American Woman's Struggle For Equality
Throughout history, the roles of women in society have greatly evolved. From being treated as slaves, to being considered mere “property,” to being the executive employee in a business, it is clear that women have succeeded in becoming independent from their expected “standard.” Like many other countries in the world, the American woman’s success for independence can be traced back to the efforts of the women’s rights movement, which lasted from 1848-1920. Since the Seneca Falls convention in 1848, women more openly advocate for the equal rights and treatment they justly deserve. In today’s society, women have attained equality in domestic life, in politics, and in business. The first area women have gained equality in is in domestic life.
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After the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, “women began to petition for their right to vote. By August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was signed into the Constitution” (Eisenberg and Ruthsdotter). The equal rights women have today could not have been accomplished without this amendment. Their willpower to obtain their right to vote paved the way for their equality in the political world. In a Keynote Address to the 1992 Democratic National Convention, Congressman Barbara Jordan states, “One overdue change already underway is the number of women challenging the councils of political power dominated by [males]. What we see today is simply a dress rehearsal for the day we meet in convention to nominate . . . Madame President.” Little did she know that twenty-four years later, “on July 26, 2016, the Democratic National Convention would make Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the first lady to receive the presidential nomination from a major political party” (Healy and Martin). Clinton’s nomination proved that a woman could climb through the “political standards” of the United States and fulfill a strictly “man only” position. That night marked one of the highest peaks in women’s equality in politics, because for the first time in United States history, a woman was elected to become the president of the United States. With the growing number of women holding major political offices—such as senators, governors, and Supreme Court justices—it is clear that women continue to exercise their right to vote, and by doing so, they improve their political
After the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, “women began to petition for their right to vote. By August 26, 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was signed into the Constitution” (Eisenberg and Ruthsdotter). The equal rights women have today could not have been accomplished without this amendment. Their willpower to obtain their right to vote paved the way for their equality in the political world. In a Keynote Address to the 1992 Democratic National Convention, Congressman Barbara Jordan states, “One overdue change already underway is the number of women challenging the councils of political power dominated by [males]. What we see today is simply a dress rehearsal for the day we meet in convention to nominate . . . Madame President.” Little did she know that twenty-four years later, “on July 26, 2016, the Democratic National Convention would make Secretary of State Hillary Clinton the first lady to receive the presidential nomination from a major political party” (Healy and Martin). Clinton’s nomination proved that a woman could climb through the “political standards” of the United States and fulfill a strictly “man only” position. That night marked one of the highest peaks in women’s equality in politics, because for the first time in United States history, a woman was elected to become the president of the United States. With the growing number of women holding major political offices—such as senators, governors, and Supreme Court justices—it is clear that women continue to exercise their right to vote, and by doing so, they improve their political