Women's Rights Reform Movements from 1877 to 2013 - Research Paper Example

Women's Rights Reform Movements from 1877 to The history of Women Reform Movements in the United States is inundated with several happenings and events indicating the long struggle in search of fundamental rights. The primary aim of women reform movements is always the need to ensure that the social, political and economic status of women is equal to those enjoyed by men. Indeed, history has been quite unfair to women and this has always been a concern not only for women but for the whole society. The paper therefore seeks to find a stand on whether Women Reform Movements have realized much of their goals over the years. This struggle in pursuit of rights has been turbulent over the years and still continues to date. In the United States, women rights movements have had a long history. As a result of their struggles, various legislative measures have been created over the years to safeguard the rights of women and prevent much of the discriminations seen in a society that is still skeptical about the ability of women. The core of the argument is therefore the determination of how the period spanning between 1877 to present could have seen tremendous positive steps towards the realization of equality with respect to men and women1. The suffrage movements were some of the most dominant women movements in history. For many years in the United States, women were not allowed to vote. In the early years of the women reform movements, the right to vote was therefore one of the central issues which the movements fought for. In 1878, Susan B. Anthony proposed and submitted a right-to-vote amendment to the constitution in order to grant women the right to vote in America. The era of women suffrage took much activity in the 1890s and Wyoming was the first state to have an organized women suffrage. The movement was mostly driven by the formation of the National American Women’s Suffrage association in 1890. In 1900, Carrie Chapman Catt was elected as the chair of the movement. In the years that followed the formation of this movement, there was much activity which attracted many, wealthy, educated and influential women. This led to a lot of professionalism in their activities in addition to a lot of funding which facilitated the activities throughout the country. The Anthony amendment which had been written earlier in 1878 was subsequently ratified as the 19th amendment and thereby became law in 19202. It must be emphasized that differences in leadership and other misunderstandings amongst the women led to the formation of several groups. The period following 1920 saw the creation of many splitter women political groups most of which fought for the same rights. The League of Women Voters was created in 1920 and became a very strong voice in championing for the rights of women. In order to address the rights of black women who experienced the worst discrimination than their white counterparts, the National Council of Negro Women was formed in 1935. These groups strongly fought for various forms of liberal reforms in the country. However, it should be remembered that many of the rights they fought for were not always granted easily. For instance, the National Women’s Party which was formed in 1913 proposed an equal rights amendment in 1923 which actually stayed dormant for the next 50 years3. In the early years of the women rights movement, most of the women activists were concentrated in the North. This was due to the much awareness, industry and education in the North. It was not until 1890s that women began to organize in the south after much inspiration and influence from what was transpiring in the north. In pushing for the right to vote, the National Women Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) were working together but later separated on ideological grounds. While NWSA sought to transform the status of women on the basis of ideological foundations in the hitherto patriarchal society, AWSA was more conservative and religion-based and was therefore much soft in its approach towards the issues. Later, the two movements united to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). In the 1890s, NAWSA had much influence crossing the Mason Dixon Line to gain support for a federal amendment granting suffrage to women. The movement had tremendous effects in the south which had been dormant for a while. As a result of women activism, education opportunities became much available for women as many women took up the role of championing for their rights. The call for reform was so much in the air with issues such as factory dangers, exploitation of workers and domestic abuse taking center stage4. The increase in the number of educated women created an impetus for increased activism which increased their involvement in the reform movements. In the 1890s, the issue of racism was a core aspect in the affairs of the suffrage movement. The various movements threatened the political elite who were mainly focused on maintaining state sovereignty and the disfranchisement of the blacks. Many women wanted to see an increase in the educational opportunities for women. Indeed, for many years, it was only Oberlin College which admitted women for higher education. As a result of the activism, many women’s colleges began springing up across the country while the existing colleges and universities also opened up their doors and admitted women. With respect to education, Susanna Haswell Rawson is highly credited for establishing schools for women in Boston, Massachusetts. Indeed, the role of women and their political, social and economic participation in the society shifted gradually from the post-Revolutionary era to the early years of the twentieth century. In the progressive era, it was seen that the status of women changed rapidly in the society. As new jobs were opening up, women found various opportunities to work in the factories. Many women excelled in the professions which had initially been dominated by men. As a result, there many women lawyers, doctors, scientists and journalists. The “New Woman” became a slogan across the United States as a way to describe the typical American woman who was young, educated and in an active career. Much of the reforms in the progressive era were driven by these middle-class women. Other women also took up various roles and pushed for various rights. Margaret Sanger for instance is well known as a birth control pioneer, who wrote extensively on the right of women to take up birth control measures. For a long time, contraception was always regarded as scandalous and even illegal in many instances. As a nurse Sanger promoted various safe birth control measures through which women could have control over their life and health5. In the 1960s the concept for affirmative action became very popular as women pushed for an end to the inequality that had existed in many sectors. Indeed, it should be realized that despite the many achievements that had been seen as a result of women activism, there were still a number of challenges relating to the discrimination of women especially in employment and in other public sector responsibilities. For a long time, a majority of women in the workforce were mostly secretaries, nurses and other minor careers. It was therefore felt that a legislation should exist which could ensure that a portion of public jobs were reserved for women. The affirmative action debate became very intense and shifted from the workplace and included college admission which for a long time had favored men. Through the activities of the Women Liberation Movement, various radical transformations were realized most of which were perceived to be normal. It should be realized that the activities of the women reform movements always faced a lot of opposition from several quarters. For instance, with respect to affirmative action, many people still feel that opportunities should be made available for all and everyone should strive to reach them6. Indeed, the role of various individual women in the reform movements was felt across the nation and beyond. Women like Lousisa May Alcott, Dorothea Dix and many other played a very important role in their areas. For instance, Dorothea Dix opened up her own school when she was only 19 and later expanded the educational opportunities for women across the state. In the Progressive era, women achieved many important reforms. In a way, the activism of women led to a redefinition of the role of the federal government in the country. The government was much pushed to increase its scope in the issues of education, health, social welfare and working conditions of the people. However, in much of the 1920s, there was a reduction in much of the steam in the reform movement as many people focused on entertainment and leisure. Following the Great Depression in the 1930s, there were calls for many reforms especially in relation to the working conditions in the factories7. Today, it is seen that much has indeed been achieved in relation to the rights of women. While much has indeed been achieved in relation to the rights of women, the road to equity is still far. Women reform movements are therefore still fighting for the equitable distribution of opportunities and resources. However, the challenges they presently face are relatively less compared to the last two centuries. As such, women have taken an active duty in the social, political and economic advancement of the society. Nevertheless, the representation of women in some sectors is still low and this continues to raise issues for the need of proper representation. It must further be stressed that Women Reform Movements throughout history have been very instrumental in creating the present status that women enjoy in the society. It is only expected that such a trend will continue to ensure even increased representation from the women. Works Cited Carrie Chapman Catt, “ An Address to the Congress of the United States, “ in Voices of Fredom: A Documentary History , ed. Eric Foner, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), pp. 111. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, “Home Lift, manuscript, ca.1875,” in Voices of Freedom: A Documentary History, ed. Eric Foner, (New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), pp. 14 Freedman, Russell. The voice that challenged a nation: Marian Anderson and the struggle for equal rights. New York: Clarion Books, 2004), pp. 82. Hill, Elsie and Kelley, Florence “ Elsie Hill and Florence Kelley Debate the Equal Rights Amendment” In Voices of Freedom: a Documentary, History, ed. Eric Foner, ( New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), pp. 71. Margaret Sanger, “ Free Motherhood, from Woman and the New Race, 1920, “ in Voices of Freedom: a Documentary, History, ed. Eric Foner, ( New York: W.W. Norton & Company, 2011), pp. 88 Olson, Lynne. Freedom's daughters: the unsung heroines of the civil rights movement from 1830 to 1970. New York: Scribner, 2001), pp 25. Young, Andrew. An easy burden: the civil rights movement and the transformation of America. (New York: HarperCollins Publishers, 2006), pp. 112. Read More