Write an essay that describes the evolution of women in American history from the colonial period up through the 1920s. Be sure to identify key events and people. Also, discuss various issues concerning women through the decades. What were the successes and failures? Be sure to provide specific details to support your statements. You have 90 minutes.
Women and the American Experience tells us that when we began to settle this country, women were not only expected to be subservient, they were even thought to be of much less intelligence and moral standing than were men. They were not allowed own property or even act as a legal individual. That was to change fairly rapidly, however. Long before women were given the vote, they were already …show more content…
By purchasing more household goods instead of being tied to a loom or a churn, or whatever chores that occupied their time, they gained just that, time. When their children went to schools meant to provide education, or at least, the means to be beneficial in the newer, more industrial age, they gained even more time. All this time gave them a chance to gather, to begin forming groups. These groups helped provide one more thing these women needed to shore up their new roles. They helped provide the power to make living conditions better, to treat illnesses more effectively, and to have control over sexuality, fertility, and the politics that involved themselves. Although women’s lives varied greatly throughout the early centuries of America’s growth, especially with income and rural or city living, all in all, the upward movement was steady. With education came even more movement. As more women, even if mostly single ones, joined the workforce, and spoke out about women’s issues, the more prominent their role became in society as a whole. Once marriage began to become a partnership, with the woman now being a very important person, even if only inside the home, the end of their plight seemed more …show more content…
With a new, clear need for the skills that women had, from nursing to education, men too had long since begun to see them as at least nearly as intelligent as themselves, and I’m sure in many cases, as equals. As women held together families with good money management, even earning money in many cases, the increased reliance on them by men gave them even more power in their own lives. With contraceptives now available to most, women also gained more control over how many children they would have and when. This alone helped open doors they had begun trying to open in the infant days of this
Women and the American Experience tells us that when we began to settle this country, women were not only expected to be subservient, they were even thought to be of much less intelligence and moral standing than were men. They were not allowed own property or even act as a legal individual. That was to change fairly rapidly, however. Long before women were given the vote, they were already …show more content…
By purchasing more household goods instead of being tied to a loom or a churn, or whatever chores that occupied their time, they gained just that, time. When their children went to schools meant to provide education, or at least, the means to be beneficial in the newer, more industrial age, they gained even more time. All this time gave them a chance to gather, to begin forming groups. These groups helped provide one more thing these women needed to shore up their new roles. They helped provide the power to make living conditions better, to treat illnesses more effectively, and to have control over sexuality, fertility, and the politics that involved themselves. Although women’s lives varied greatly throughout the early centuries of America’s growth, especially with income and rural or city living, all in all, the upward movement was steady. With education came even more movement. As more women, even if mostly single ones, joined the workforce, and spoke out about women’s issues, the more prominent their role became in society as a whole. Once marriage began to become a partnership, with the woman now being a very important person, even if only inside the home, the end of their plight seemed more …show more content…
With a new, clear need for the skills that women had, from nursing to education, men too had long since begun to see them as at least nearly as intelligent as themselves, and I’m sure in many cases, as equals. As women held together families with good money management, even earning money in many cases, the increased reliance on them by men gave them even more power in their own lives. With contraceptives now available to most, women also gained more control over how many children they would have and when. This alone helped open doors they had begun trying to open in the infant days of this