Progressive Era Women's Rights

The argument over a woman’s right to choose over the life of an unborn baby has been a prevalent issue in America for many years. As a birth control activist, Margaret Sanger is recognized for her devotion to the pro-choice side of the debate as she has worked to provide sex education and legalize birth control. As part of her pro-choice movement, Sanger delivered a speech at the Sixth International Neo-Malthusian and Birth Control Conference in March of 1925. This speech is called “The Children’s Era,” in which she explains how she wants the twentieth century to become the “century of the child.” Margaret Sanger uses pathos throughout her speech as she brings up many of the negative possibilities that unplanned parenthood can bring for both children and parents.

If couples want fewer children to be raising their children better, they can use natural methods of contraception. They could not use artificial methods or any medication to avoid and abortion. I knew Margaret Sanger was a famous nurse who devoted her life to legalizing birth control and making it universally for women. Especially, she created birth control pill for contraception use for women. Therefore, I could not accept the way she did for birth control.

During the progressive era, there were many organization’s that arose to better the American society. Two Progressive reforms that sought to help women were the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, and the Women Suffrage Association. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union or WCTU was founded in November 1874 in Cleveland, Ohio by Frances Willard and Annie Turner Wittenmeyer. This organization's purpose was to educate people about the dangers of alcohol, and eventually prohibit alcohol distribution in America. The Women’s Suffrage Association was founded in New York City in 1869 by Women’s rights activist Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

The Progressive Era of the early 1900s was a period of economic growth in the United States. Millions flocked to the cities like New York in pursuit of wealth, freedom, and a chance at making a better life for themselves and their families. As a prime focus during the Progressive Era, women challenged social and political barriers, which led to their empowerment and a new female political agenda. Women began to become more prominent in the workplace and by 1920, nearly 25 percent of employed women had office jobs or worked as a telephone operator (Eric Foner, Give Me Liberty! An American History Volume 2, 700).

A.Introduction:History of the United States has numerous remarkable ladies who have rolled out critical improvements in women’s life. Two of such ladies were Eleanor Roosevelt Margaret Sanger and they lived roughly in the meantime. They both contributed immensely to change the women’s lives, roles and position them equally with men. Eleanor Roosevelt was born in 1884 in New York. Despite the fact that she was born in a wealthy family, her adolescence was miserable.

“it's a woman’s right to control her own destiny, to be able to make choices without the Big Brother state telling her what she and cannot do” (Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg). Women have fought for their entire lives for equal rights which for some apparent reasons have not been acknowledged. Roe vs. Wade had changed the outlook on the United States and on a woman’s rights to her own body. Roe vs. Wade goes back to 1973 which was between a women who had an unplanned surgery in Texas who wanted to make abortions legal. Norma Leah McCorvey, better known as “Jane Roe” was the plaintiff in this case, after her case the U.S Supreme Court had ruled that state laws banning abortion are unconstitutional.

During Progressive Era, there were many reforms that occurred, such as Child Labor Reform or Pure Food and Drug Act. Women Suffrage Movement was the last remarkable reform. This movement was fighting about the right of women to vote, which was basically about women’s right movement. Many great leaders – Elizabeth Cad Stanton and Susan B. Anthony - formed the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Although those influential leaders faced hardship during this movement, they never gave up and kept trying their best.

The Declaration Sentiment The movements of American women grew as a result of an abolitionist drive of that happened between the 1830s and 1840s. In the ancient America, gender roles were enshrined in laws in most societies. Women were to get married and take care of their families. No woman was allowed to go out of their homestead once they got married to a working husband.

Sanger’s cause was just. Why should others make decisions for every individual? Women could make the decision to use birth control on their own. If one person disagrees with it they should not limit others. Sanger’s ideas for the use of birth control were definitely questionable.

The Women’s Suffrage Movement was the seventy two year fight and movement leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment that granted women the right to vote. Before the nineteenth century, women were seen as property of their father or husband, and it was not until the mid-1800’s that women began to gain rights similar to men. Women had sought to obtain additional rights held already by men. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and Alice Paul were among the many women that led and fought for equal rights and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Women in the United States had little to no rights in comparison to men until 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment was signed, giving women their deserved rights that allowed

The Cold War was a time in history when there was a great political and military turmoil between the United States and the Soviet Union. The Cold War shaped the world in these three ways, women’s rights, society,Cultural. These three changed people in positive and negative ways. Once again, women were called upon to fulfill a role in the defense of America on one hand to perpetuate the American population and on the other to promote American ideals abroad. Women had a chance to be equal to men.

“No woman can call herself free who does not control her own body”. When Margaret Sanger spoke these words, she was expressing her belief on a woman’s right to have an abortion. This quote, however, speaks to the fact that women are oppressed on more than just abortions. In the novel, The Handmaid’s Tale by Margaret Atwood, Atwood portrays the dehumanization of sexuality through both the characters and events within the novel, therefore proving that women will always be considered less than men will. Margaret Atwood was born in Ottawa, Ontario in 1939.

Educator, Margaret Sanger, in her argumentative essay, “The Morality of Birth Control” implies the moral and responsibility when birth control is involved. Sanger purpose is to convey, to take birth control there are rules you must also include into the discussion. She adopts a touchy tone to appeal to those who aren’t informative of such drugs. Also, Sanger addresses to those who wouldn’t speak up for themselves or for religious purposes. Margaret created this reading to draw the audience to her view point of birth control.

“Defending the unborn against their own disabilities.” Margaret Sanger is known for being a birth control, population control, and a eugenics activist. As a eugenics activist she believed that the science of improving a human population by controlled breeding to increase the occurrence of desirable heritable characteristics. But before getting into too much detail about how she was the founder of “Planned Parenthood”, let's hear her backstory.