Dbq Women

During the time period from the end of the American Revolution to the Civil War, American womanhood changed greatly. Due to differing beliefs during the time the American women’s ideals became to change. At the time, main beliefs were the “republican motherhood”, or the thought that women had power in the country’s politics in the sense that they raised the next generation, and the “cult of domesticity”, or the thought that women should be submissive, moral, and take care of their husbands and family. These beliefs greatly limited the power of the women in the 18th century. Due to these ideas, such as the “republican motherhood” and “cult of domesticity” during the time period from the American Revolution to the Civil War, women

As the perception of women changes constantly, society is the only factor in creating their ideal image. These societal views are the basis of their treatment, with the expectation that it is beneficial for them. However, societal expectations of women in the Elizabethan and Victorian eras severely limit their freedoms and rights. William Shakespeare’s Othello and Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein portray most women in their typical roles. Both authors depict the level of injustice in society’s treatment of women through the passivity of women causing their deaths, the silencing of vulnerable women and the portrayal of women as more humane than men.

The novel Frankenstein by Mary Shelly was published in 1818. Her parent had undoubtedly influenced her ways of writing. Her father, William Godwin is famous with his piece “An Enquiry Concerning Political Justice while her mother, Mary Wollstonecraft wrote “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” is two prominent radical writers who call for reform during French Revolution. Bringing both feminism and radical views from her parents, Shelley critiques women’s weak, docile and uneducated character. She also shows how women are often degraded and treated unjustly. The reason she brought the issues forward is to make women realize that they should improve their position and women should not conform to the dogma that they are always weak.

The “Declaration of the Rights of Women”, written by Olympe De Gouges, is a document that proves how in the 1790’ s women were trying to break-free from the belief that men have all the rights. This document was published in 1791 and it was made in comparison to the “Declaration of the Rights of Man” which was published in 1789. Olympe De Gouges wrote this document because she felt that despite having the French Revolution women were not receiving the rights they deserve. In the “Declaration of the Rights of Women” Olympe De Gouges often times mentions that women have the right to property, employment, and divorce. All of these principles relate to the Enlightenment idea because she is arguing for natural rights that many women back then were not given. De Gouges emphasizes that women deserve the right to have jobs and that they can equally fulfill the responsibilities that once belonged to a man. In the end of the “Declaration of the Rights of Women” De Gouges’ mentions a marriage contract which gives proof of Enlightenment thought because she argues that women should not have to stay married to their husbands if they don’ t respect them. Olympe De Gouges document, the “Declaration of the Rights of Women”, reflects the ideas of Enlightenment because throughout the document she often times mentions how women have every right to own property because it is a right that all “men” are given. She explains that women deserve to have employment and that by doing so they can go out

Her main belief was that women should be educated in the same ways and the same schools as men. She wrote the book “A Vindication of the Rights of Women.” She believed that for women to compete with men, they must be educated and the education must focus on reason (Document D). Education for women during this time was very different than it is today. Some women went to school but, they were not taught the same things as men were.

At the inception of the United States, women had portrayed as being in the background of history. It was written that it was men who dictated the direction this country went in, women were just another passenger. This is however a misconception as women have played an integral role in the creation of this nation and its direction. Women have had limited power and say at in the early period of the United States. Over the course of history more women had started to become more outspoken over the inequality.

Gender inequality will always affect the portrayal of women in society, the weaker, unnecessary, and other sex. It is not just a subject of the past, and still holds a name in society. However in the olden eras, the way women were treated and looked at was in a much harsher condition. In Shakespeare’s Othello and Shelley’s Frankenstein, women’s roles in the books are solely based on the way they are treated in their time period. The portrayal of women in these books demonstrate that they can never be in the same standing as men and therefore will never have the same respect as them. In both Othello and Frankenstein women are treated as property, used to better men’s social standards, and lack a voice, which demonstrates that in

The next requirement for being a “true woman” was submissiveness. According to society men were superior to women by “God’s appointment.” If they acted otherwise they “tampered with the order of the Universe” (Welter 105). A “true woman” would not question this idea because she already understands her place. Grace Greenwood explained to the women of the Nineteenth Century, “True feminine genius is ever timid, doubtful, and clingingly dependant; a perpetual childhood.” Even in the case of an abusive husband, women were sometimes told to stay quiet

In U.S. history the roles of society were decide by gender, men’s role was mostly the same throughout history, but the women’s role changed slowly over time. There was many women who were fighting to change their roles and one such woman is Anne Marbury Hutchinson. In “Divine Rebel” Selma R. Williams tells the story of Anne Hutchinson, who was a Puritan woman of the late 1500s, and researched informations was hard to find. There was a movement later that was called the Suffrage Movement and the women who were part of it suffered similar experiences as Anne Hutchinson. The thesis of this paper is that Anne Hutchinson fought for women’s rights as did the women of the Suffrage

In “Frankenstein” penned by Mary Shelley, the author depicts the roles of Caroline, Elizabeth, and Justine as passive women by taking action only through the men around them. During the 1820s, when Elizabeth Blackwell saw the deaths of many people on ships being thrown overboard, she became inspired to become a doctor. However, during her time period, women were not allowed to get an education. Finally, Mulan, takes the place of her old father to join the Chinese army, despite her passiveness. A closer look at the roles of Caroline, Elizabeth, Justine, Mulan, and Elizabeth Blackwell reveal a time period where women were treated as objects and followers by men.

In “A Vindication of the Rights of Woman” she stated that women were treated as if looks were the only thing important. Many women were not very educated and when beauty fades they are left uneducated and old. Women are not treated as well as men only thought of as objects of lust. They are treated as less than men because they are physically weaker than them. The fact that men are physically stronger than women is the only thing that is justified as true. Men and women did not really completely understand each other. Men thought of themselves as better than women and they did not want women who were educated. They did not think of them as wives or mothers but as just a woman not like the rest of them. She sees that man is her counterpart and respects them as part of the human race but with women being stripped of many of their rights that things are not equal

As I was examining the potential documents to research, Olympe de Gouges’ “Declaration of the Rights of Woman” was immediately striking to me. Personally, I was familiar with the original document: “Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizen.” Therefore, I was interested in learning more about de Gouges’ version. Also, this particular document was striking because of the time period it was written in. The French Revolution is a fascinating period to study because of the implementation of Enlightenment ideals, and then the collapse of a lot of those ideas with the Jacobins and even later with Napoleon Bonaparte. I was interested in learning more about an influential woman of the French Revolution. Specifically, how her works and opinions

thought of during the 1920s. She recognizes the large gap between women and men’s rights.

The female characters in Frankenstein represent the treatment of women in the early 1800’s. Women who are deprived of their female roles and are enclosed in a feminine sphere of domesticity. In the novel, Frankenstein, the women characters are treated as property and have little privileges in relationship to the male characters, the women suffer and are eventually destroyed showing how unimportant they are in the book’s society, and when it comes to reproduction of human’s, man thinks it pointless to have women play that role. These attacks on the innocent prove that women are second-rate in the novel.

Many women were involved in the uncertainty of women's rights during the French Revolution between the years of 1789 and 1804. Exploration of the unfolding struggles of France managed to turn my head in the direction of woman's rights more than once in my discovery. Perhaps because of the persistence of the women during this time period and their straight forwardness in their mission, was I so determined to see a positive progression in the fulfillment of their needs. "Even during a revolutionary time like this, equal rights for women seemed out of reach. Women had to struggle for a position in the revolution" (Ajaibu 2001, 1).