“If society will not admit of woman's free development, then society must be remodeled.” -Elizabeth Blackwell.
Elizabeth Blackwell is best known for being the first woman to graduate from a medical college in the United States. In doing so, she paved the road for the higher education of women in the United States, and because of her there are currently 661,400 female doctors in the United States ("Women in Medicine: How Female Doctors have Changed the Face of Medicine"). Her character and determination inspired thousands of women to become doctors. Elizabeth Blackwell was strong- willed and she never stopped aspiring to be who she wanted to be until she achieved her goals. Elizabeth Blackwell not only impacted the American medical field in the 1800’s, her impact can still be seen in America today.
When thinking of Elizabeth Blackwell, one trait comes to mind: courageous. She was born in England in 1821 and moved to the United States when she was eleven years old. (She died from a severe fall down a flight of stairs in 1910). She was raised by a father who helped abolish slavery in England and who believed in feminist ideals ("Biographies-Elizabeth Blackwell"). Her father always reminded his daughters that they were just as valuable as men were. When Elizabeth Blackwell was older, she supported women’s right to vote, their right to education, and more job opportunities for women. Contrary to the popular belief, she did not support radical women’s rights. “She saw herself as a hard-working individual, not a hard-working woman,”- Tallarie Thurgood ("History of Dr.Elizabeth Blackwell").
Elizabeth Blackwell was the first woman to be accepted into a medical college in the United States. This was not easy. The first 29 medical school...
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... professor and believed in hands on work, the women at her medical college are said to have received a better education than most students received at the all male medical colleges ("Biographies-Elizabeth Blackwell").
Throughout her life, Elizabeth Blackwell worked constantly to do better. Because of her courageous acceptance and completion of medical school she helped women to receive a better education than they might have had. Elizabeth Blackwell opened doors for women in the medical field across the world. Each year, because of Elizabeth Blackwell, a female doctor receives the Elizabeth Blackwell Award for contributing to the cause of women in the medical field. Women across the world are now doctors, helping others. Elizabeth Blackwell showed people that they do not have to be what society labels them as and to work hard and have courage to never give up.
They all fought and still fight for women’s rights. Some wanted to vote, like Susan and Elizabeth, some wanted to race, like Shirley, they all changed the country like Hillary Clinton and Rose. But they all cared about was to not be judged or told they can’t do something. Their similarities all meet because they all made differences in little and big ways. We can all benefit from their actions and make change for the
...udents that she taught, that it was entirely possible to be a woman in the health field. She demonstrated to everyone around her, that women are able to be successful in health professions, and still maintain a healthy family life. Her work never stopped and she continued to advance in positions throughout her lifetime. Dorothy Case-Blechschmidt truly encompasses the meaning of a leader and role model to any woman who wants to enter a health profession field.
#3. Jane Addams - Education. http:// womenshistory.about.com/cs/addamseducation/index.htm>.
On October 10, 1927, Clarence L. Johnson Sr. & his wife Garnett Henley Johnson gave birth to yet another daughter by the name of Hazel Winifred Johnson in West Chester, Pennsylvania. After, her and her family moved to a Quaker town called Mavern. She was born into a family whose values were strictly discipline, diligence, unity, and pursuit of education. Between her and her other 6 siblings (2 sisters and 4 brothers), Hazel was the one out of them all who always dreamed of being a nurse. She went and applied for Chester School of Nursing, however, she was denied because she was an African American. After being denied to Chester’s School of Nursing, Johnson went on to further her education elsewhere by going to start training at the Harlem Hospital School of Nursing where she graduated in 1950. She then goes on to work in the Harlem Hospital Emergency Ward for 3 years and then practiced on the medical cardiovascular ward at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Philadelphia, all while working to get her baccalaureate at Villanova University. (Hazel Johnson-Brown: Visionary Videos: NVLP: African American History)
Her plan was a success and she was able to start her own women’s nursing corps. Because of their efforts and determination, those two women were acknowledged for helping allowing women to become nurses
Elizabeth Jane Cochran was born on May 5, 1864 in Cochran Mills, Pennsylvania. She was the thirteenth child of her family and considered the most rebellious of the family. When Nellie was just six years old her father abruptly died, leaving her mother to raise fifteen children. (Around the World in 72 Days). The death of her father was a terrible financial blow to the family because her father left no will to protect the family's interests. A year after the death the family was forced to auction off the mansion and move to a more modest home. Nellie helped her mother take care of the other children, but still they came into very hard times. (Around the World in 72 Days). Elizabeth's mother desperately sought financial security so she remarried. She entered a very disastrous marriage to an abusive man. He often beat Elizabeth and her mother. Soon after the marriage began she sued for divorce and Elizabeth testified at the trial. "My stepfather has been generally drunk since he married my mother, When drunk he is very cross and cross when sober." (Around the World in 72 Days). Elizabeth soon sought an independent life and wanted a way to support her mother. She started attending the Indiana Normal School to become a teacher. While attending school Elizabeth decided to add an e' to her last name for sophistication. (Nellie Bly, Wikipedia). After one semester of schooling Elizabeth had to drop out because she didn't have enough money to continue schooling. Elizabeth then moved back to Pittsburgh with her mother. She stayed there for the next seven years but had a difficult time finding full-time work because there were only low paid jobs available to women at that time. (Nellie Bly, USA History).
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was born into a family of eleven on November 12, 1815 in Johnstown, New York. Elizabeth was passionate about gender equality from a small age. One of the main reasons Elizabeth became so passionate about women’s rights was from an encounter with her father. Since Elizabeth was little, she was aware of the fact that there were gender equality issues in society. Elizabeth’s brother had passed away and one night Elizabeth was sitting on her fathers lap and her father told her that he wished she were a boy. Hearing the statement infuriated Elizabeth and she wanted to do anything she could to prove to her dad that she could do all the same things her brother was capable of doing. She began to take upper level math and language classes, and would win competitions even though she was the only girl in the competition. It was very rare for women to be educated during this time period, but Stanton was considered lucky because she received a good education. Elizabeth married Henry B. Stanton. They had seven kids together. Her passion in women’s equality was rekindled when she was thirty-three years old. Elizabeth Stanton and her husband attended an anti slavery convention in London. During this convention the British excluded the women delegates which made Stanton livid and she knew she needed to take action immediately. She decided, with the help of other women, to hold a women’s right meeting.
Mary became the first African-American graduate nurse in 1879. (Smith, J, & Phelps, S, 1992) She contributed to organizations such as the American Nurses Association, the National Association of Colored Graduate Nurses, and was an active participant in the the Women's Suffrage Movement, becoming one of the first women to register vote to in Boston, Massachusetts. The issue closest to the heart of Mary Mahoney was equality of the African-American nurse with...
She was old enough to be aware of what was happening around her, approximately a teenager. Allowing her to have been influenced and even participate in the second wave of feminism. Doctor Evans family was of good economic and social standing so that she could go and receive at least three degrees during that time. Her writing thus holds a little bit of her perspective throughout the pages. Doctor Evans was participated in feminist consciousness-raising groups that were common for the time. Feminist consciousness-raising groups sprung up in New York and Chicago and then quickly spread thanks to women such as Doctor Evans. Feminist consciousness-raising groups are sometimes considered the backbone of the second wave and one of the main organizing
The history of nursing important to understand because it can help our professionals today to know why things are the way it is now and can have solutions to unsolvable problems from history. Captain Mary Lee Mills was an African-American woman born in Wallace, North Carolina in August 1912. She was a role model, an international nursing leader, and a humanitarian in her time. She joined many nursing associations, she participated in public health conferences, gained recognition and won numerous awards for her notable contributions to public health nursing. Her contributions throughout her lifetime made a huge impact on the world today and has changed the lives of how people live because of her passion for public health nursing.
A college education is something that women take for granted today, but in the 1800’s it was an extremely rare thing to see a woman in college. During the mid 1800’s, schools like Oberlin and Elmira College began to accept women. Stone’s father did a wonderful thing (by 19th century standards) in loaning her the money to pay for her college education. Stone was the first woman to get a college education in Massachusetts, graduating from Oberlin College in 1843. Her first major protest was at the time of her graduation. Stone was asked to write a commencement speech for her class. But she refused, because someone else would have had to read her speech. Women were not allowed, even at Oberlin, to give a public address.
Health and medicine have come a long way since the Elizabethan Era. Everything from the myths and beliefs, diagnosis and treatment, and the medical profession have drastically changed since the 1800’s.
There are many women who had huge influences in the advancement of heath and medicine. Many people don’t realize how much women do and how much they have contributed to the medical world and its advancements. From Lillian D. Wald, who worked with the less fortunate and children in schools, to Virginia Apgar, who worked with mothers and their newborns and also came up with the “Apgar Score,” and Eku Esu-Williams who is an immunologist and an AIDS Educator. Even though women did so much, many people were sexist and didn’t want to acknowledge what they did or give them the chance to do things, such as become doctors. I want to inform people on how much these women have contributed to the world of healthcare and medicine so that people won’t be so sexist towards women.
However, women desired a higher education. Elizabeth Blackwell is a prime example of women’s fight for a medical degree, one of the first STEM environments available to women. In order to kick-start her education she wrote to all of the doctors that she knew, requesting advice and help. However, most of the doctors replied that they thought it impossible, that a woman would not be able to endure the rigors of a medical education, and that they feared the competition that women doctors would bring. Elizabeth persisted, finally making her way to Philadelphia, a city famous for its study in medicine, to stay with Dr. Elder, one of the few supporters of her education. Once here she continued writing letters and actually found many friends who agreed to support her cause, but unfortunately universities were not included in this list of friends. Elizabeth then pursued an education at the University of Geneva in New York where the Medical Faculty and students agreed to accept her. While at first the university cared about the press coverage that Elizabeth’s spot would bring, she eventually established her rightful place as a student there. Although she encountered some resentment among the wives of doctors and other people living in the small town, Elizabeth ...
Education for women in the 1800s was far different from what we know today. During her life, a girl was taught more necessary skills around the home than the information out of school books. A woman’s formal education was limited because her job opportunities were limited—and vice versa. Society could not conceive of a woman entering a profession such as medicine or the law and therefore did not offer her the chance to do so. It was much more important to be considered 'accomplished' than thoroughly educated. Elizabeth Bennet indicated to her sisters that she would continue to learn through reading, describing education for herself as being unstructured but accessible. If a woman desired to further he education past what her classes would teach her, she would have to do so independently, and that is what most women did.