"Why Women's Rights?"

I strongly believe in equality, all across the board, not just within Women's Suffrage. I also happen to be a strongly opinionated person, which can sometimes be both a blessing and a curse.  I have no trouble exercising my first amendment rights, whether the situation is greatly important or minor.  One time, in 8th grade, my teacher introduced our Women's Suffrage chapter by ignoring all of the girls in class that day, only picking on the boys, and even going as far as to rewarding them with candy; of course his startegy was unbeknown to us at the time.  Much to my teachers surprise I wasted no time rounding up the rest of the girls in class and organizing a protest the next day before class.  With signs in hand we marched into class demanding for equality among all students.  Though I do not think my teacher expected such a reaction to his lesson plan, I think he was more than thrilled by our enthusiasm.  This is just one example of when I voiced my opinion about equal rights, but it is by far the most memorable.  Women's Rights have always been of interest to me, being a self proclaimed "pseudo-feminist".  That is why when I saw the Women's Rights movement chapter was available as a first project option, there was not a question in my mind that that was the chapter I wanted to do.

History of Women's Rights

"...Weekly Magazine provided women with a checklist of some of the most common errors they committed when speaking; those mistakes ranged from women not "acknowledging his [a husband's] superior judgement" to women voicing their own opinions."
                   



http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=k0W8AXaHp1A

Slowing the Momentum for Women's Rights - A Break Down

Intro
•    Streitmatter introduces the idea of Women’s Rights and how it began to be a revolution.  Men ran the fourth estate mostly, if not completely, and therefore journalism at the time did not reflect the women’s movement in a great light.
Confining the American Woman to Her Place
•    In this section Streitmatter informs readers of a women’s inability to break out of their stereotype.  Women were expected to maintain a household role and not really have their thoughts, feelings, and definitely opinions, heard. 
•    Few women’s magazines were formed but they never really took off.

Discrediting the Women’s Rights Movement
•    Elizabeth Cady Stanton is introduced, as well as her achievements and attempt to further women’s rights.  Streitmatter introduces the readers to the beginning of the women’s movement that took place in Seneca Falls.

•    This part of the chapter discusses how the newspapers of that time spent a lot of time and energy in trying to bring the women down.  They would print hurtful titles, and would call the men and women involved in the women’s revolution horrible names. 

Creating a Voice of Their Own
•    Women eventually began to take a greater stand for their voices and began publishing The Revolution.  Stanton and Susan B. Anthony founded The Revolution in hopes of spreading the word of the women’s movement, unfortunately the paper shut down due to lack of circulation and increasing debt.
•    The movement also began to split.  Some women remained radical, following the footsteps of Stanton and Anthony, while others took a less radical approach. 
•    Even though the women tried their hardest to increase the quantity of venues where they could voice their opinions, it was not a leading force in the women’s rights movement.

Intensifying the Attack
•    As women continued to forward their fight, male run newspapers increased their public display of disapproval to these women.  Anthony was the target of the cruelest comments.  Many magazines and newspapers still tried to tear down the women’s activists; some even began using illustrations. 
Victory Despite the Fourth Estate

•    Both parts of the women’s movement reunited in order to increase their fight and leverage.  The National American Women’s Suffrage Association was formed. 
•    Harriot Stanton Blatch continued her mothers fight by developing the Women’s Political Union.  Public demonstrations began to take place, which led women to being arrested as well as having them harassed. 
•    Carrie Chapman Catt formed her “winning plan, which pushed the House of Representatives to pass the nineteenth amendment. 

Suffering from the Power of the Press
•    Many aspects of the press still didn’t see the women’s movement as a legitimate cause to publish, let alone support.  Because the fourth estate was so influential to the community and country, it slowed the expansion of the women’s movement; even after the senate passed the nineteenth amendment.   
•    Only after women began to achieve ranks of power in the journalism industry, did the attitude towards women’s suffrage begin to change. 
•    “If the men own the paper – that is, if the men control the management of the paper – then the women who write for these papers must echo the sentiment of these men.  And if they do not do that, their heads are cut off.” (Streitmatter)

"The Tomfoolery Convention"

In "Mightier Than the Sword" Streitmatter mentions many different newspapers and magazines that published horrible things about women and their fight for their rights.  The headlines of papers and their diction held nothing back about how they felt about the womens convention at Seneca Falls or the situation all together, for example:
"Women Out of Their Latitude"
"Amazons" who were "bolting with a vengance"  - Worcester Telegraph
"Impracticable, absurd, and ridiculous" - Rochester Daily Democrat

and the one quote that stood out the most to me was written by the Albany Daily State Register which states...

that women's rights advocates initially were amusing, like "clowns in the circus" or "gentlemen with blackened faces"
Ironically, women did not receive their right to vote until after freed slave.

There are still people and countries today that look upon women as inferior and are not allowed to vote.

Susan B. Anthony

A Look at a Women's Suffrage Leader

Susan B. Anthony became a big name in the fight for women's rights. She teamed up with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and helped in organizing a national convention.

Women Have Rights Too!

In "Mightier Than the Sword" by Rodger Streitmatter addresses many things but I belive one of the most important it addresses the historical women and their fight for their rights.

Everyone is always fighting for the preservation of Democracy, why did women have to fight harder? Are they not human?