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Women's roles in 20th century america
Women's roles in 20th century america
Women's roles in 20th century america
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In Iron Jawed Angels, patriarchy plays the dominant ideology throughout the film. Male dominance showed males objecting protests, harsh treatment of the heroines in prison and the objection of the 19th amendment before and after it was passed. During the parade, male bystanders charged into the parade, objecting its message. When Alice went to the restaurant to meet the reporter from the Washington Post, his son was at the table, and stuck out his untied shoe, waiting for her to tie it for him; this shows that at the time, women were the ones to do work for the men. The police didn’t even bother helping the suffragists against their male harassers. When the suffragists protested outside the white house, they were soon arrested and were falsely
Women rights have always been a conflict in the United States. So hearing about two extremist who believed men were superior over women, the kingdom they created and then an ex-slave turn servant turn abolitionist leader, puts the concept into perspective. Many changes occurred during these stories and they show case women’s lives in America during the early 1800s.
However, the writers of the Constitution had omitted women in that pivotal statement which left women to be denied these “unalienable” rights given to every countryman. Gaining the support of many, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the leader of the Women’s Rights Movement declared at Seneca Falls that women had the same rights as men including the right to vote and be a part of government. The Women’s Rights movement gained support due to the years of abuse women endured. For years, men had “the power to chastise and imprison his wife…” and they were tired of suffering (Doc I). The new concept of the cult of domesticity supported women’s roles in society but created greater divisions between men and women.
This discrimination towards this sex was reinforced by the idea that women was made for man. Not only was this idea prevalent within society but it furthermore is resonated through the laws and documents the government put in place. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony fought to establish equality between both sexes within the nation. This is illustrated within the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions at Seneca Falls when these women stated, “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object he establishment of an absolute tyranny over her.” This quote expresses the past of women rights and how from the beginning of time women have been seen as inferior to man. This furthermore resonated to express the idea that women were not only inferior but also a material object in a man’s life. Stanton and Anthony put a large emphasis into this ideal, making it their driving force into establishing women’s rights in America.
The Revolt of “Mother” by Mary E. Wilkens Freeman was published in Harper’s New Monthly Magazine in September 1890. The story describes gender roles that women, men and children were given. Women were to stay home to cook, clean, and to sew. Men on the other hand were sent out to work; they had all the power and decision-making. Children who were boys went to school, while children that were girls stayed home and sewed awaiting their marriage day. In the story, readers can tell men were more acknowledged and dominant because the author states mothers name as Sarah Penn only after talking about men being immovable, even though she herself was described like that in the beginning. If women went against a man or their husband in the 19th century, they were considered “insane, lawless, and rebellious” (Wilkins Freeman 207).
At the convention of the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1840, the people there supported the nomination of a woman abolitionist to work on the committee. Some abolitionists walked out, because they didn’t think women should be in the committee. They formed the American and Foreign Anti-Slavery Society, which didn’t allow women into the group. In 1837, 71 representatives held the first Anti-Slavery Convention of American Women in New York. They made articles in the newspapers, formed other different committees, and created a campaign to collect one million signatures on antislavery petitions. Since women couldn’t vote, petitioning was their way of ‘voting. There were some women who spoke publicly, they would travel as speakers for the American Anti-Slavery Society. The first women speakers were sisters, Sarah and Angelina Grimké. They wrote and spoke about the life and hardships of woman and
In the eighteenth century, citizens consisted of white, land owning males. Below them were white, non-landing owning males. Following were white females and then slaves. During the anti-slavery movement, male slaves were looking for their right to vote mainly. The fifteenth amendment to the United States constitution stated prohibited states from denying rights to citizens "on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude" (Sklar 73). Perhaps the reason white women were opposed to this amendment is due to the fact that they realized their rights had been decreased. They had very little rights above male slaves before this amendment, and after its passing, they had no rights even mentioned in the constitution. This could have been looked upon as a very good incentive to gain their own freedom.
Margaret Atwood’s dystopian novel The Handmaid’s Tale depicts many aspects of humanity at times of crisis as the protagonist, and narrator, of this novel is experiencing and seen through her eyes throughout the novel. The form of government in this novel is totalitarian with Christianity guidelines in which men have higher roles and women are put into submission and into supporting roles with no equal footing as it one was before and where Offred is forced to adjust with these new restrictions. Throughout the centuries, women have been put into submitting rules mainly due to their physical appearances; the dainty hands, smooth skin, and their natural motherly nature are seen as weak and should be an object of protection. It is true that women do not possess the physical strength that the male sex do, as it is seen throughout Atwood’s novel where the male military Commanders wield considerable power over the lesser male roles, women such as Offred are highly valued not for their strength but for their fertility. Although women have made considerable progress in putting themselves in an equal standing in society today, as can be seen with the number of women in government and highly appointed job positions, there is still that underlying prejudice that women are inferior. “Women hold 17 percent of the seats in Congress”, says Jessica Valenti in the popular newspaper The Washington Post, and follows with the argument that “more than 85 percent of counties in the United States have no provider; women work outside the home, but they make about 76 cents to a man's dollar and make up the majority of Americans living in poverty”.
Throughout time women have struggled to acquire the same rights that any man has. There is proof throughout history that documents this struggle. On the week of June 10, 1937 The Saturday Evening Post published an article titled "A Truce With Men." It documents the closing of the gender rights gap around the 1920's and 1930's. The article states, "The woman of today has finally made peace with her men." From this statement one can define a few things. The first is that there is some sort of battle going on between the two sexes and this battle has been resolved. Furthermore, is infers that some sort of treaty or negotiation must have been made to keep the barrier equalized. The struggle that occurs between the sexes in society is portrayed in John Steinbeck's The Chrysanthemums. By taking a closer look at both Steinbeck's story and the article published during the time period, one can see how these two texts interact.
started out as a movement for total equality for all humans, yet it has become a philosophy (largely promoted by Stanton and others) based on animosity and condemnation against men. The rise in feminism has led to (not necessarily caused) an exponential increase in discrimination against men, as many feminists blame men for the injustice against and oppression of women through out the ages, and not without cause. Women throughout the ages have been considered sub-human at best, and property as worst, little more than chattel, and while it is still true that women are still oppressed in some places of the world, in America (home of feminism, equality, and freedom) women are reversing the balance of power. Rather than moving fprward with ideals of freedom and equality, feminism has become distorted and history is repeating itself; but with a twist. Now the women are on top and men are being oppressed.
According to the text,” Abolitionism arose out of a deep religious conviction that slave-holding was a sin that the truly god-fearing had the obligation to eliminate.” (DuBois, 2012, p. 268). In 1936, Boston Female Anti-Slavery Society implored that each woman in the land must do a Christian woman’s duty, and the result cannot fail to be instant, peaceful, unconditional deliverance. Unlike any other movement seen before, women along with men would join into open conflict with America’s basic political and religious institutions. Sarah and Angelina Grimke rose to the roles as the leaders for the movement. They made many speeches to men and women regarding the issue and even found themselves condemned from the church for their actions. The need for change was growing over the overwhelming feel for abolishment of slavery as well as a role for women. In the 1840s, many leaders seen from the abolitionist movement moved to seek not only freedom from slavery but for the future of women as a whole. The Grimkes defense of their equal right to champion slaves led many women into the women’s rights movement. Female abolitionists faced discrimination within the movement, this then led to the need for a women’s rights movement. Pushback was also seen when women who supported the abolishment for slavery were treated the same as those being prosecuted by white religious women and men who saw their views as incorrect. A change was needed and
Others often use masculinity, most often associated with strength, confidence and self-sufficiency to define a man’s identity. The narrator perceives Tyler Durden as a fearless young man who is independent and living life by his own rules. So is Tyler Durden masculine because of his no nonsense attitude or are his law breaking antics and unusual lifestyle seen as a failure because he is a man with neither family, money nor a well respected job? These typical aspirations are commonly defined as the male American dream, but does following life by the rulebook placed on males by society really make a male masculine? Fight Club specifically debunks the male American dream. It challenges’ the idea that the masculine identity is defined by material items and instead embraces the idea that masculine identity can be found in liberation from conformity and the ability to endure pain.
A Cultural Revolution swept through the United States during the 1960s and 1970s. This revolution brought about change and affected nearly everyone—whether they supported the Cultural Revolution or opposed it. This time period in United States history consisted of radical movements and vicissitudes as cultural revolutionaries struggled for equality of all people of both genders and all races. When people think of this period, the civil rights movement and the fight for desegregation in America comes to mind. Although the struggle for racial equality is an important and unforgettable part of American history, there was another fight against inequality that many people overlook. This important part of our nation’s history was the fight for Equal Rights Amendment, also known as the ERA. Even though advocates for the ERA amendment strongly pushed for its passage during the sixties and seventies, the amendment was actually written in 1923, by Alice Paul, the founder of the National Women’s Party. (http://www.equalrightsamendment.org/) The Equal Rights Amendment pushes to outlaw discrimination based on gender. The ERA seeks equality in the specific areas of voting, employment, and education, as well as equality throughout society. Men have traditionally been considered superior, and women were expected to acknowledge their superiority and respect it. As the ERA states, women want to be recognized as equals and treated accordingly. However, the Equal Rights Amendment does not only protect and defend the rights of women; it also has a positive effect on men. According to a History Matters article on the Era, “The ERA will increase everyone’s freedom of choice within our society—no longer will a person suffer legal limitations or bear extr...
In 1920, the “Nineteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution” was passed. The women had fought a long battle for women suffrage and eventually won the right to vote. The first feminist movement also introduced the “Equal Rights Movement” which focused on bringing "Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." (Equal Rights Amendment) Which meant, men and women were equal under the law. They had the right to leave and be entitled to half of the family belongings. Women could also not get married and still be able to make money, since they could now work. Although jobs for females were limited. “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.” (The universal declaration of human rights) yet during this time, discrimination was still commonly out there. They couldn’t just end female inequality, men were too stubborn to end the battle. It would be a long journey, no matter how many laws they
Overall, the value of the American Identity is found in literature such as The Awakening, A Streetcar Named Desire, and The Great Gatsby. Different historical events such as the Women’s Suffrage Movements define America as a male driven nation. These few evidences of many provide an explanation of how men came to control a lot of the activity in the nation and its impact. Currently, women are treated with more respect, have equal rights, and can do many of the things that men can do. However, there is still a great amount of gender inequality in many various aspects and it will remain that way because this nation has been male dominated since it’s independence. History and literature are two aspects of our nation’s cultures that have demonstrated the gender inequality and contributed to the strengthening of this male dominated society in the course of time.
Although the opposing sides often come to a head, Alice Paul makes a great case when she says, “women don’t make the laws, but they have to abide by them”(von Garnier, 2004, part 2). With much determination and a lot of fight, the amendment was finally passed through Congress in 1920. Iron Jawed Angels provides a realistic representation of the fight for equality, but possesses modern film techniques and music to make it appealing to viewers today. It becomes evident in the fight for voting rights that class doesn’t matter in the struggle for equality. In the beginning of the film, the majority of the women seen representing NAWSA are upper class white women, but as the film goes on the fight becomes more socially and ethnically diverse.