Beyond Suffrage: A Book Review
analytical Essay
824 words
The book, Beyond Suffrage; Women in the New Deal, presents the role of women in the 1930’s in a much different light than many people think of it. The goal of this book is to enlighten the reader as to what role women played in politics during the New Deal. Because of it’s broad view I have taken several specific examples from the book and elaborated on them in order to give you a better understanding.
The author, Susan Ware, begins by laying the groundwork for the women’s network. During the 1930’s, many different organizations began to evolve to include women in their decision-making. The backbone to this movement seems to lie deep within the White House. The First Lady, Eleanor Roosevelt, held a great deal of influence in decisions regarding women and their role. Ware writes of Mrs. Roosevelt as the “foremost member of the women’s network in the 1930’s,” and throughout the book Roosevelt’s influence seems to be everywhere.
Moving on, the twenty-eight women discussed in this book are all linked through a complex network, which made them very strong in a time where women had no real strength. Almost all of them held top federal jobs in Washington DC. They were all educated women, born in the same generation. A sisterhood, supporting each other and encouraging each other after every victory, no matter how small, linked them very closely. These women gave each other the moral support and mentorship that seems abse...
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the book beyond suffrage; women in the new deal, which presents the role of women in politics during the 1930s in a different light than many people think.
- Analyzes how susan ware lays the groundwork for the women's network. the first lady, eleanor roosevelt, held a great deal of influence in decisions regarding women and their role.
- Explains that the twenty-eight women discussed in this book are all linked through a complex network, which made them very strong. they were all educated women, born in the same generation.
- Analyzes molly dewson's role in recruiting and retaining women to the democratic party. she "overlooked" minor jobs to focus on the big picture of women being involved in new deal programs.
- Explains how women played a critical role in the new deal, including the national recovery administration. rose schneiderman served on the labor advisory board.
- Analyzes how winding down, beyond suffrage, explains the decline of the women’s movement at the end of 1930's.
- Analyzes ware's description of how women viewed themselves and their goals during this time. they weren't the "fem-nazi," combat boot-wearing women that we often associate with feminism today.
- Opines that beyond suffrage is a good book, although it is too broad. ware's explanation of the significance of women during this era is good.
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- Women's Right Movementexplanatory essayIn the mid nineteenth century America was going through an age of reform. The person who would be the center of these reforms would be the women in society. Women soon realized that in order to make sure that all the reforms went through they would need more power and influence in society. The oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women into create the women’s right movement. The women fought so zealously for their rights it would be impossible for them not to achieve their goals. The sacrifices, suffering, and criticism that the women activist made would be so that the future generations would benefit the future generations.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that in the mid nineteenth century america was going through an age of reform. the oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched them into create the women's right movement.
- Explains that the oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women's right movement. the nineteenth century was a ferment of reform such as the second great awakening.
- Explains that many reformers opposed the drinking of alcohol because drunkenness was widespread. the american temperance society was created by the women in the church to remove or regulate taverns.
- Explains the end goal of the women's right movement was for women to be treated as an equal citizen and not property.
- Describes the sacrifices, suffering, and criticism that the women activist made to benefit the future generations. the oppression and discrimination they felt in this era launched them into a women's right movement.
837 wordsRead More - To begin with, there are many events in United States history that have shaped our general understanding of women’s involvement in economics, politics, the debates of gender and sexuality, and so forth. Women for many centuries have not been seen as a significant part of history, however under thorough analyzation of certain events, there are many women and woman-based events responsible for the progressiveness we experience in our daily lives as men, women, children, and individuals altogether. Many of these events aid people today to reflect on the treatment of current individuals today and to raise awareness to significant issues that were not resolved or acknowledged in the past.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that many events in united states history have shaped our general understanding of women's involvement in economics, politics, the debates of gender and sexuality, and so forth.
- Analyzes jacqueline jones' perspective of the treatment of african american women during the american revolution.
- Analyzes how the systematic mistreatment of african american female slaves during this period is shown through the sexual oppression they also faced.
- Analyzes kathleen duval's analysis on "indians' marital and intercultural relationships in colonial louisiana," where she states that sexual unions among frenchmen and indian women were common.
- Opines that feminism has a widespread message and definition worldwide. in the united states, black women were treated inhumanely and did not benefit from white privilege.
736 wordsRead More - Alice Paul's Push for Equal Rights for Womanopinionated essayIn 1910, I returned back to America. With my move, I was determined to continue to spread my beliefs to women in society. I joined the National American Women’s Suffrage Association as a chair of their congressional committee. However, it didn’t last long, due to the fact that I didn’t agree with the policies associated with this organization. Soon after I left, I joined the National Women’s Party, with the objective to make change for women on the federal level.
In this essay, the author
- Narrates how woodrow wilson's support for the women’s suffrage and the 19th amendment motivated them to push for further rights for women.
- Opines that peacemakers should be judged by the results. just because a method seems odd or unnecessary, does not mean it won’t be successful.
- Opines that women would have had no hope in women's ability to be independent. as we made progress, it became more possible, which led to an amendment.
- Explains that they believe that government wants to keep order in america. they grew up in a home where it was believed that women should be treated equal to men.
- Explains that their biggest influence was from their quaker community. they followed their grandfather, judge william parry, who believed that men and women should be equal.
- Opines that if everyone were to be equal and have equal opportunities, the world would be peaceful.
- Explains that they were born in new jersey and grew up quaker and attended swarthmore college. they joined the national american women's suffrage association in 1910.
- Opines that when it is needed, extremism can be necessessary to get the point across to deaf ears. when i protested women's rights, i went as far as i could to make it clear that i was willing to die
- Agrees with gandhi's quote because it explains their view on their fight for women’s rights.
649 wordsRead More - Analysis Of The Women's Suffrage Movementanalytical essayFriendships are one of the most underrated supports, successful movements have, not only are they the backbone of these movements, but also friendships can boost morale when a cause seems lost. These connections between leaders and even lower ranking members are the reason why the Women’s Suffrage Movement was a success. The bonds that the leaders of these movements had went way beyond that of having a common belief in the rights of women, these women were friends. Like friends, they bickered and disagreed but when push came to shove, they were on the same side and would see each other through to the end. Baker, in her book “Sisters,” looks not only at the lives of the individual leaders of the Women’s Suffrage Movement, but makes it a point
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how elizabeth cady stanton's friendship with susan b. anthony is a great example of friendships between leaders in the movement.
- Analyzes how anthony's relationship with lucy stone was more frequently used as an example of friendships in the movement than her’s with stanton.
- Explains that anthony and elizabeth cady stanton were the perfect team, a mother and single woman, writer, and public speaker/researcher.
- Opines that the women's suffrage movement was a success not just because on their own these women leaders were strong, independent and amazing at their roles, but also because they were friends with one another.
- Explains that friendships are one of the most underrated supports, successful movements have, and they can boost morale when a cause seems lost.
1132 wordsRead More - Women's Fight to Reform their World in the Early 1900sexplanatory essay"Working and Voting — Women in the 1920s." American History USA RSS. Web. 11 May 2014. http://www.americanhistoryusa.com/working-voting-women-1920s/
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how women's role in society evolved from 1919 to 1941.
- Explains that women's role in society changed during wwi and throughout the 1920s. women were expected to behave modestly and wear long dresses.
- Explains that the 1920s saw the empowerment of women, as they challenged the traditional ideas about women's role in society.
- Explains that in the 1930s, women had already gained rights that they had not previously had, but they still did not have the same rights as men.
- Explains that women's roles in society changed rapidly during the 1940s due to the seriousness of the second world war.
- Explains that women started off as a man's property in the early 1900s, but changed the rules and started the suffrage in order to fight for their rights.
- Cites moran, mickey, "information on the changing role of women." teachers' curriculum institute.
- Explains the role of women during the 1940's.
1115 wordsRead More - “Although the world is full of suffering, it is full also of the overcoming of it,” as stated by Helen Keller in her essay Optimism. With the start of the women’s suffrage movement in the United States during the mid-nineteenth century abolition was a prominent theme in many suffrage activities as the Civil War approached. With the country reunited and slavery conquered, suffrage for African American’s became a new goal alongside achieving the vote for all women. Racial tensions and anti-Semitism paired with discrimination towards the working-class made relations difficult, but it was obvious to all that cooperation was the only means of achieving the vote. As the fight for suffrage concluded, the country’s women contended against the patriarchal system and internal conflict of the movement until they won the battle with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. During the late 19th and early 20th century, working-class women in the United States fought for their rights as humans during the fight for suffrage as they persevered against injustices of sex, class, and ethnicity, despite their overshadowed contributions.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the women's suffrage movement in the united states fought for their rights as humans during the late 19th and early 20th century.
- Explains that the declaration of sentiments was produced by elizabeth stanton and lucretia mott in 1848, and the birth of women's rights organizations. sojourner truth labored for women’s suffrage as well as former slaves.
- Explains that after the civil war, the women's movement began in its own right. the awsa and nwsa opposed the fifteenth amendment, which excluded african american women in support of "the negro’s hour."
- Describes how nawsa formed from the awsa and nwsa rejuvenating the fight for women's rights after a decade of little advance.
- Explains that the power needed to achieve suffrage could not be obtained without working-class women being active participants.
- Analyzes how the women's movement turned to the start of world war i, when the battle for women’s suffrage was seen as frivolous and disrespectful, but militant tactics by the nwp continued despite both negative public opinion and nawsa.
- Analyzes how gerda lerner commented on the inadequacy of the women's suffrage movement in a letter to betty friedman, author of feminine mystique.
- Cites duniway, abigail scott, luscomb, florence, and keller, helen, in modern american women: a documentary history, 2nd ed., edited by susan ware.
- Quotes ware, susan, in modern american women: a documentary history, 2nd ed., edited by horowitz, daniel.
- Quotes linda k. kerber, jane sherron de hart, and cornelia hughes dayton in women's america: refocusing the past, 269-271.
- Quotes klapper, melissa r., ballots, babies, and banners of peace: american jewish women’s activism, 1890-1940.
- Cites linda kerber, jane sherron de hart, and cornelia hughes dayton's "minor v. happersett, 1874."
809 wordsRead More - American Women's Historyexplanatory essayBlock, Sharon, Ruth M. Alexander, and Mary Beth Norton. Major Problems in American Women's History. 5th ed. N.p.: Wadsworth Pub, 2013. Print.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes the impact of the american revolution on native american, european, and african american women's lives.
- Explains that the american revolution impacted every aspect of european american women's lives as they faced a revolution which encompassed social, domestic, and political issues.
- Explains that the civil war aided in the abolition movement which american women fought long and hard for. they boycotted british goods and spun their own cloth and yarn to avoid the need to purchase it from britain.
- Explains that the impact of the american revolution for african american women differed across the nation.
- Explains that the american revolution was just the beginning of women's road to equality. women were stepping out of their homes and working towards something larger. courts became more favorable towards women in issues of property rights and petitions for divorce.
- Explains that women were subjected to an immense amount of discrimination and thought of as lesser beings than men. the debate over women's rights began during the revolution and continued through the american republic.
- Explains that women formed reform societies and organizations for temperance, labor-force, better conditions for prisons, and the abolition movement.
- Explains that women were highly involved in the abolitionist movement. they saw similarities in their own place in society and that of african americans.
- Describes the seneca falls convention as a two-day women's rights convention where women from all over the nation gathered to discuss the current political, social, and civil conditions of women.
1308 wordsRead More - The Ice Stormanalytical essay...eir lives learning them. During the Depression and World War II, 'women's work'; became much more than tasks performed at home. The 'go where you want to go, do what you want to do'; mantra of the '60s showed women who felt there was more to life than domesticity that their urge to be 'of the world'; was a viable goal. They wanted, rightly, to be included in the power structure. The obstacle to this end was the existing male-dominated power elite. Men, who through upbringing and experience believed that their position of control was pre-ordained, were too busy convincing themselves and each other of their rectitude to listen to what women wanted. Wendy Carver is a product of all this, a girl blossoming into womanhood, and a person with strong opinions to express. She, in many ways, defines the burgeoning power women felt in their grasp in 1973. They yearned to be part of the great decision-making processes affecting their world. Their perspective, they knew, was vital to making the necessary changes to the 'boys' club'; mentality that had bred the wars, embargos and political chicanery that plagued America in the early 70s. The world was changing, and it was time to talk about it.
In this essay, the author
- Describes new canaan, connecticut as a prototypical 'bedroom' community with clean, quiet streets and greenspace. discontent and ennui thrive behind the doors of these homes.
- Explains that affluent americans clustered in suburban areas where jobs for women were limited and domestic help was in short supply.
- Analyzes how the ice storm forces the hoods and carvers to come to grips with the realities of their lives.
- Explains that past and present studies of martial discontent show that non-working married women are much more prone to anxiety, depression, and mental breakdowns than married men, married working women, or single women.
- Analyzes how elena hood and jane carver are stereotypical suburban wives. they are portrayed as a sexual person, while jane is the prototypical housewife.
- Analyzes how the halfords are having a 'key party', where husbands place their keys in the house and then leave with the owner of the keys. paul hood travels to new york city to woo his high school crush.
- Analyzes how wendy, a 14-year-old girl, is disgusted by the watergate hearings, and nixon's behavior during them.
- Analyzes how the storm mimics the events transpiring in the halfords' house. emotions flow freely when mixed with alcohol will become frozen moments in time as the keys are removed from the bowl.
- Analyzes how jane may feel that by forcing jim to go off with another woman, she can assuage her guilt about her own transgressions.
- Analyzes how the prevailing male view that women were caregivers, child-rearers, and pleasure drones for them and their heirs was no longer adequate in 1973.
1831 wordsRead More - ROSIE THE RIVETER AND HER CONTRIBUTION TO WWIIanalytical essayThe role of women in American history has evolved a great deal over the past few centuries. In less than a hundred years, the role of women has moved from housewife to highly paid corporate executive to political leader. As events in history have shaped the present world, one can find hidden in such moments, pivotal points that catapult destiny into an unforeseen direction. This paper will examine one such pivotal moment, fashioned from the fictitious character known as ‘Rosie the Riveter’ who represented the powerful working class women during World War II and how her personification has helped shape the future lives of women.
In this essay, the author
- Analyzes how the role of women in american history has evolved over the past few centuries, from housewife to highly paid corporate executive to political leader. this paper will examine one such pivotal moment, fashioned from the fictitious character known as ‘rosie the riveter’.
- Analyzes how the united states supreme court's 1873 ruling sums up how women were perceived by their male counterparts prior to world war ii.
- Explains that women were not strangers to the work force in the turn of the century, as the developing american nation altered the lives of its citizens.
- Explains that during world war ii, the united states began to manufacture war materials to support its allies through lucrative government defense contracts.
- Explains how the government devised a propaganda enriched advertising campaign to motivate the masses of women by appealing to their sense of patriotism.
- Explains that the henry kaiser shipyard in richmond, california, employed up to 120,000 workers, most of whom were women. the rosie the riveter/world war ii national historical park researches and interprets the war effort's history.
- Explains that women faced daily challenges from their male supervisors, who greatly underestimated the ability of their female employees.
- Explains that there is another set of lesser known ‘rosies’ who served in the workforce during world war ii and are known by some as “top secret rosies”.
- Explains that every shell, bomb that found an axis target did so because of these women's painstaking, pre-computer calculations for velocity, trajectory, and so on.
- Explains that these amazing women contributed to the success of the war. other notable female achievements included those that assisted with the manhattan project in los alamos and those who served as code breakers for the national security agency.
- Explains that geraldine doyle was the face behind the famous "we can do it" poster of rosie the riveter.
- Explains that after the war, women were told they had to leave their jobs, especially those who were married and felt overburdened with home and work responsibilities. rosie's image faded into the folds of history and was replaced by new advertisement during the 1950s.
- Opines that rosie's iconic image would again emerge within various campaigns, such as the feminist movement in the 1980s who used the poster’s image to challenge gender stereotypes and promote equality.
- Explains that during world war ii, when the american labor market was in desperate need, a call for aid was sent out, for which many women responded.
- Explains the real story of "rosie the riveter": a ford motor company employee.
- Describes the military history of geraldine doyle, aka rosie the riveter.
- Cites siebel, julia m., 'rosie the riveter' reminder of women's history.
1836 wordsRead More - Women in the Progressive Eraexplanatory essaySchneider, Dorothy. American Women in the Progressive Era 1900-1920. New York: Facts on File, 1993.
In this essay, the author
- Explains that american women emerged as a major force for social reform in the 1890s and 1920s. they organized associations to come up with solutions to society's problems.
- Explains that women struggled to achieve equality as citizens, equality in the work place, and equality at home.
- Explains that women and women's organizations worked for various rights for different groups of people, such as the right to vote, political equality, and social reforms.
- Explains that women wanted the same rights as men, but it wasn't a one-person battle. they fought for minorities, prostitution, and child labor laws. opponents believed women were less intelligent and less able to make political decisions.
- Explains that progressivism was not just a single movement, rather it was several different organizations of people trying to accomplish their own goals.
- Explains that progressives saw that the future for a new america ultimately depended on changing the government and politics.
- Describes how women acted through various organizations during the progressive era, such as the young women's christian association, the national consumers' league, and other trade unions. they won minimum wage and maximum hours for women workers through muller v. oregon, public health programs for pregnant women and babies and improved educational opportunities for children and adults.
- Explains that florence kelley, jane addams, ellen swallow richards and susan b. anthony had an impeccable impact on the way everyone, not to mention women, live life today.
- Opines that florence kelley was among the many famous and powerful women associated with the progressive era. she had many roles in many movements, including the abolishment of child labor, the passage of protective legislation for working women, and the establishment of minimum wage laws.
- Explains that kelley helped establish sixty-four local consumers' leagues throughout the united states, and is best known for the successful defense of the ten-hour-working-day legislation for women in the 1908 u.s. supreme court decision.
- Explains that kelley was not alone when it came to her battles in the progressive era. they tended to be old-stock, upper-middle-class americans who wanted to preserve traditional american values against what they believed was a threat against their way of life.
- Explains that the progressive era had an immigrant problem. many of these female reformers were educated in colleges, but were banned from most professional careers.
- Explains that the temperance union sought to eliminate the dominantly male immigrant worker's habits, including drinking, saloons, and prostitution.
- Describes how the settlement houses were renovated, maintained, and lived in. they were located within ethnic neighborhoods to improve' the people who resided there and at the same time, americanize them.
- Explains that working in the settlement houses was considered 'women's work', however, american women’s proper' place was still seen as being married and staying at home.
- Explains that most of the settlement houses were founded by women, and that they became sites of new ideas, such as the national association for the advancement of colored people
- Narrates how albion fellows bacon was a sanitation committee member of the evansville civic improvement society in indiana. she believed substandard housing was the cause of many social problems.
- Explains that the progressive era was not limited to white reformers, but the african-american community also worked to improve their living conditions. black women's clubs grew dramatically thanks to one particular woman, ida b. wells-barnett.
- Explains that the national women's trade union league (nwtul) was formed in 1903 to develop a good relationship between working and wealthy women.
- Explains that the nwtul was successful in training rank-and-file labor women who went on to help promote labor organizations and reforms.
- Opines that progressive reformers created many policies that we accept as a natural part of our national life today, and women's actions in the progressive era was just one step towards equality of the sexes.
- Describes the women's liberation movement in america, including frankel, voralee, and nancy schrom dye.
2111 wordsRead More