Feminism is the belief or philosophy that the female gender and their contributions to society are valued the same as men. It is the compilation of ideologies and movements directed at establishing, defending, and elucidating equal cultural, political, and social rights for women from all backgrounds. Therefore, feminists strive for equality in all aspects of life, but to be a feminist, one must believe that there is inequality in the world. Feminism is not limited to only women. Feminists can be men, transgenders, or even young children. Most importantly, feminists believe that men are not superior and that the gender gap should be something of the past. Yes, people still hold true to traditional values, but the line is drawn when women
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Many feminist groups in early America were small and had little to no effect on society. Thus organized feminist movements were not truly taken into account by the general population until 1848. The social purity and temperance movements in the 1820s, and the abolition of slavery in 1865, made feminists groups realize that in order to change society, they would have to come together in large masses to do so. Early feminist campaigns centered on topics like property rights, divorce, custody, equal pay, access to college and medical education, and protection for all women in the work force. Feminism is generally divided chronologically into “waves.” These waves are known as the first-wave, second-wave, and the third-wave …show more content…
Women felt that they were being taken for granted and deserved a respectable place in society. This wave began with the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 in a chapel in Seneca Falls, New York. Inspired and guided by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, almost three hundred people were in attendance. Both women had met earlier at an anti-slavery convention and were refused seats because of their sex. Frederick Douglass, a notable attendee, was known for being an abolitionist and a social reformer. Alas, the two women drafted what is known as the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, with similar format to the Declaration of Independence with the phrase “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.” The declaration stated and outlined the rights women should have been entitled to, because they were American citizens, in twelve resolutions. These resolutions highlighted equality with males before the law in employment and education. In the end, sixty eight women and thirty two men signed this declaration. The most important resolution of this declaration was that women wanted to expand their political agenda and demanded the right to
Many feminist groups in early America were small and had little to no effect on society. Thus organized feminist movements were not truly taken into account by the general population until 1848. The social purity and temperance movements in the 1820s, and the abolition of slavery in 1865, made feminists groups realize that in order to change society, they would have to come together in large masses to do so. Early feminist campaigns centered on topics like property rights, divorce, custody, equal pay, access to college and medical education, and protection for all women in the work force. Feminism is generally divided chronologically into “waves.” These waves are known as the first-wave, second-wave, and the third-wave …show more content…
Women felt that they were being taken for granted and deserved a respectable place in society. This wave began with the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 in a chapel in Seneca Falls, New York. Inspired and guided by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, almost three hundred people were in attendance. Both women had met earlier at an anti-slavery convention and were refused seats because of their sex. Frederick Douglass, a notable attendee, was known for being an abolitionist and a social reformer. Alas, the two women drafted what is known as the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments, with similar format to the Declaration of Independence with the phrase “We hold these truths to be self evident, that all men and women are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights.” The declaration stated and outlined the rights women should have been entitled to, because they were American citizens, in twelve resolutions. These resolutions highlighted equality with males before the law in employment and education. In the end, sixty eight women and thirty two men signed this declaration. The most important resolution of this declaration was that women wanted to expand their political agenda and demanded the right to