The Role Of Margaret Sanger's Role In The Feminist Movement

In 1865, following the defeat of the Confederate States of America in the Civil War, the United States entered a time of despair known as the Reconstruction period. This period is commonly remembered for the advancement of rights given to African American citizens. Two monumental advancements in the fight for racial equality were the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments. While the fourteenth amendment "guaranteed equality before the law" for blacks, the fifteenth amendment granted suffrage, the right to vote, to black men. However, at the same time, women were still denied many basic rights of equality, such as the right to vote. Motivated by the progress of African American's, women activists joined together to combat gender inequality in feminist movement. These women who actively resisted traditional
In 1920, Margaret Sanger, released the article “Free Motherhood” which considered birth control the heart of feminism. Law banned not only the sale of birth control, but also distributing information about them. Sanger, an educated but rebellious woman, was well known for her role in the feminist movement. Without concern for legal repercussions, Margaret Sanger openly supported and advertised birth control in her journal, The Woman Rebel. However, her dedicated push for equality did not stop there. In 1916, determined to legalize birth control, Sanger opened a clinic in Brooklyn, New York and “began distributing contraceptive devices to poor Jewish and Italian Women. Because of her dedication, Sanger was sentenced to a month in federal prison. However, due to their domestic responsibilities, women were isolated from the rest of the community. Therefore, many women had “no accurate or reliable knowledge of contraceptives”. Without proper protection, women were left susceptible to motherhood. Margaret Sanger believed that until motherhood became voluntary, the issue of women’s rights would remain