This era in American history was known for a sweeping change among the United States for the rights of its civilians. Fannie Lou Hamer delivered an excellent speech with a story that would unveil the horrors of what was really occurring within the nation for the simple fact that citizens wanted freedom. Hamer’s speech brought several issues to light which served as a catalyst that was built upon by other activists such as Shirley Chisholm who fought for gender equality as well. The fight would still continue after the speech but it did not mean it was not effective. The women’s rights movement would not be widely noticed until the early 1970s but her efforts did not go unnoticed as she would inspire women and African-Americans to keep fighting
Since there was many educational opportunities for women it began to lead more and more women to find their potential meaningful of their individual professional career. Also women 's salaries increased but not to the amount that men received. Even though women did not quite make as much as men do, it still felt like a huge accomplishment because it was much better circumstances than they had before. In 1972 the Equal Rights Amendment passed which lingered around congress for nearly fifty-five years. The wording of the ERA was simply understood: “Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex.”
As women, it was extremely hard to convey their messages to the public because of the lack of rights women had at that time. Their ability to face ridicule and adversity through tough issues makes them successful individuals. although they have not fixed issues entirely there is no denying that things wouldn 't be better if it wasn 't for their course of action. Ida B. Wells shed
During the 1st Wave of the Feminist Movement, that began in 1848, one of the biggest issues was attaining the right to vote or suffrage. During this time another huge issue was that of the treatment of African Americans in the country. One of the influential women that fought for both the women’s movement and abolitionist movement during the 1st Wave was Ida B. Wells. Ida B. Wells, an African American woman, born in 1862 in Holly Springs, Mississippi to parents who were former slaves that were very active in the Republican Party during Reconstruction. Abraham Lincoln’s Emancipation Proclamation had not had any effect on their lives until 1863.
Fannie Lou Hamer, one of the co-founders of the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, was a charismatic leader of the civil rights movement, executing determination every step of the way. Throughout her time, she went from picking cotton in the fields of the Mississippi Delta to speaking at the Democratic Convention. She was born on Saturday, October 6, 1917, coming from one of the most underdeveloped, rural communities in Montgomery County, Mississippi. Her parents, Jim and Lou Ella Townsend, were sharecroppers in Sunflower County, Mississippi which led Fannie Lou to begin working in the cotton fields of E.W. Brandon’s Ruleville plantation at the age of two. Sharecroppers worked on a distinct section of the plantation.
The women’s rights movement was a powerful movement in the history of the United States during the antebellum
During her speeches, she touched on something that was very controversial at that point; a woman’s massive role in the reform causes. Since women were seen as the moral center of the home, they imposed themselves in society as the moral integrity of the nation, thus finding work in the reform movements. The role that women played in the temperance movement caused light to be shed and the realization that female voters would be of more power on the war against alcohol. Even though women’s right to vote did not happen until the 1900’s, they did receive many legal advantages and proved their power from a religious and political state which gave women a new sense of pride and worth within the
What was the historical significance of Betty Friedan to the evolution of women’s rights in America in the 1960s? Women have always fought hard for their equality. Since the very first convention held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848, countless women have joined together to try and improve the standard of life for all women within the United States. In the later years of the 19th century, women gathered behind activists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, with the hope of achieving voting rights of women under the Constitution. On August 26th, 1920, their goal was achieved with the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
The 1970s were a rough year for African-Americans, still fighting for social and political rights in the United States. Consequently, women still did not receive equal rights. However, in 1972, “Congress approved the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) to the Constitution, which reads: ‘Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of sex’ (History.com Staff).” Out of the thirty-eight necessary states only twenty-two ratified it right away, it was relieving for the moment because the feminist advocates had been trying to be ratified since 1923. The First African-American woman elected into Congress was Shirley Chisholm.
The women of this movement were fighting for something they believed they deserve. Because of the Seneca Falls Convention and the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution, women were able to express their own opinions. The women’s rights movement led to many different events, impacted other countries, and created a new amendment. The feminist efforts in the mid 1800s were successful enough to allow women to take on occupations and educations they weren’t able to obtain
Women finally got the freedom to have a choice as well as options on things in their lives. “The best-remembered antebellum reforms was a women’s rights movement, its arrival signaled by a stirring “Declaration of Sentiments” issued in 1848 by a convention in Seneca
Not only did her testimony confirm her authority to speak for those affected by injustice but Fannie Lou Hamer’s general history and experience as a civil rights activist shows that she was fit to speak on the behalf of those demanding action from the government. As a civil rights activist, “Hamer dedicated her life to the fight for civil rights, working for the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee” (“Fannie Lou Hamer Biography”). The Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was an organization of African-Americans who fought against racial segregation in the south by engaging in civil disobedience (“Fannie Lou Hamer Biography”). Hamer was a passionate member of the SNCC who truly wanted to liberate black citizens from an unjust
In 1999, Chana Kai Lee wrote a biography, “For Freedom’s Sake: The Life of Fannie Lou Hamer,” to instill in her readers the life and torments African American’s had during the Civil Rights movement. Fannie Lou Hamer (born Townsend) was the last of twenty to two sharecroppers in Montgomery County, Mississippi, and after growing up working the fields in rural poverty, Fannie Lou married Perry Hamer in 1944. In 1962, she had a life-changing experience when she attempted to register to vote for the first time. Hamer, from then on, consumed herself in Civil Rights in every aspect even if she put herself in harm’s way. Fannie Lou Hamer’s first encounter with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) was, in 1962, when they came to Ruleville,
In her speech, she challenged the limitations placed upon women in history. She declared, “If the first woman God ever made was strong enough to turn the world upside down all alone, these together ought to be able to turn it back and get it right side up again.” At the time women, in society were seen as submissive and passive. Her speech challenged these ideas and changed the perception of all women in society. This speech was very powerful because it challenged the popular perception that women were only suited for domestic
This source report will be focusing on Eleanor Roosevelt and her impact on women’s roles in the United States. The historical period of this source will be the late 1800s to early 1900s, during this time is when Eleanor would make the most of her position within the White House to reach out and make a change. The bigger picture of this essay by Fran Burke is to show how much Eleanor Roosevelt impacted American society, through her input in politics to the humanitarian work that she did. Fran Burke wrote this article in 1984, from Suffolk University. Burke’s purpose in this article is to shine a light on Roosevelt’s achievements in life and to make sure that all the impact that she had on American society in known.
I believe that despite all controversial views this event was a huge shift for social change and future breakthrough in this area. For the American feminist movement such impetus was the successful story of the suffrage movement during the First World War, including the adoption of the 19th Amendment. The history of women’s struggle for their rights is very long and sometimes seems endless. “The Age of Enlightenment and the Industrial Revolution in the 18th and 19th centuries opened up job opportunities for women, released them from domestic confines and provided them with new social freedoms” (Repetto, 2010,