For centuries, society defined women using their generational stereotypes. According to Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, the woman’s social status progression and digression needs to be investigated. Her book, “Good Wives”, expands on what societal stereotypes created the ideal women in 17th and 18th century New England. Ulrich approached the topic with a virtually unbiased opinion and attempted to explore all socio-economic classes to relay deeper understanding of pre-modern gender roles.…
This essay “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History” by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, a professor of history at Harvard University and Pulitzer prize winner, She shows how her one small phrase changed women’s outlook on their social standings, Her now famous quote “well behaved women seldom make history” is from the intro of one of her journal articles called “Vertuous Women Found: New England Ministerial Literature, 1668-1735” and has now become a cultural phrase we see frequently, The Author Ulrich knows that history is created by “those who make-or break-laws” (Ulrich), they are remembered in stories, books, history, and gossip and will not be forgotten.…
In the essay, "Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History," by Laurel Thatcher Ulrich a well known Professor at Harvard University. Ulrich explains the history of suppressed women in the late 16th century and the meaning behind her quote that made her famous.…
Annie Oakley survived the harsh, younger years of her life. She grew up isolated from her family, stricken with poverty and hunger. With these hardships though, she grew into an independent, graceful and successful woman known all around the world for her talents; talents of which were believed to be only for men. When Oakley rose to the spotlight, women were fighting for equality and more rights within society. Although she was a huge hit during these times, Oakley did not partake in any of women’s fights. She continued to convey her sophistication and respectable image and followed her passions and love of shooting for herself. Although she was not a true feminist, she was undoubtedly an impeccable role model and specimen for women of the 1980s to look up to and strive to become.…
People in history gave their lives for you to receive certain rights today. They are said to be norms and morals, instead of rights in our current society. The thought of women outside the kitchen was unthinkable a couple years ago. Not only women but also certain racial groups and classes were suppressed as well. However, there were many individuals that obtained the bravery to stand up to do what was right. Carrie Chapman Catt fought for women’s rights and suffrage, because, just like Little Rock Nine, she believed equality was everyone’s privilege, that it could be gained with non-violence and despite the obstacles faced they gained help from others.…
History is often taken for granted in today’s society. Without certain events in our nations past, the America we live in today would be vastly different. More specifically, women in the 21st century would live dramatically different lives if it were not for the women who changed the image of women in America forever. The New Women of the Progressive Era resisted domesticity and the Flapper allowed women to have fun. Rosie the Riveter told women that “We can do it!” while the “Happy Housewife” brought on political and economic changes during the post war era. Though not all of these groups put women in the best light; they all helped form the path for future women of America.…
Sara M. Evans' Born for Liberty is the book that deciphers the real, previously obscured meaning of the role of women in America. It is more than obvious that women were the "men's pleasure " only, and before they were referred as the ignorant part of the world. The vision people, usually men, had about women was one that expressed lucidly that women lacked a kind of intelligence and ability to do something politically or manly done. What I believe Sara M. Evans is trying to imply through her introduction part of the book is that no matter how unfair it might have been to be considered that way, it is time for us, as women, to prove them wrong, and we have actually done a lot of work to do that, but we haven't had the opportunity to prove that yet! So, through this book Evans would want all of us to understand that at the same time men were making profound differences to this world, women were doing the same thing, but in a more hidden way, and actually much more effective in other ways!…
Laurel Thatcher Ulrich claims, “Well-behaved women seldom make history.” By this she means that being ordinary is “well-behaved,” and being obedient does not make changes to anything, but it does pass on tradition of how to behave. Therefore, creating chaos politically draws attention to make it in history. To make a legacy, you must be uniquely different and brave to stand up against the set rules. Women such as Jeannette Rankin is one of that stubborn and demanding person in history. Jeannette Rankin is such an inspiration for women, gives women hope that they can be anything they set their heart to. Jeanette was a suffragist, pacifist, and the first congresswoman. I believe that her education played a significant role in her success. People…
Imagine a world where women have a very little amount of rights, where women being hired was rare, and where only women cleaned. The only reason our world isn’t like that anymore is because of Betty Friedan, and others like her. Betty Friedan experienced having little rights her whole life, and one day wondered if other women felt the same way she did.…
In the late 1960's the Miss America Pageant was the stage for the most outrageous and defining moment in America's history. This moment was when Robin Morgan, who was an actress on the show Mama, organized several buses of women to protest the pageant. They held up posters comparing women to slabs of meat, burning their brassieres, and chanting such things as, "Atlantic city is a town of class. They raise your morals and they judge your ass." "They suggested that the sense of cultural and social collectivity many young women felt when they sang along together with the Shirelles or the Beatles was about to be extended into a political movement that would change America...They put us on notice that the politically innocent word girl was about to give way to the politically conscious word women.…
Even to this day some people believe women are not capable of achieving what the male can do. However one women in 1928 changed the image of the face of women forever.…
The National Women 's History Museum. (2007). Reforming Their World: Women in the Progressive Era . Retrieved May 11, 2011, from The National Women 's History Museum: http://www.nwhm.org/online-exhibits/progressiveera/home.html…
Gail Collins argues, “The Feminine Mystique is a very specific cry of rage about the way intelligent, well-educated women were kept out of the mainstream of American professional life and regarded as little more than a set of reproductive organs in heels” (1). At a time when women were at their academic peak with the highest college attendance and graduation rates, one would assume that women would confidently take on more important roles in the workforce, especially following the Rosie the Riveter campaign that empowered female workers during World War II; however, women took on more domestic roles in higher percentages, forgetting the progress in women’s rights their mothers and grandmothers worked so hard to achieve. Louis Menand explains, “When Friedan was writing her book, the issue of gender equality was barely on the public’s radar screen. On the contrary: it was almost taken for granted that the proper goal for intelligent women was marriage” (2). A large contributor to this decision is the false sense of accomplishment women were promised in return for their spousal duties. Critic Catherine Judd explains, “Friedan notes that suburban housewives have been told by the media, by the medical community, and by educators that they…
The women’s rights movement had many women who fought for women’s rights, some of these women included Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott and many more. These women worked extremely hard as activist for women’s rights. The fight lasted for many years, but they day finally came and women got the right to vote and now they could begin. History.house.gov states “ fortified by the constitutional victory of suffrage reformers in 1920, the handful of new women in Congress embarked on what would become a century-long odyssey to broaden women’s role in government, so that in Catt’s words, they might “score advantage to their ideals.” The profiles in this book about these pioneer women Members and their successors relate the story of that odyssey during the course of the 20th century and into the 21st century” (history.house.gov). During 1920 Eastman wrote an essay about this very issue. In Eastman’s view she is pointing out to her audience what women went thorough as a whole group doing that time frame. This essay was also an appeal to society now that women in the American society had the right to vote that they also be treated just the same as the men in American society that they were a part of.…
Rosa Parks for example, a woman that fought for her rights neglecting her race, she became one of the most important women in history. She stated, ‘the only thing that bothered me was that we waited so long to make this protest”. She may not be fighting specifically for gender equality but she gave women the strength to stand up and fight for their own rights. I completely agree with her statement. Women need to wake up and fight for their own rights because nothing will change and no justice will occur, unless someone steps forth and takes action. All of the triumphs and successes that revolve our society were made through hard work and dedication, not just sitting back waiting for a change to…