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Women's rights movements throughout history
Women suffrage movements
The third wave of feminism
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More handpicked essays just for you.
Women's rights movements throughout history
Women suffrage movements
The third wave of feminism
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
In the mid-1800s, many Americans had concerns about the issues occurring and the impact they made on the United States. To put an end to these numerous issues, many Americans decided to form groups, organizations, and also individuals. They would come up with a variety of strategies to make a change. One of the many issues was women rights. In the mid-1800s, women had a hard time being a woman back then.
Many women in the early 1900’s sought for change. Some rose to power and took leadership over many organizations that pushed for equality. Women’s battle for voting rights was specifically led by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul. These women devoted most of their life to create a foundation which we live upon today. Women’s struggles lasted many decades until they finally achieved some equality under the 19th amendment.
In the 1900’s, life started to change for women; they started to gain a higher position in society, they were able to demand more rights and they started thinking and acting freely and independently. Although the process towards women’s rights was challenging, it’s value to the future generations is clearly seen through the great amount of legislation passed throughout the years. Since the attempt at furthering equality among the genders, the biggest achievement was the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The fight for gender equality however was not achieved easily. There were a series of campaigns, propaganda, and conventions that took place in this struggle; starting off by the famous Seneca Falls Convention, the fight for women’s rights began.
The life of Women in the late 1800s. Life for women in the 1800s began to change as they pushed for more rights and equality. Still, men were seen as better than women, this way of thinking pushed women to break out from the limitations imposed on their sex. In the early 1800s women had virtually no rights and ultimately were not seen as people but they rather seen as items of possession, it wasn’t until the late 1800s that women started to gain more rights. The Civil War actually opened opportunities for women to gain more rights, because with many of the men gone to war women were left with the responsibilities that men usually fulfilled during that time period.
During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, women began to move to big cities by themselves, like Chicago, in order to find jobs. This was because they had gained independence, but that meant that they were going to be on their own for the first time. Women were naive and unaware to certain aspects of the world because they had never experienced freedom like this before. Their lack of knowledge about being on their own is one of the reasons why they were so susceptible to Dr. H.H. Holmes. The women were weak and vulnerable, many of them taking jobs where they worked for men.
Lucky for the youngest generations alive today, they have grown and matured in an age of equality that was unimaginable a century ago. Though there is always progress to be made, it is undeniable the revolutionary social and political changes that have been made in American life since its beginning. While a woman nearly won the presidency in the previous presidential election, one hundred years ago, a woman could not even vote. But thanks to the brave women in the nineteenth and twentieth century, women are now allotted to not only vote for the president, but so much more that came after. Most people know women’s suffrage was a more recent event, but the work that led up to the amendment is anything
Margaret Fuller was a woman who greatly influenced Americans to become what they are today. She was born in the eighteen hundreds, she succeeded and effected this country in such a positive manner. In America, a large amount of people condone and encourage others to get an education. One is highly looked up to when they receive a a great amount of education. It is usually frowned upon when one is not educated.
The dominant classes of people in the 1800’s were that of the white male protestant, and most whom fit the picture were not wealthy or powerful. However, the great majority who attained independent wealth and status were. Those whom fit the following description were for sure socially disadvantaged; African slave, Native American, a female, or Catholic. And those of rich and power considered themselves Englishmen. As they would push the Native Americans of the land, enslave the Africans, and subordinate the women, these Englishmen would insist of their freedom to define themselves (Gorn, 2007 pp.67).
American Women in the Late 1800’s Were married American women in the late 1800’s expected to restrict their sphere of interest to the home and the family? In the late 1800’s women were second-class citizens. Women were expected to limit their interest to the home and family. Women were not encouraged to obtain a real education or pursue a professional career. After marriage, women did not have the right to own their own property, keep their own wages, or sign a contract.
“Feminism has never been about getting a job for one woman. It 's about making life more fair for women everywhere. It 's not about a piece of the existing pie; there are too many of us for that. It 's about baking a new pie.” (1) How did women get to where they are today?
During the 19th century modernization and the changing nature of work had changed throughout the United States. This change contributed to new ideas about women and men’s roles in the home and in society and also encouraged new ways of thinking about the ideal characteristics of men and women. More women were seen in public shopping, attending theaters, and amusement parks, which ultimately led to a more co-ed interaction in society. Men engaged in prostitution, drinking, and gambling during their leisure time, which caused them to spend even more time outside of their home. Some of these changes were positive, but brought forth negative outcomes.
Before there were laws protecting women and children they suffered a lot of unfair treatment. In 1832 Alexis De Tocqueville expressed how she felt about the democratic family in the United States. She described the American family as “haven of cooperation”. Her reasoning for this was, “because women in the United States did not look upon “conjugal authority” as a “usurpation of their rights, but attracted a sort of pride to the voluntary surrender of their own will,” Stanton’s generation of women reformers began to articulate the personal and professional sacrifices married women had to make for their subordination as wives.” In 1825 William Thompson families and citizens were aware of “white slave code”.
America gained its independence in 1776 with the expectation that every American should have liberty and equality. However, American women did not have the right to vote until 1920, which was almost more than 140 years after the United States was established. Women could do little to protect themselves and promote their careers due to being treated unequally and inferior to men. During the 19th and the early 20th century, women were working hard and fighting for gender equality, so that more and more women could live a better life with basic civil rights in their hometowns. In reality, women’s equality was challenged by traditional conventions in the fields of biological difference in sexes, religion and gender roles, and different perspectives towards these conventions of different people made women’s civil rights controversial.
Feminism is not about making women gain strength, they are already strong, it is about changing the mindset of society. Women have the ability to achieve anything a man can, so why are women limited of their potential to succeed in life? The fifties was a time where the only ideal role for women in life was to become a housewife, because that is what the social norms were. With that case, there were many women that were dissatisfied and felt incomplete, since they had no voice and control over their life. During the 1950’s women faced patriarchal oppression which impacted their family life, job opportunities, and mental health.
Men will always be men, and women will forever be women. Each has unique strengths and weakness that are vital contributions to society. For centuries, women have maintained the home and tended to the family, while the men hunted and gathered. The roles that each play, has always been significantly different from one another. Which leaves one to ponder why 19th- century American women would pack up and abandon their reasonably comfortable homes and lifestyles, potentially forever, to endure considerable dangers and hardships of the westward journey to California?