. In the 1960’s another spark ignited the women cause for equality with the National Woman’s party and others in congress. The sixties on into the early seventies may be remembered as the era of Love and Peace, but I would have to say it was one of the most violent and productive times of the century. The addition of Sex Discrimination to the Civil Rights Bill at the last minute added another chapter in our history. Early in 1919 the House of Representatives passed the 19th amendment by a vote of 304 to 90, and the Senate approved it 56 to 25. Within the government when...
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...In class today I was pro-ERA. I felt that this amendment would give men and women constitutional equality, so why would I vote against it? Although, I did feel it wasn’t 100% necessary today I felt that this amendment could help women even if it was in small ways. However, after reading "Nine Reasons to Reject Equal Rights Amendment" I felt that I was leaning more towards the anti-ERA side of the argument. The ERA would give more power to the Federal Government. The Federal Government would have a vast amount of power in topics that "include traditional differences of treatment on the account of sex." Such as, marriage, divorce and alimony, child custody, adoptions, abortion, sex crimes, and private and public schools. I never thought that...
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...essentially mirrored the middle-class existence of most Americans. Their phone number had been listed. Their garage was filled with sports gear and lawn care equipment. They were concerned how they’d put all their children through college as the national economy endured an economic recession. Among the family, this personal side of the new presidency was transmitted primarily by Betty Ford in simple, honest conversation in interviews, speeches and responses in a rare press conference by a First Lady, conducted on 4 September 1974. At that press conference, the new First Lady announced areas of interest that she would foster, such as the performing and fine arts, and disabled children. However, she also reiterated her support of the Equal Rights Amendment and the Supreme Court decision in favor of legal abortion, and her having divorced and having consulted a psychiatrist. These were extremely rare expressions not only of a First Lady’s genuine opinion on controversial domestic issues of her time, but also of personal revelations the likes of which had never before been disclosed by a First Lady. Two dramatic events that occurred within three weeks of the press conference, however, eclipsed any further indepth coverage of the issues Betty Ford raised in her press...
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