Struggle for Suffrage and Women Empowerment - Book Report/Review Example

Running head: comparative book review 19th September Struggle for Suffrage and Women Empowerment Introduction As more individuals in the field of history and politics seek to identify the origin and effects of affirmative action and equality, many authors have embarked on providing wide range of information on women, equality and politics. One of the notable authors who have provided quite resourceful and vital information on the topics is Carol Bacchi. Bacchi is a professor of politics at the University of Adelaide in the School of History and Politics. Having attained her PhD in 1976 from McGill University, Carol Bacchi’s first book was called Liberation Deferred? The Ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists, 1877–1918. After joining politics department in 1984, Bacchi embarked on production of more publications such as Feminism and sexual difference, the politics of affirmative action, women policy and politics among others. Liberation Deferred? The Ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists, 1877–1918 is a book that offers a major contribution to an issue that is of important to feminists. Having been written based on the extensive research by the author; the book offers useful arguments that are vital for students and researchers in the field of politics and history. Through the use of information from different countries, the book provides specific ways through which affirmative action is contained in practice. Liberation Deferred? The Ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists1877–1918 generates theoretical lens to the arguments of affirmative action in countries that are reputed to be at the forefront in women policies such as Australia, United States, Norway, Sweden and Netherlands among others1. Bacchi’s book is about the campaign for suffrage in Canada. The book is important in the sense based on the contemporary world where women have joined the filed of politics just like their male counterparts, Liberation Deferred? The Ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists 1877–1918 provides useful information regarding the early women movements that indicates the principles on which the recent women movements were formed. Jean H. Baker is a professor of Goucher College in the field of history. Baker has contributed a lot in the book; Votes for Women: the struggle for suffrage revisited. Professor Baker, who obtained his masters and Ph. D from The John Hopkins University, is an expert in the women history. His expertise made him to be elected to membership in Abraham Lincoln Society as well as in the Society of American Historians Baker (p 15). The book was written for the readers to know what women suffrage meant in 1850s and why non violence means were used to liberate both the African American women and the white. Additionally, the review reconsiders why those movements that were formed during 1850s are important to us up to date. The movements for the women lasted for more than seventy five years. In 1840s and 1850s, women were not allowed to speak in the public, and get education among others things. The book is important since it touches on democracy, slavery, constitutionalism, modernization and racism during 1850s. Apart from the antislavery societies that existed during those years, Baker emulates suffrage as one of the themes. Additionally, the existence of racism in 1850s led to the emergence of suffrage movements in US Baker pg (7).Through mass movement enslavement was abandoned and other form of injustices to individuals. The books structures and approaches English-Canadian suffragists, Liberation Deferred approach include comparison of the early suffrage associations with the social reform associations. An example of early suffrage associations indicated by the book is the Dominion Women Enfranchisement Association while key examples of social reform associations include National council of Women as well as Women’s Christian Temperance Union. The author indicates in this part the establishment of women suffrage movements that were organized by the early leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton pg (5).In their efforts to empower women, the two leaders pushed for the American national women’s suffrage amendment. One of the notable aspects that are included in this section of the book is the roles of women that were challenging in nature. Historically, women and men were taken to have differentiated spheres of influence. While men were taken as the heads of households, women who were at their middle age were wholly responsible for activities within the houses. The part of the Making of a Suffragist also indicates that just like other political issues, there was a substantial opposition and that is why it took long to achieve women suffrage. According to the upper-class women, who were mostly anti-suffrage, by giving women opportunities to engage in politics and the filed of history, they would be encroaching a territory that is primarily for men Bacchi (p25). Other approaches applied by the book include the Political Ideas of the Suffragists and Defense of the Church among others. Bacchi’s book was primarily concerned with the arguments the English-Canadian suffragists were using to convince Canadian women deserved the vote. On the other, Votes for Women: The Struggle for Suffrage Revisited by Jean H. Baker who edited the collections was more concerned by voting rights for women. The structures and approaches used for the rights of women to vote in the 19th century immerged slowly in United States as a result of radical intellectuals and working class of women. Through the case for reform antecedents for the woman right movements they were able to spearhead and achieve the right to vote in 1920. Women voters utilize the approach of revolutions as the way of getting freedom. For example, during 19th century industrial revolution awakened the women and their role in the society where they were encouraged to join reform movements. Through the women, rights of movement strategies were planned and implemented by women through existing political system where they were able to secure voting right. Another structure and approach that is used in the book Votes for Women: the struggle for suffrage revisited is use of sojourner truth, as well as renown people like Frances Watkins Harper who struggled for the women rights. The white men were the masters over their women where the men are treated as superior and women inferior in 1850s Ellen (p74). To make sure those women voting and suffrage was abolished before the civil war, then there was a need for black as well as white men and women to fight slavery and advocate for women rights. Through the movements like Women loyal National League, they were able to petition the congress in United States to abolish male suffrage and thus encourage voting for all the adults. Another strategy that was used was the New York Woman Movement and the civil war. This was supposed to campaign for the right of women in the entire United States. The women right activist spearheaded the voting right through organizations like Women Loyal National League where the movement campaigned for abolition of slavery. Since the women were inexperienced in politics, they did not realize their potential to base suffrage as a political possibility. Woman suffrage in congress American expansion and the politics of federalism 1870-1890 was another structure and approach that is depicted by the Votes for Women to spearhead women voting right where amendments were made to the federal constitution in 1887. The first senate debate was made and amendments took place for the suffragist. Through the movements that contributed greatly in the women voting right petitioned the congress and thus territory like Wyoming allowed women to vote in 1869. Later, other territories like Utah in 1870 and Washington in 1883had to fight for the right of women to vote. During this period they had to petition the congress on the basis of equality of rights to women civil rights and political matters. Through the congress they needed more states to be allowed to form unions and their civil rights and political matters be considered. The suffragists saw this as an opportunity in political matters and thus they had to pressurize the government about it while on the other hand legislators saw dangers to the government. The legislators saw these rights to be threats to the American institutions for example the territorial expansion of the Indians and Mormons. Since some states had the rights and national power for the women for example in the territories like Wyoming, Utah, and Washington legislators found themselves in problems since other states had to spearhead for their rights. Pioneers at the polls woman suffrage in the west had campaigned in United States to grant women full voting rights. States like Colorado, Wyoming, Utah and Idaho were among the states that granted women right to vote though other states from the west of the Mississippi later allowed them to vote. Through the referendum in the nineteenth century, amendments passed in the both houses thus giving American women the ballot2. This came as a result of the referenda that were passed and the women activist rising pro -suffrage sentiment where they said eastward the star of suffrage is rising thus making the government to grant them the democratic rights Paul (p23). Main arguments and findings of the books One of the key findings of the Bacchi’s book is that as the social reforms groups gained more support, they early women leaders who campaigned for a vote as a way of achieving equality were outnumbered by the group that saw it as a way of extending those women domestic role. Even though at last women won the vote, the book argument is that the transformation of the suffrages affected the advancement of women since it only resulted to them attaining an inferior status in the community. Carol Bacchi also indicates that public acceptance of the suffragists view allowed women to win the vote during the time the radical feminist view did not take effect. Liberation Deferred indicates that archivists are under obligation to keep records that document the history of the women’s movements. This is based on the fact that researchers have for some time continued to face problems while looking for information that touches on women’s organizations. For example, in 1970s, during the time when Bacchi was doing her research, there was little information that was in records concerning individual suffragists or women’s organizations Bacchi (p79). The book indicates that archives should maintain the records of local branches of the women associations as well as personal papers that the members of the association have written Bacchi (p96). Votes for Women: the struggle for suffrage revisited main arguments and findings revolve around to awake all the women in the society and within the American states to participate in the reform movements. The women role was limited and thus they were supposed to nurture their husbands and children so as to be good abiding citizens. But through the Cult of True Womanhood, they were supposed to be moral reformist and thus participate in the movements to spearhead voting of the women. The voices of suffrages Sojourner Truth, Frances Watkins Harper and the struggle for woman suffrage argued that slavery should be abolished and thus address the American equal rights association and thus activist had to spearhead on it (p61). Through petition in the congress they demanded universal voting for all the adults and as a result African American activist immerged. New York strategy woman’s movement and civil war was started and thus formation of movements likes Women’s Loyal National League (WLNL)3. They campaigned for the final abolition of slavery and thus women were seen as partisan in politics. Woman suffrage in congress American expansion and politics of federalism proposed for amendments to the federal constitution in 1887 where the argument was equal rights for women like their male counterparts. Comparison of the book’s approaches, structures, methodologies, and arguments Carol Bacchi touches on the impact of the early women’s suffrages on the development of women rights. On its part, Votes for Women: The Struggle for Suffrage Revisited indicates the use of revolutions to enlighten women and enable them to achieve voting rights among other freedom. Another notable difference between the Bacchi’s and Baker’s is that while the former is a monograph, the latter is a collection of articles by various authors on the American history. One of the major aspects that is commonly applied by Votes for Women and Liberation Deferred is that the two authors indicates the impact of movements such as National council of Women and New York Woman Movement on the liberation process for women. However, while legislators and federal constitution was mostly applied by Votes for Women, Liberation Deferred heavily relied on activists as well as records4. Carol Bacchi argues that it is essential for archivists to keep records that researchers and scholars can use in their studies. Discussion of the books contributions to scholarship Liberation Deferred? The Ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists, 1877–1918 has significantly contributed to the current and past scholarships. Discoveries that the book has revealed about the past suffrages for example in Canada have been central in considering national policies. Bacchi supports storage of research to ensuring that other scholars are in a position to study the development of women’s movements. Similarly, the book has been important in Canadian feminist history in that it provides useful information to the students who are undertaking courses that have components touching on women movements and early voting systems. Through the information contained in the Liberation Deferred, feminist scholars are in a position to make a comparison between the past feminine histories and the current patriotic icons. Through the movements and women activists the United States, women were given their democratic right after along freedoms. Votes for Women has thus provided important source of information to the researchers across the globe especially on the matters relating to women rights development in US. The federal constitutional amendments gave the green light where the women in all the states were given voting rights and equality between men and women was also granted. This implies that scholars are now in a position to follow up the early amendments that were conducted on the US constitution Conclusion Votes for Women indicates that democracy must be fought for through use effective legislations since a lot of problems may exist if people are not allowed to exercise their rights. Different activists have contributed to the modern form of liberations that is indicated by Carol Bacchi as well as Jean Baker in their publications. As indicated by Carol Bacchi, it is important for governments across the globe to maintain clear records of all the activities of women organizations in order to ensure that such information is applied by scholars globally. This can be done for example by ministries of culture and national libraries. References Bacchi, L. 1983. Liberation Deferred? The Ideas of the English-Canadian Suffragists. 1877–1918. Toronto: University of Toronto Press. Baker, J. 2002.Votes for Women: The Struggle For Suffrage Revisited. New York: Oxford University Press. Ellen, C. 1998. Woman Suffrage and Womens Rights. NYU Press. pp. 74–6. Paul, V. 1975. The Votes For Women Movement: Alberta History. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press. Read More