Dbq Women's Rights

1386 Words6 Pages

For nearly one hundred and fifty years, The United States of America claimed to be made “By the people, for the People” but denied the most basic rights to half of the population. Women were seen by American society as second-class citizens, existing exclusively to assist others and be subservient to men. Many women during this time did not agree on this topic and choose to fight back against the patriarchy. Women like this just wanted to have the same respect as any other man in society. The women who fought back were largely associated with the National Women Suffrage Association. The NWSA goal was fighting for the nineteenth amendment which was ratified on August 18th, 1920. Famous Suffragettes who fought for equal rights for women were …show more content…

The document was very scandalous by many at the times, especially in the local newspaper. This revolutionary document was one of the first to formally propose that women deserved not only more rights and privileges, but equality in their political, social, and economic climates, including the vote. Long before the American Suffrage movement, women like Olympe de Gouges fought for equal right during the French Revolution. Her position on women’s issues was considered quite radical for her time and voiced her opinion in “Declaration of the Rights of Women and Citizen” written in 1791. Though the declaration is addressed to the queen, de Gouges aimed to appeal to enlightenment philosophers and men a swell. Her work on Women’s right became an international phenomenon and inspired fellow feminist like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony to pick up the torch and write their own declaration of liberty. Women should not have been denied equal rights such as equal representation under the law and in the courtroom for so …show more content…

But thanks to the women’s suffrage movement courage and tenacity women gained their right and went on to fight for equal representation in other fields such as in the courtroom, marriage, and job market. A world without women’s rights would look like Margaret Atwood famous dystopian novel “The Handmaid’s Tale.” In the story, the government suspends the US Constitution and revokes all women’s rights, and establish a new regime largely based on the hierarchical model of the Old Testament inspired social and religious fanaticism. In this society women’s rights are strictly curtailed, the women are physically segregated by the color of clothing — blue, red, green, striped and white - to signify social class and assigned position ranked highest to

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