The entire Women’s Movement in the United States has been quite extensive. It can be traced back to 1848, when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. After two days of discussions, 100 men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments. Drafted by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, this document called for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. This gathering set the agenda for the rest of the Women’s Movement long ago (Imbornoni). Over the next 100 years, many women played a part in supporting equal treatment for women, most notably leading to the ratification of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, which allowed women the right to vote. But when the “Women’s Movement,” is referred to, one would most likely think about the strides taken during the 1960’s for equal treatment of women. The sixties started off with a bang for women, as the Food and Drug Administration approved birth control pills, President John F. Kennedy established the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appointed Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman, and Betty Friedan published her famous and groundbreaking book, “The Feminine Mystique” (Imbornoni). The Women’s Movement of the 1960’s was a ground-breaking part of American history because along with African-Americans another minority group stood up for equality, women were finished with being complacent, and it changed women’s lives today. ... ... middle of paper ... ...y because another minority group was joining the African-Americans in standing up for equality, women were tired of being complacent with their roles, and it changed women’s lives today. Works Cited Banks, Olive. Faces of Feminism. New York: St Martin's Press, 1981. Charters, Ann. The Portable Sixties Reader. New York: Penguin Books, 2003. Friedan, Betty. The Feminine Mystique. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 2001. Friedan, Betty. Life So Far. New York: Simon & Schuster, 2000. Imbornoni, Ann-Marie. "Timeline of Key Events in the American Women's Rights Movement." Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.. 2000. 8 Nov 2007 . Serafin, Tatiana. "The World's 100 Most Powerful Women." Home Page for the World's Business Leaders. 2005. Forbes. 10 Nov 2007 .
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Show MoreDuring the 1960’s there was a lot of major events that happened in the United States. The 1960’s was known as a decade of “culture and change”, there were lots of political and cultural changes. (Anastakis, 22) One particular movement that was important to society and the country was the Women’s Movement also called the “Feminism Movement”. The first women movement which happened a few decades before focused on gender equality and overcoming different legal problems. The 1960’s women’s movement focused more on different issues such as family, sexuality, workplace issues, and also rights of reproductively. (MacLean, 45) I chose to cover this topic because women have always been influential throughout history, and I being a woman it is important to know about our rights and who paved the way for us.
However in the mid 1800’s women began to fight for their rights, and in particular the right to vote. In July of 1848 the first women's rights conventions was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was tasked with drawing up the Declaration of Sentiments a declaration that would define and guide the meeting. Soon after men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments, this was the beginning of the fight for women’s rights. 1850 was the first annual National Women’s rights convention which continued to take place through to upcoming years and continued to grow each year eventually having a rate of 1000 people each convention. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were the two leaders of the Women’s Rights Movement, in 1869 they formed the National Woman suffrage Association with it’s primary goal being to achieve voting by Congressional Amendment to the Constitution. Going ahead a few years, in 1872 Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting in the nation election, nevertheless, she continued to fight for women’s rights the rest of her life. It wouldn’t be until 1920 till the 19th amendment would be
Sixty- nine years after the Declaration of Independence, one group of women gathered together and formed the Seneca Falls Convention. Prior and subsequent to the convention, women were not allowed to vote because they were not considered equal to men. During the convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered the “Declaration of Sentiments.” It intentionally resembles the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal…” (Stanton, 466). She replaced the “men” with “men and women” to represent that women and men should be treated equally. Stanton and the other women in the convention tried to fight for voting rights. Dismally, when the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced to the Congress, the act failed to be passed. Even though women voiced their opinions out and urged for justice, they could not get 2/3 of the states to agree to pass the amendment. Women wanted to tackle on the voting inequalities, but was resulted with more inequalities because people failed to listen to them. One reason why women did not achieve their goals was because the image of the traditional roles of women was difficult to break through. During this time period, many people believed that women should remain as traditional housewives.
From 1960 to 1990 the women’s movement in Canada played a significant role in history concerning the revolution of women’s rights. Although it was a long road coming for them, they were able to achieve the rights they deserved. Women struggled for equality rights to men but primarily their rights as a person. Since the 1960s women’s rights had significantly changed, they had to work hard for the rights that they have in the present day. Females across the nation started speaking out against gender inequality, divorce, and abortion. This uprising coincided with the Women’s Movement. Through the Royal Commission on the status of women they were able to gain equality rights and they were able to have access to legal abortions through the Charter Rights of Freedom and obtain no-fault divorce through the Divorce Act of 1986.
One of the most famous early American feminist was Abigail Adams. As early as 1776, Mrs. Adams spelled out her grievances with the male power structure in a letter she wrote to John Adams in March of that year. She wrote,” I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them then your ancestors” (Hymowitz and Weissman 36). Unfortunately, Adams’ pleas for equal consideration in the Constitution fell on deaf ears. Similarly, in 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott decided to hold a women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York (Hymowitz and Weissman 36). During this time women had already begun to assert themselves in redefining gender norms. The Declaration of Sentiments, presented during the convention, was well received by the 300 women in attendance. There were twelve key grievances listed, but the twelfth grievance shocked the audience when it suggested that women be given the right to vote. It would have seemed that this momentum would set the stage for the advancement of women’s rights, but unfortunately the Civil War impeded this from
The first demand for women’s rights was first addressed in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention. Elizabeth Cady Stanton declared the “Declaration of Sentiments” stating that the woman is man’s equal. Stanton then organized the National American Woman Suffrage Association in 1890, which aimed to secure the ballot between state legislation. Young women became inspired by this act, and began to assume leadership roles.
In 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.
From the time of the American revolution through 1920 women fought to attain the same social, political, and economic status as men in the United States of America. In 1920, women in the United States of America won the right to vote by virtue of the passage of the 19th amendment. However, the struggle to attain that right was a long one which was fought with violence, political turmoil, and social upheaval. The 19th amendment was a revolution in American politics and can be considered a milestone for what it accomplished for women and what it represents for those who continue to be marginalized in American society today. When a woman's rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848, the woman suffrage movement began. Although,
Women did not have the same rights as men such as the right to vote, but that change after the 19th amendment was passed on June 4, 1919. But it was not an easy road. “The period 1800-1870, then, was one of the great--and often contradictory-- changes in the position of American women. By the end of the period, the debate over “Woman's proper place” had just began” (Dumenil). It all started in 1848 when the movement for women's rights started. Several generations of women suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, and lobbied to achieve their right to vote
Women's rights and civil rights have always been an extremely important part of United States history. Even though the Civil War abolished slavery, and the ratification of the 19th amendment finally allowed women to be able to vote, both groups were still discriminated against and oppressed in many ways. Because of the spark of second wave feminism, and because of the peak in the Civil Rights Movement, the 1960’s is thought of as one of the most pivotal time periods in American history. During this time, women were very unhappy with their lives as housewives, and they wished for more job and work opportunities. While most women had it hard throughout the 1960’s, black women had the most difficult of times. Not only were they discriminated against
“By 1916, almost all of the major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.” (“19th Amendment to the US Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote”) The nineteenth amendment, first introduced to congress in 1878, would officially guarantee all American women the right to vote. “Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920, changing the face of the American electorate forever.” (“19th Amendment to the US Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote”) Generations upon generations of Americans had fought for this and all of the decades of hard work from the suffrage organizations had finally paid off.
A thirst for equality, a decade of transformation, and an emerging civil rights movement, these were the people searching for a change. People were determined to achieve their aspirations despite the stigma that would come with their beliefs. African Americans wanted equality, women wanted equality, but who was to tackle the discrimination? African Americans were treated inadequately; women were to fit stereotypes. The persistence that the citizens had is made the change. The 1960s was a decade that is full of remarkable history; countless courageous people helped spark a fire to make the change. Betty Friedan was a woman whose name would go down in history. Her writing and speaking on women’s issues in the 1960s built the foundation for the second wave of feminism that became the National Organization for Women, and was a starting point for the equal rights amendment.
The 1960s was a time for women who were tired of being victimized, frenzied, and forsaken. Women all over the United States rose up against sexist remarks of them being viewed as the “second sex.” Many men believed that a woman was not as intelligent or capable of doing the same labor a male could do. Small businesses, factories, and even credit lenders denied women of jobs or loans. Rebellion was a significant response due to the women’s denial; nevertheless, change was on the way. The fight for women’s rights in the 1960s was undoubtedly controversial because many disagreed about whether women were inferior and undeserving of the same rights as men.
According to Microsoft Research, “By 2018, there will be 1.4 million open technology jobs in the U.S. and, at the current rate of students graduating with degrees in computer science, only 29% of applicants will be women.” The fight for women's rights has been going on for more than 100 years, and women today continue to face discrimination in their daily lives. An important person in fighting for women’s rights was Betty Friedan, who was born on February 4, 1921 in Peoria, Illinois. As a writer, feminist, and women’s rights activist, Friedan published her book The Feminine Mystique in 1963, which began her journey of fighting for women’s rights. The book Race presents important
The focus of The Women’s Liberation Movement was idealized off The Civil Rights Movement; it was founded on the elimination of discriminary practices and sexist attitudes (Freeman, 1995). Although by the 1960s women were responsible for one-third of the work force, despite the propaganda surrounding the movement women were still urged to “go back home.” However the movement continued to burn on, and was redeveloping a new attitude by the 1970s. The movement was headed by a new generation that was younger and more educated in politics and social actions. These young women not only challenged the gender role expectations, but drove the feminist agenda that pursued to free women from oppression and male authority and redistribute power and social good among the sexes (Baumgardner and Richards, 2000).