Women's Rights During The Nineteenth Century

During the nineteenth century women did not have many of the rights that are afforded to them today. They were considered secondary to men in most aspects. While they did have some power in private spheres, they did not have any power in public and political spheres. The female sex was not educated on much other than on the ways of cooking and maintaining a house. The main objective for females during this time was to live for marriage and this is the highest dream they should have. They should live for their spouse and family. Some women did work, but was typically paid far less than a male doing the same job. The women’s rights movement began to battle some of the ways women were thought of and treated. Men were thought to be smarter …show more content…
Women should be provided the same opportunity for higher education. Beecher also felt that in some professions, such as teaching, that women would be better suited. As part of her stand, she argued that the Creator creates men and women as equal. Parents were seen as superiors to their children and were in control. Parents looked out for the interests of their children and gave control where they see fit, such as to teachers or employers. Beecher believed women should marry because they want to marry and be on equal footing with their spouse. They should not be treated as slaves or asked to obey their husbands. She wrote, “No woman is forced to obey any husband but the one she chooses for herself; nor is she obliged to take a husband, if she prefers to stay single.” Women in the United States during these times were treated pretty well in comparison to Europe and other parts of the world. While they were treated pretty well at home, they still lacked in the public and political spheres. Much of the principals of the United States were based on Christianity beliefs. Since it is believed that the Creator made man and woman as equal, it was a struggle originally to provide the same kind of rights to each. The struggle was overcoming years of treatment and views that had been developed throughout the world. The women’s rights movement questioned the old ways of living and questioned why men and women are given different rights when they were created as equals. This was the central argument for the women’s rights movements. The country was founded on these Christian values, yet the two genders were not being treated the way Christianity was taught. The eyes of the world were on the United States as the country provided to women greater rights than any other country at that time. As stated in The Mission of American Women (1842), “They are studying our institutions,