Role Of Gender In American Political History - Essay Example

? Introduction Role of gender in American political history was represented by each in a different way. The perspective of the gender difference was exhibited in such a way that the real happening was indicated in a much real way. The theme of the paper is to indicate the similarity and difference among the author’s depiction of the role of gender. The paper aims at exhibiting the facts about the difference among the men and women in the American political history. The texts in this paper include the one by Banner which explains the rights of the American women, Hodes text that describes the illegal relationships between the white women and black men. Another important text is the one by Hoganson, which interprets the male domination in the American political system. This text insisted on the seriousness of gender difference that led to war between America and Spain and America and Philippines. Each of these authors expresses their concern over the gender difference and they also illustrate the importance of women’s participation in the American government. The author’s arguments are similar in certain cases where the women are not included in the activities concerning the government. The major difference among their argument lies in the depiction of the important aspects. As each of authors concentrate on three entirely different perspectives, the similarities among their arguments are comparatively less. Though the differences among the author’s arguments are more, the similarities make a strong impact on the role of gender. The American political history dates back to the Second World War after which only the men were provided with the basic rights and liberties. The discrimination of men and women played a vital role in denying the rights of a woman. The women were deprived of their basic rights and this in turn paved the way for further discrimination. Each argument is explained in such a way that it clearly exhibits the real feelings of the author. The authors have depicted the incidents to show the severity of problems during the American Revolution. Political problems were prevalent in most of the countries and gender problems were also common. But the situation was completely different in America. As America was considered as a democratic country, the problems and issues was not magnified to a certain extent. But the situation did not last for a long time; instead the problems became more severe, that the government could not manage. Banner explained the arguments of Elizabeth Lady Stanton and insisted on her arguments. Stanton expressed her views on American ideologies and insisted that women must be a part of American government. (Banner, 1980). Since the American government did not permit. Women’s suffrage was also considered to be an important part and people like Stanton and other activists established few organizations that helped women. Banner insisted that women’s issues must be resolved and they must be included in the process of selecting a government. As men were given more importance when compared to women, the voluntary organizations fought against the government to incorporate laws that would enable women to be a part of the government. The National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) was one of the most prominent associations that insisted on women empowerment. Due to the establishment of such voluntary organizations, there was a substantial increase in the number for organizations which worked for the well being of women. Banner’s approach towards women empowerment and inclusion of women in the government received critical acclaims. Though many people opposed it in the beginning, the detailed description about the problems and the governmental issues was considered as an eye opener. Due to this reason, Banner was considered as one of the most prominent writers who insisted on women’s rights. The time period pre revolution and post revolution was in contrast to one another. The political opportunities widened during the early 20th century and this was the main argument of Banner. The prerevolutionary period saw a wide variety of injustice towards the women. Banner’s arguments were different from that of Hodes and Hoganson, as Hodes and Hoganson focused on the preliminary facilities and the basic aspects of liberty and tights. Banner concentrated on plans that would improve the voice of women in terms of government and political affairs. Women were not permitted to vote or decide about the government, whereas men were given the first preference to cast their votes and participate in the political affairs. (Banner, 1980). This was considered as the major drawback and Banner’s arguments pointed out the problems with the governmental policies. Strengths and Weaknesses Banner’s arguments clearly portrayed the day to day problems women faced in America. The American political system was not well reformed, as the government was partial towards the men. The American political history mainly revolves around the period during the American Revolution. When compared to the other two authors, Banner’s works relied on the freedom and liberty of women. (Banner, 1980). Though there are strengths, the weaknesses are also present. But the numbers of weakness are comparatively less. The main weakness is, Banner failed to cover the major parts of slavery. Slavery was one of the major problems that spoiled the life of many. The Anti slavery movements also lacked the participation of women, due to the lack of education and knowledge. The next major aspect is the selection and use of resources. Since Banner’s work was produced in the late 1980’s, the availability of sources was much less. They did not have much opportunity to explore the history of American Political system. With the limited resources, Banner managed to deliver a text that covered almost all the main aspects the gender played in the American Political history. (Wiegman, 1995).Generally the time period during which a text is released makes a lot of difference in terms of exploring a concept or idea. In the case of Banner, the text covered most of the activities and incidents that occurred during the pre revolutionary and post revolutionary period. This has greatly influenced their arguments respectively. The authors present the perspective in such a manner that it analyzes the conflicts and problematic situations and the issues faced by the women in the American political history. Apart from these aspects, the backgrounds of the authors have a considerable influence on their arguments. Since Banner concentrated on the way Stanton portrayed the American political history, the nuances of the political system were also include in the text. This was not possible in the other texts, as the authors depicted each incident from their own perspective. Any idea or concept generally gets changed based on the type of interpretation. In the same way, the method in which the texts are exhibited creates a huge difference. Apart from Banner, Hodes and Hoganson also contributed texts which exhibited the roles of gender in the American political history. When compared to Banner’s work, Hodes focused on the difference between men and women. Rather than the political level, Hodes’s text concentrated on the internal issues between the women and men. The interpersonal relationships between men and women were given more importance and Hodes analyzed the sad state of affairs of the women. Hodes mainly argued about the sensational problem during the 19th century. This sensational problem was the interracial relationship between men and women. The most remarkable argument was the one that highlighted the interracial relationships which provoked other problems. The relationship was prevalent between the white women and black men in the southern region of the America.(Hodes, 1997). When compared to the previous centuries, the 19th century went through a series of problems related to white women and black men. It was a period when these sorts of relationships were considered to be an illegal one. Hodes argued that the 19th century was a makeover of the previous centuries, where such relationships were a rare sight. Relationships went through a drastic change and people did not bother about the worldly happenings an continued to pursue with their own decisions. She also described certain level of tolerance, but it did not help the situation either. The tolerance level was maintained only till the beginning of the revolution and wars like Civil War. The situation went through a drastic change after these wars, as the white men had the upper hand in the country. Hodes also argues about the marriages between the slaves and the whites. Since most of the slaves were blacks, the marriages between them and the normal whites were considered to be illegal. Another argument was that, sexual relationship between black slave men and white women did not create any new problem in the Southern region. This was never treated as a problem till the Civil War turned the situation upside down. After the Civil War, the black men took a toll on the white women. By this time, the problems entered the ears of the American political system. The strength of Hodes argument lies in the way she interpreted the problems and the way in which the women were treated in America. The intervention of the government and the change in the concept of racism improved the situation, ether by giving way to improvement. Hodes also focused on the minor problems of the Southern region and the slavery system among the black men. The major weakness is the lack of evidence that enabled the people to understand the problems of slavery and illegal sexual relationships. (Hodes, 1997). Though the depiction of male domination and a male dominated society was clearly explained, the lack of certain features slowed down the process of understanding. When compared to the other two authors, Hodes selected a completely different perspective of the American political system and the problems among the men and women. Since the book was written in the year 1997, the availability of resources was comparatively less. This was considered as the major drawback in producing a book that reveals the bitter truth of the relationship in the South. The next text was authored by Hoganson, who exhibited the real incidents of the American political system. Hoganson also described the reasons for Spanish-American and the Philippine-American Wars. During the late 20th century, America went through a series of changes that improved the country’s situation. But the initial years were not much favorable, as the male domination continued to rule the roost. The importance that was given to men, were much more when compared to that of the one given to women. In each stage, the chances and opportunities given to women were considerably less. (Hoganson, 1998). This worsened the situation, as each new ideology or policy ended up creating other new problems. Hoganson preferred to sneak into a different dimension when compared to the other two authors. The concept of women’s problems and relationships with slave and black men were common during those days. This made her to opt for a different area which revealed the cultural and political aspects of the country. The major difference between the other authors and Hoganson was the ability to convey the intended information in a much simpler way with the use of perfect illustrations. Hoganson argued about the policies with regard to foreign countries and the way in which it dealt with the cultural movements of America. The gender played a vital role in the interpretation of the problems and the gender difference was taken into account for every single instance and issue. The gender conviction decided the American political system, as the government continued to prefer the men. She argued that manhood was given more importance and the American government was dominated by the men. The political leaders were also men and they used this as an opportunity to ill treat women and downgrade their chances and opportunities. She also insisted the ability to include men in each activity and the action of neglecting women even in primary affairs. In this way, she indicated the rise and fall of American culture and the cultural changes that contributed to the political system. As even the men lacked the ability to tackle the wars and promote their country’s positive aspects, the chances of wars also doubled. (Frost, 2003). The concept of masculinity was not given due importance and the leaders did not have the capability to handle the wars in an effective way. This idea was well explained by describing those international relations and ideologies that had created a negative impact on the gender difference. The major strength of Hoganson’s argument is the ability to deliver and explain the intricacies of the American government. Apart from this, the main strengths of her argument is the Conclusion Each of these authors explained and expressed the role of gender in three different perspectives. The role of gender in the American political system was well conceived and interpreted. The difference among the men and women in the American government was clearly described and the authors made it a point to strike a balance between the political policies and the historical happenings. Reference Banner, Lois. Elizaberth Cady Stanton: A Radical for Women’s Rights. New York: Harper Collins, 1980. Hodes, Martha. White Women, Black Men: Illicit Sex in the 19th Century South. New Haven: Yale University, 1997. Hoganson, Kristin. Fighting for American Manhood: How Gender Politics Provoked the Spanish-American and Philippine-American Wars. New Haven: Yale University Press, 1998. Frost, Bryan. History of American Political Thought. U.K: Oxford, 2003. Wiegman, Robyn. American Anatomies: Theorizing Race and Gender. U.S.A: Duke Press, 1995. Read More