Rise of Women's Rights

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For all of history, women have stood behind men as companions and supporters. Women have been treated as if they were politically and socially inferior; property of the men they married. Only in the last hundred years have restrictions on women been lifted. Subdued by men for thousands of years, early modern feminist movements were met with animosity. Only a century ago, the majority of American women were unable to vote.

Women composed half of the population, but their voice was not heard. Their views were not to be expressed except to their husbands, and even then it was dangerous to be confrontational. This system was, naturally, engineered by men. Men have always been physically stronger and able to enforce the practice of female subservience. However, physical power is not the only issue. Men have another biological advantage over women.

Men are more emotionally stable: had this not been the case, women would have had become independent far earlier. For the great majority of human existence, the hunter-gatherer era, superiority was earned physically. Among men, the strongest would lead the band in hunt, and each man led his wom(e/a)n. It was merely a physical affair. This established a firm system of female submission. Ten thousand years ago, the Neolithic Revolution struck mankind. No longer was man forced to travel, but along with his wom(e/a)n, he settled and learned the art of agriculture. In this system, physical strength was still valued, but that soon changed. He (or she) who could plow more land more quickly could earn more. Naturally, in a family the men took up the plow. Women stayed inside and cared for the children. This system stuck in the mind of humanity, and it remains still today. It should not. After ...

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...l trade, had no profession: she wanted power without having to earn it. "She was not a great enough beauty any more at home to be able to leave him and better herself and she knew it and he knew it" (18). Her power had come only from her beauty, and thereby only through men, but that power was waning. She knew that her influence over Macomber was declining. While he was weak and cowardly, she could ride assertively over him, but as he gained strength -- she was lost. What could she do? As the buffalo ran at Francis, she took up a gun in fear. She was a poor shot, and her hands shook as she handled the weapon. She aimed at the bull, but it was difficult to see past Francis. She was nervous, and suddenly the buffalo was too close. She shot compulsively, and an image of a strong Francis flashed agonizingly through her mind. Her finger twitched. Had it been an accident?

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