As the primary historical force in influencing the changing roles of women, progressivism had far reaching political and social effects on the lives of American women. The Progressive Era, 1900-1920, was a time of change for America; an explosive growth in urbanisation and thus industrialisation, led to reform. People worked to improve the poor working conditions and injustice in American society at the time. By 1920 the American urban population was at over 50% with millions of American’s working in factories where they faced long hours, low pay and dangerous working conditions. Meanwhile the urban middle class expanded rapidly, posing opportunity for education and work, for women. By 1920, 8 million women were working for wages. For white
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These women saw the harsh conditions of women and children, becoming more politically active - moving from the traditional ‘women’s sphere’ into the public and political sphere, joining organisations to launch campaigns for improvement. A key highlighting moment was the preventable 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Disaster, a factory fire which took the lives of 146 workers who were unable to escape the building as a result of locked doors and lack of safety measures. This disaster was met by public outcry and triggered a number of reform movements led by women. An example of this is the temperance movement. Reformers sought to limit the consumption of alcohol by Americans and issue that resonated with many women because alcohol consumption often increased the frequency and severity of domestic violence and abuse. In 1874, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was …show more content…
In 1922, She founded the American Birth Control League (ABCL). However the most significant movement of the Progressive Era, was the Suffrage Movement and thus the ratification of the 19th Amendment in November 1920. In 1900 the women’s suffrage comprised many groups for example, NAWSA, led by Carrie Chapman-Catt and National Women’s Party led notably by Alice Paul (1913). These groups were both very important in advocating for equal voting rights in the basis of many reasons such as temperance. The National Women’s Party, said it was the responsibility of the democrats led by President Woodrow Wilson was held accountable for the continued denial to women getting the vote. These women used militant tactics including hunger strikes to fight their cause. There were also other influences such as the propaganda pieces written by Alice Miller, published in the New York Tribune (1915) titled ‘Are Women People?’ which placed men in the position of women and why they should not vote. This combination of pressure applied by groups of predominantly white, middle class women led to the passing of the 19th amendment which stated that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or bridged by the United States or any state on the account of
These women saw the harsh conditions of women and children, becoming more politically active - moving from the traditional ‘women’s sphere’ into the public and political sphere, joining organisations to launch campaigns for improvement. A key highlighting moment was the preventable 1911 Triangle Shirtwaist Disaster, a factory fire which took the lives of 146 workers who were unable to escape the building as a result of locked doors and lack of safety measures. This disaster was met by public outcry and triggered a number of reform movements led by women. An example of this is the temperance movement. Reformers sought to limit the consumption of alcohol by Americans and issue that resonated with many women because alcohol consumption often increased the frequency and severity of domestic violence and abuse. In 1874, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was …show more content…
In 1922, She founded the American Birth Control League (ABCL). However the most significant movement of the Progressive Era, was the Suffrage Movement and thus the ratification of the 19th Amendment in November 1920. In 1900 the women’s suffrage comprised many groups for example, NAWSA, led by Carrie Chapman-Catt and National Women’s Party led notably by Alice Paul (1913). These groups were both very important in advocating for equal voting rights in the basis of many reasons such as temperance. The National Women’s Party, said it was the responsibility of the democrats led by President Woodrow Wilson was held accountable for the continued denial to women getting the vote. These women used militant tactics including hunger strikes to fight their cause. There were also other influences such as the propaganda pieces written by Alice Miller, published in the New York Tribune (1915) titled ‘Are Women People?’ which placed men in the position of women and why they should not vote. This combination of pressure applied by groups of predominantly white, middle class women led to the passing of the 19th amendment which stated that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or bridged by the United States or any state on the account of