1. Women in American History
Theme #2

2. Women in Colonial America
married women had no separate legal identity apart from husband
women could NOT hold political office, serve as clergy, serve as jurors, or vote
single women and widows did have legal right to own property but usually lost control of their property when they married
female indentured servants had to remain unmarried for duration of contract
women were extremely scarce in the 17th century Chesapeake
as a result women in Chesapeake enjoyed higher status than in other regions
Anne Hutchinson challenged Puritan authorities in Mass Bay Colony
Hutchinson claimed to have had revelations from God
she challenged religious doctrine, gender roles, and clerical authority
as a result Puritan authorities banished her from Massachusetts Bay Colony

3. The Early Republic
Abigail Adams was an early proponent of women’s rights
she and other women hoped to benefit from republican ideals of equality and individual rights
Abigail wrote a famous letter to her husband (John Adams) pleading for the founding fathers to “remember the ladies”  obviously she was ignored
Republican Motherhood was a popular concept in early U.S.
belief that women had a major role in developing virtuous citizens
women could have a positive influence on the American political character by emphasizing family, religious, and republican values
Catharine Beecher was famous supporter of the Cult of Domesticity
the term cult of domesticity refers to the idealization of women in their roles as wives, mothers, and homemakers

4. Women in Antebellum America
Lowell System helped expand textile manufacturing in early 1800s
textile mills in Lowell relied heavily on labor force of women and children
during 1820s and 1830s the majority of textile workers in MA were young unmarried women from rural areas who sought to earn money on their own
eventually, Irish immigrants began to replace New England farm girls in the textile mills just prior to the Civil War
1848 Seneca Falls Convention called for increase in women’s rights
organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott
drafted the “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” document
addressed issues like suffrage, education, divorce, child custody, and the right to retain property after marriage

5. Early Women’s Rights Movement
antebellum women’s movement was led by middle-class women
held conventions in Northeast (Seneca Falls) and Midwest but NOT in South
promoted a broad platform of legal and educational rights
also had close links with the abolition and temperance movements
Sarah Grimké was one of the first women to publicly support abolition and women’s suffrage
women in frontier regions typically had greater degree of equality
the only states with complete women’s suffrage before 1900 were located west of the Mississippi  Wyoming (1869) was the first

6. Female Reformers and Suffragettes
Dorothea Dix worked on behalf of mentally ill and prisoners
Ida B. Wells-Barnett was a famous African American advocate of both women’s rights and civil rights  well known for her opposition to lynching
National Woman Suffrage Association was created in 1869
founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony
settlement houses were formed to help immigrants and urban poor
most famous was the Hull House founded by Jane Addams in Chicago
became centers of women’s activism and reform efforts
Carry A. Nation was an outspoken leader of the WCTU
convinced many women that fight for prohibition was their moral responsibility
women were actively involved in several Progressive Era reforms
especially with issues involving child labor and the limiting of working hours

7. First World War and the 1920s
during WWI thousands of women entered workforce for first time
their contributions played major role in the passage of 19th Amendment (1920)
women did NOT receive equal pay and often faced discrimination
the percentage of single women in labor force declined between
most married women did NOT seek employment outside of the home
Margaret Sanger was a famous birth control advocate during 1920s
flappers also challenged traditional attitudes about women during 1920s
several factors led to decline of feminist movement during 1920s
decline of Progressive reform spirit, disapproval of flapper behavior, dissension among women’s groups, and a premature sense of success following passage of the 19th Amendment
Eleanor Roosevelt continued to support women’s rights during the Depression

8. WWII and the 1950s
women entered the workforce in large numbers during WWII
female factory workers closely associated with “Rosie the Riveter”
but after the war women were encouraged to give up jobs and return home
1950s were marked by consensus and conformity to social norms
baby boom and rise of suburbia led many women to become homemakers
household appliances became big part of postwar consumerism
cult of domesticity was reaffirmed by the mass media
television programs like The Honeymooners and the best-selling self-help book Baby and Child Care reinforced views about the roles of women

9. The Modern Feminist Movement
Betty Friedan is credited with reviving the feminist movement
wrote The Feminine Mystique (1963) and helped found the NOW
Friedan is best known for her criticism of traditional gender roles
feminism tended to be a movement of middle-class women
contributions to the expansion of women’s rights since 1963:
Equal Pay Act of 1963
Equal Credit Opportunity Act of 1974
Supreme Court decision in Roe v. Wade
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
affirmative action regulations
Title IX of the Education Amendments of 1972
Congress passed the ERA in 1972 but it was NEVER ratified
there have been two female vice presidential candidates
Geraldine Ferraro was (Dem) Walter Mondale’s running mate in 1984
Sarah Palin was (Rep) John McCain’s running mate in 2008