How Did Frances Perkins Influence Society

He would be associated with this union for the next 18 years. By 1875 he had built a reputation as an outstanding citizen and was named the secretary of the Vigo County BLF, this would be his entry into the field of labor organization. During this time he was closely associated with the railroad workers and saw their consistent oppression by their capitalist employers. Despite this he was dedicated to maintaining a union comprised of sober outstanding laborers who could best serve their employers. By 1879 he was elected grand secretary of the BLF and editor of the magazine. In this role he gained crucial experience in labor organizing on a larger scale and elevated his status as a effective leader in the labor movement. During this time he saw consistent wage cuts forced on these upstanding citizens and workers which began to galvanize the idea within him that the corporations were not interested in the quality of labor of their employees. Instead they were interested in only creating a profit for themselves at any cost and reducing the value of a man to his work.

She was a well respected woman that many thought was going to lead woman in the fight for equal rights.

Abigail Adams was and still is a hero and idle for many women in the United States. As the wife of John Adams, Abigail used her position to bring forth her own strong federalist and strong feminist views. Mrs. Adams was one of the earliest feminists and will always influence today's women.

They arrived in Pasadena toward the end of May, 1920, and moved into tight quarters with her sister and brother-in-law, brother, a nephew and her husband’s cousin (Robinson 79). Though they lacked hot water and a kitchen sink, Pasadena seemed glorious with it’s blue hills on the horizon and it’s wonderful air. Mrs. Robinson accepted a job doing housework while the Welfare Department provided clothing for the children (80).

1,400 women at Bryant & May matches then went on strike, led by Annie Besant, in protest of the poor wages and dangerous conditions in the matchstick factory. This lead to the security of the first successful equal pay resolution at Trades Union Congress.

Because of the rising change of social and industry they kind of caused friction towards political views. Miners and steelworkers were the first workers to use the strike ad a bargaining tool against their business owners.

In 1916 Jeannette Pickering Rankin became the first woman to be elected into the United States congress. Rankin gave women a voice at a time they did not have one. She was the only woman who voted to give women the right to vote. She opened debates in congress about a constitutional amendment which gave all women the right to vote. Rankin paved the way for women like Alice Mary Robertson (who became the first to overthrow a man in a general election). She made it possible for people like myself to speak out against society.

The eighteenth century and Enlightenment Movement ended with many disgruntled Londoners expressing their opinions through radical printed media and riots. In comparison, the end of the nineteenth century consisted of more unhappy London civilians expressing their grievances through strikes and protests. One of the larger strikes carried out by women demanding safer working conditions and better treatment was the Match Girls Strike. The Match Girls Strike occurred at the Bryant and May factory in Fairfield Road when Annie Bessant, a socialist editor for The Link, exposed the horrendous working conditions being covered up at the factory. The women, young Irish girls, often worked extremely long hours with little pay. Their pay was also deducted for minor infractions that included dropping matches, tardiness, speaking, and even using the bathroom. Additionally, many of the working girls suffered from extreme negative health effects due to the phosphorus used at the factory including hair

Woman along with the children were affected while working during the industrial revolution. During 1834 and 1836 Harriet Martineau, a British feminist and abolitionist, visited America and enthusiastically embraced the social implications of the Industrial Revolution, (DTA, 223). Martineau compared the lifestyle of women to slaves and said the United States contradicted the principles of the Declaration of Independence. She did believe though with some progress that it could become New England’s new industrial order. One of the Mill factories Martineau visited, Waltham Mill, was a prime example of the scheduled lifestyle of women mill workers. Women Mill workers of all ages worked at Waltham Mill, which I compared to a boarding school because of their strict schedules. The ladies had a time to wake up, to be at work, to eat, and to go to school. A lot of women did not mind the harsh conditions they lived and worked in because they fought for their equality of rights for a long time now.

During a time when women weren't known to have power, one woman stood out to me because she made such a huge impact on society. Dorothea Dix was an author, advocate, and reformer and she was known for her efforts to change how the mentally ill and prisoners were treated. She helped create institutions across the United States and Europe that would help change how people analyzed the mentally ill and prisoners. The reason for the creation of the institutes, was because she did research study, and found evidence that showed prisoners were neglected. That was not the only things Dorothea Dix had a desire to change. She also didn’t agree with the saying "people with mental disabilities cannot be cured or healed," but in fact her as individual proved that wrong. Growing up Dorothea had health issues that affected her working career and from her experience she formed a desire to help make a difference in others' lives. I view Dorothea Dix as a role model simply because I can relate to her when it comes to her view on the mentally ill. My brother underwent brain surgery which left him as being known as a person with mental disabilities.In today's society people are treated much different and less likely to be judged all thanks to Dorothea Dix. It amazes me how Dorothea Dix back in the 1860's still has an effect on today's society and how we view and treat the mentally ill. She not only brought awareness to the mentally ill and prisoner's but she also served in the Civil War as

Perkins heads up legislation on working hours, workmen’s compensation system, child labor controls, abolition of sweated-out work from home, and other safety codes. They work together on studies through the Labor Department on administration problems and job deficiencies that they would later use in the white house (Perkins 59). When the stock market crashes, they set up relief for the unemployed and publics work programs through their development of the Public Employment Service in New York (Perkins 61). Eventually, when Franklin is elected president, he invites Perkins to become the first woman cabinet member. In nineteen thirty-two, she officially becomes the Secretary of Labor for the nation and they work together to bring the programs they created in New York for the unemployed to the nation (Toedtman).

Frances Perkins came from a wealthy family in Maine. From her mother, she inherited the propensity to be stingy with money, earnest, and brutally honest. In 1902, she attended Mount Holyoke College, where she used her glibness to barely get by. Instead of focusing on improving her strengths, Frances’ professors sought to improve her weaknesses; Especially her moral ones. This was done with the idea in mind that if she were to overcome her shortcomings, she would be able to conquer anything life threw at her. After graduation, Frances struggled to find something meaningful to do with her life; That is the tragedy of The

… “ FDR believed that an undue dependence on regular Democratic party would prevent a fundamental alteration of political alignments and …his support of regular patronage practices to reward certain Republican Progressives and other reformers outside the Democratic party…developed a national New Deal Organization.” (55)

Jeannette Rankin believed, “What one decides to do in crisis depends on one 's philosophy of life, and that philosophy cannot be changed by an incident. If one hasn 't any philosophy in crises, others make the decision" (Lewis, 2011). This quote introduces us to the life of an amazing woman who dedicated her life to the rights of women, children, blue-collar workers, veterans and most importantly - peace. Many times in this paper, Jeanette 's own quotes will serve as the voice of her moral courage. Born in an era of limited women 's rights, Jeannette Rankin challenged conventional thought about the influence and power of a woman. She was the first woman elected to Congress,

Workers had simple demands, such as a 52-hour workweek, a 20% pay raise, and the right to organize (von Drehle, 59). The strikers dealt with many problems, such as fierce strikebreakers, and when brought to the attention of the police, strikers tended to be the ones arrested (von Drehle, 64). This strike brought the support of many wealthy people including Anne Morgan (Von Drehle, 71), Alva Smith Vanderbilt Belmont (Von Drehle, 66), just to name a few, who helped bring attention to the strikers cause. This helped in bringing attention, but was not enough to keep the strike going and formally ended in winter 1909. The strike did not lead to very many gains, and it would take the death of 146 workers (Von Drehle, 265) for any actual change to be brought about. The biggest benefit to labor that came out of the fire was the Factory Investigating Commission, which was born officially in June 1911 (Von Drehle, 212). The commission had virtual self-governance, and had investigators that would personally check the conditions of New York factories (Von Drehle, 213). The commission had a small set of cities it investigated, but was later expanded throughout the state of New York (Von Drehle, 214). The commission was the product of Wagner and Smith, the so-called “Tammany Twins”, and also brought in Frances Perkins, who would later become the Secretary of Labor