Dating back to 1765 when the first president of the United States, George Washington, led the American revolution against the British Monarchy, overthrowing their authority, America has been a product of revolutions and radicals. Radicals or revolutionist take many forms and fight for different reasons but one common ground that they all share is to change their state of living, rather it be social, economic or political. New York found itself the center of the stomping ground for the early 20th century and 1970s radicals as the socialist era came about and, “…the War on Poverty, second-wave feminism, and AIDS and reproductive rights activism” (pg. ix Carrol) grew. Throughout the 20th century as the economy began to fail in the United States
…show more content…
Ethel Velez, a public housing activist faced the challenge of inequality early on, “ … establishing girls’ basketball team in junior high when ‘they were only letting the boys play.’ (pg xii Carroll).” Abortion rights on the other hand strained women’s perspective politically, culturally, and their understanding of the law. Karen Stamm was subject to this struggle when she got an illegal abortion. “Struggles to obtain reproductive freedom, economic independence, and day care for their children… drew many women into community activism (pg xiii)”, Carroll states. Eventually cross-class and cross-race began to happen as women began to understand that no matter their race or level in class, they were all fighting for their rights. Along with women’s right the lower class and minorities fought for their rights with hopes for public housing renovations. “Their agenda was to build a fence… Velez taught me that unless people feel safe it is hard to work on other issues. (pg xix Carroll) Activist such a WHAM took to other extremes Carroll states, “By selecting the Statue of Liberty as the site of their protest. (pg 9) Strike and unionization had been something that allowed the radicals to show free expression and has been done for many of years an example is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 (pg 10). In conclusion, America has been through great triumphs and failures. There have been countless amounts of times when people have felt as though they were subjected to abuse and misconduct regarding their rights causing uproar. Carroll best states through her journey of writing and discussing radicals of New York that archives hold the key for change in history, “… importance of documenting history of community activist… [they] have important stories to tell about social change in the United States (pg
Ethel Velez, a public housing activist faced the challenge of inequality early on, “ … establishing girls’ basketball team in junior high when ‘they were only letting the boys play.’ (pg xii Carroll).” Abortion rights on the other hand strained women’s perspective politically, culturally, and their understanding of the law. Karen Stamm was subject to this struggle when she got an illegal abortion. “Struggles to obtain reproductive freedom, economic independence, and day care for their children… drew many women into community activism (pg xiii)”, Carroll states. Eventually cross-class and cross-race began to happen as women began to understand that no matter their race or level in class, they were all fighting for their rights. Along with women’s right the lower class and minorities fought for their rights with hopes for public housing renovations. “Their agenda was to build a fence… Velez taught me that unless people feel safe it is hard to work on other issues. (pg xix Carroll) Activist such a WHAM took to other extremes Carroll states, “By selecting the Statue of Liberty as the site of their protest. (pg 9) Strike and unionization had been something that allowed the radicals to show free expression and has been done for many of years an example is the Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire in 1911 (pg 10). In conclusion, America has been through great triumphs and failures. There have been countless amounts of times when people have felt as though they were subjected to abuse and misconduct regarding their rights causing uproar. Carroll best states through her journey of writing and discussing radicals of New York that archives hold the key for change in history, “… importance of documenting history of community activist… [they] have important stories to tell about social change in the United States (pg