Essay On Women's Rights After The Civil War

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Women’s Rights after the Civil War
To gain the rights that were guaranteed to men by the US constitution, women in the United States fought for more than 200 years. According to Shi and Tindall (2015), the fight for women rights in the US began in 1848 with the convention held at Seneca Falls – New York. The fight however diminished in the period between the 1850s and 1860s since reformers focused more on the Civil War and the abolition of slave trade. Most importantly, the movement did not die as it gained huge following after the civil war (Shi & Tindall, 2015). This paper discusses the facts on women and their rights during the industrial era, the progressive era, the Great War and during the “New Era” of consumption. In addition, the article looks at women’s rights during the transformation of “The South and The West” and how women were perceived, received and impacted by the society and politics during the Gilded Age.
The period 1860-1900 sometimes referred to as the industrial era, was significant in the history of women in America as it brought transformations in both business and labor. For a long time in the United States, women had been limited in both labor …show more content…

The gilded age was characterised by rapid industrialization, the rise of big businesses and urbanization (Catt & Shuler, 1923). Undoubtedly, the growth of cities is one of the most significant changes which had the most significant impact on women’s lives. Apart from creating new opportunities to women, urbanization also created new challenges. According to Wheeler (1993), women became more visible in the social world during the gilded age. As a result, their behaviour became more scrutinised for transgressions. Nevertheless, the gilded age created new opportunities for women to expand their lives. For instance, women started bicycling something that they were not allowed to do in the