native americans Flashcards
1865-1914
between end of the civil war (1865) and the outbreak of ww1 (1914): most notable advance made by women was in the expansion of opportunities for unmarried women in the workplace (economic)
the pursuit of women’s right to vote (political), which was already underway in 1865, was continued by a core of mainly middle class, educated women, many of whom were also actively involved in other areas of social reform, most notably the exploitation of women and children in the workplace
campaign against the excessive consumption of alcohol (social)
children in the workplace
in 1900 there were four million children working in textiles, other manufacturing industries and in coalmines
1907 30 had abolished child labour, largely as a result of pressure from women’s groups
by 1865 the opportunities for greater change for women seemed strong but…
there were also extensive inequalities to overcome:
few men supported political rights for women
with the growth of industry and greater prosperity came the view that the woman’s place was inside the home, and men should work outside the home
greatest female employments were in domestic service such as cleaning, or in low-paid manufacturing
westward expansion did mean men and women working together but male attitudes were dominated by a view of women being responsible for the family
mimited birth control meant that family size remained relatively large: creating and nurturing families took a great deal of women’s energies
wctu
women’s christian temperance union 1874 founded by elizabeth cady stanton and susan b anthony
temperance = area in which women’s organisations relentlessly demanded reform and showed themselves a force to be reckoned with
women believed it was their role to combat the evils of drunkenness that threatened and undermined home and family life
demand for action galvanised women into action in a way that the campaign for political rights was unable to do for some considerable time
in part they aimed to promote the cause of women’s suffrage but they also wanted to combat the evils of excessive drinking
2nd leader = frances willard
campaigned on a wide range of issues: suffrage, trade unions, sexual assault, prostitution, child care and female education
1880 wctu grown to be a national organisation in 24 states with a membership of 27,000 women
membership: 800,000 by 1920
women organised its activities and set out its programme and strategy
valuable experience in publicity and mobilising support for a national cause
campaign involved political pressure with lobbying and mass meetings
considerable success: 33 states had banned alcohol by the time it was banned nationally in 1919
populist party
us people’s party 1891 and represented discontented southern and western farmers, hostile to big business and railway companies
over 8% of the popular vote in the 1892 prresidential election (james weaver) and 10% of the vote in subsequent congressional elections as part of a protest vote against the power and influence of big companies
women = active in rural protests, especially the grange movement and farmers’ alliance
women spoke at public meetings against the influence of the spread of railways and for the need to protect farmers’ income
elizabeth lease was a well-known orator for the populist party, and she and female activists led protests despite bitter hostility from business interests
native american women
the reforming impulse which swept through america in the gilded age also included native american women who, in 1883, formed the women’s national indian association for hative american rights
charitable work
cities: female reform activity often centred around charities
the charity organisation society became a major outlet for many urban women’s energies
the experience of charity work led many cities and states to appoint women to administer public charities, giving them experience of influencing local government
women were effective in persuading many states to pass pension legislation in the 1900s, giving assistance to mothers, widows and wives whose husbands were unable to work through disability
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settlement houses
female graduates pioneered the settlement house movement in the late 1880s, establishing some 400 settlement houses in cities
where poorer people could find educational, recreational and cultural activities to relieve what were often bleak urban districts
hull house in chicago, established by jane addams in 1889 as a social centre to support the settlement of newly arrived immigrant families
addams and her fellow workers came to act as an influential pressure group urging politicians to address a whole range of social issues but, most immediately, the problem of slum housing and evils that accompanied it.
the fight for the female vote
initially a strong impetus for the female vote came from abolitionism with the founding - american equal rights association in 1866, to remove restrictions on rights on both racial and gender grounds
post-war period, the republicans were able to secure rights for aas in the 14th and 14th amendments but there were unintended consequences for women:
- 14th a guaranteed equal rights but only penalised states which denied rights to “any of the male inhabitants of such state”
- 15th specifically stated that voting rights could not be denied “on account of race, colour or previous condition of servitude” but did not mention sex
abolitionists felt that it was aas who commanded their first responsibility, not women
little support for women’s suffrage groups which continued to campaign, and the fact that abolitionism distanced itself from women’s rights to make sure that aas were prioritised weakened the cause of female suffrage
female activist infuraited by their omission from the 14th and 15th amendments
nwsa
national woman suffrage association
susan b anthony and elizabeth cady stanton 1869
specifically foccused on womens suffrage
membership restricted to women
campaigned for a federal constitutional amendment recognising the right of women to vote
awsa
american women suffrage association
lucy stone and julia ward howe 1869
included men
the divide between awsa and nwsa
cause = weakened by the divide between them, as their strategies were different
nwsa campaigned for national change v. awsa aimed to get women voting in individual states for the state legislatures
awsa = a one-issue organisation whereas the national organisation took a broader view and adopted a feminist line, opposing male domination in a number of spheres
the divide between awsa and nwsa
cause = weakened by the divide between them, as their strategies were different
nwsa campaigned for national change v. awsa aimed to get women voting in individual states for the state legislatures
awsa = a one-issue organisation whereas the national organisation took a broader view and adopted a feminist line, opposing male domination in a number of spheres
nawsa
nwsa and awsa merged 1890
national american woman suffrage association
the splits weakened the cause + many women put their energies into temperance + social reform as an alternative
support from mainstream of women = limited
1905: 17,000 members nationally
1915: 100,000
but this represented only 1/2 of the number of women who were actively involved with temperance and prohibition groups
women suffrage successes
federal political structure gave women more opportunities to make progress
individual states granted the right to vote to some women:
1869 wyoming
1870 utah: the mormons wished to show that polygamy did not mean women were exploited or had no rights (polygamy was banned in utah in 1862) and some mormon women were enthusiastic workers for the franchise
throughout late 1880s and early 1900s: small but steady progress on voting on local issues: but hedged with restrictions
20 states permitted only widows with school-aged children to vote and even then, hostile crowds often prevented women from casting their votes
many men saw women voting as unnatural and a distraction from their domestic duties
