Mae West's Article: Well-Behaved Women Seldom Make History

Would the advances of today be up to such standards without the writings of history? Diary’s and books show the way of life along with what did and did not work. Women such as Martha Ballard and Mary Jemison gave an insight into their life that would have not been accessible to the world we know.

As I was staring at this cue card that was written nearly one hundred years ago, I had to take a step back and realize how much this piece of paper had affected my life. Riggs Hunt was a committed feminist and traveled all over West Virginia to spread feminism in hopes that eventually women could have rights. Riggs Hunt was one of the women who fought for me to have education, ability to vote and to have rights over my own body. As I was sitting in the library holding something that was once in her hands, I felt empowered as I was holding a piece of history that had a huge impact on my life and the person that I am today. As I sat there reading this small summary of one of Riggs Hunt’s events, it had showed that she had been a strong advocate for women as she empowered women to follow her movement despite all the rumors that had been set towards feminism and at the same time she was still gender neutral as she allowed men to be involved in her feminist movement.

Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, an author and professor of history at Harvard University, introduced the phrase in a 1976 journal article about the characterization of women in Puritan funeral sermons. Ulrich more recently wrote a book, based on the phrase, that explores how women in the past have challenged the ways history was written. In her essay “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History,” Ulrich discusses the history of the phrase, how it was coined, and how it has taken on a life of its own. The phrase is now commonly seen on everything from t-shirts to coffee mugs, and has been featured in magazine articles and even advertising campaigns. She reflects on how her “accidental fame” has given her new insights into her historical studies.

Finally, literature can create a platform for those who typically are unable to influence society publicly or on a public platform. For example, women in the 17th and 18th centuries possessed very little societal influence and there for had to find a means to still leave their mark on the world and impact it for the better. Anne Bradstreet and Phillis Wheatley are two such women who sought out a way to impact the world. These two women, although from extremely different circumstances, both wrote about what life was like for women in these two centuries and both are considered courageous according to the standards of may despite being in the submissive female role that society had categorized and placed them in. For example, Anne Bradstreet

The most common product with the phrase “well-behaved women seldom make history” being sold on Amazon is, by far, shirts. There is a variety

Jane Addams. She lived with the individuals that she wanted to help and she did not pass judgement. She went to back for what she believed in and fought for the right of many people. She was also a Nobel Prize Winner which speaks volume for her many accomplishments. Along with other great women, they dedicated their life and time to improve the living conditions of many people and to provide education. Child labor was very big in Jane Addams era and she worked hard to eliminate child labor. Her work played a very important part in helping women to grow into careers such as nursing, social work, and civil

Clark Benson, the author of the first passage, aims to convince men that women’s suffrage is a bad thing in his essay. By using logic he creates an argument against feminism. This quote, “[Women] need to be protected from causing themselves and our children harm by making rash and irresponsible decisions,” is from his essay and it shows his strong opposition against feminism.

I began my research in the library of Sage Hill School. As my research progressed, I found that Nellie Bly “Took A Stand in History” multiple times as she stood up for women’s rights, exposed numerous scandals, did important investigative work for the newspapers, fought for justice in society through her writing, and defied gender stereotypes. In order to encompass all of this in my project, I needed to sectionalize all of this ideas so that I could focus on them individually.

Oppression. It is the driving force behind many of the largest alterations in American history. African-Americans were oppressed due to their history of being kept as slaves - even after this practice was halted, the toxic remains of a society unwilling to recognize them as equals endured. Women faced a similar hardship as gender roles forced them into lives of service. They devoted their time to caring for their homes and husbands, even at the expense of their own potential careers and educations. Both of these groups yearned to break these expectations. Women and African-Americans desired the freedom possessed by the white male. Malcolm X, author of “Literacy Behind Bars”, chronicled this struggle to overcome the limitations placed on him due to his race. Laurel Thatcher Ulrich, author of “Well Behaved Women Seldom Make History”, recorded instances of women retaliating against these beliefs. Both Malcolm X and Ulrich propagate a message of self-reliance through their individual implementations of connotative diction, details, and anecdotes.

“Feminism isn’t about making women stronger. Women are already strong. It’s about changing the way the world perceives that strength.” - G.D Anderson.

Moments within life make us-humanity- come to a different understanding of a part of ourselves. In the oral history transcription entitled “Hidden History: An Illegal Abortion,” relates a story of self-realization. The unnamed women telling the story made an unimaginable choice, and through this choice, she came to understand herself as a woman. She stated “for the first time in my life, I understood that I was a woman…[and] what it met to be a woman in this society- that the lives of women were not of value.” (Doc 11). This reveals not only the understanding of being a woman, but the cost of being a woman in the society of the United States in the late 1960’s. In a sexist society, it robs women of the understanding of being a woman, not simply

The American woman is a mystery that has yet to be solved. She is an ever-changing poem that sparks interest in those who are unaccustomed to her mysterious ways. The American women fascinated many authors, including Henry James. To express his enthrallment, James employed his literary talent to create Daisy Miller. Daisy exudes the vast depth of the entity of the American woman, which originally captured James’ attention. John Hay, a contemporary observer of American manners and mores stated of the American woman, “Her conduct is without blemish, according to the rural American standard, and she knows no other” (qtd. in Fogel 52). James’s Daisy Miller depicts the innocence of the American woman, with

She came into this life in 1735 and after living the first 17 years of her life she became a helper in the community. In Martha Ballard, the idea that 'all men are created equal' was still not fully realized, even though “Martha was respectful… toward the men’s work. ”(Ulrich 49) Persons of color were not viewed as 'human' and were considered a subspecies in some places. Some women weren’t even considered, to speak for themselves.

Feminism refers to a broad range of ideas and ideologies directed towards supporting and promoting gender and sex equality for women, yet the novels of which will be discussed can be considered anti-Feminist in the way that they do exactly as the quote poses ‘exclude women from positions of power and authority.’ Anti-Feminism is broadly defined as opposition to some or all forms of feminism and the quote suggests exactly that. Novels the Twilight Saga and Only Ever Yours by Stephenie Meyer and Louise O’Neil are critically viewed as anti-feminist and present themselves as perfect examples of the quote in question. Twilight portrays its female protagonist as a weak and vulnerable girl that can only be saved from potentially dangerous situations by her strong, admirable vampire boyfriend and so in turn is constantly excluded from positions of power because she is always considered as incapable of looking after herself. Similarly, Only Ever Yours depicts all

Historical fiction is defined as “a work of writing that reconstructs the past” (study.com). ‘Re-imagined’ fiction embodies real past events, people, and culture in a fictional story. The goal of historical accounts is to prove what actually happened as well as what was documented. Historical fiction can tell what is hidden underneath logic and reality. Not only women are excluded, but colored people, queer people, disabled people, and mentally ill people are also left out of the record. It is generally the author’s goal to portray an underrepresented side or layer of a story. Writing women into our history through fiction based on real accounts is not only an important project, but it can also be a controversial undertaking. The problem with telling the stories of these women is the scarcity