Essay Sarah and Angelina Grimké

Women’s roles have changed greatly throughout history. As the advancement of culture, laws, and ideas altered ways of life, women’s lives also evolved in numerous aspects of society. Women’s roles changed greatly between 1815 and 1860. During this time, family dynamics changed as the mothers that were placed at the center of the household were given greater freedoms. In addition, women had more opportunity to take on jobs in the workplace. Women also fought for reform movements that altered their ways of life in the community. During the reform era of the United States, factors such as religion, education, and reforms greatly changed women’s roles in the family, workplace, and society.

Sarah moved to Denver working as a sales agent for Malone where she met Charles Joseph Walker, a St. Louis journalist, who later becomes her husband. Sarah then became known as ‘Madam’ C.J. Walker.

Women, like black slaves, were treated unequally from the male before the nineteenth century. The role of the women played the part of their description, physically and emotionally weak, which during this time period all women did was took care of their household and husband, and followed their orders. Women were classified as the “weaker sex” or below the standards of men in the early part of the century. Soon after the decades unfolded, women gradually surfaced to breathe the air of freedom and self determination, when they were given specific freedoms such as the opportunity for an education, their voting rights, ownership of property, and being employed.

In the 1800’s, society held women back from doing certain activities, having certain jobs and having the same rights as men. “While there were often not specific legal restrictions circumscribing the activities of women, the social restrictions were quite pervasive.” “Social norms, then, prevented women from many activities, even though there were no overt laws stating a women could not be a doctor, for example.” The women’s suffrage movement connects to the Enlightenment era because many of the philosophers talked about men creating

Throughout time women and their rights have varied among where they are living and the people that surround them. Some of the major changes with women’s rights is giving them the right to vote, reproductive rights, and the right to work for equal pay. Another thing that varies throughout time is women’s roles. For example 100 years ago the only jobs that women could have was to either be a housewife, nurse, or a teacher. Until about 1910, women didn’t really fight for their rights and what they could do. In 1910, women started to voice their opinions in society and fought for the right to vote. Though things have changed greatly today, there are still women in the world that believe in the “traditional way” and prefer to still wait on

The Gilded Age and the Progressive Era were times of great change for women in the United States, and women entered into a new standard of living. As times progressed and new advances were made in both society and technology, people had to learn how to adapt to those changes while still being an asset and following societal rules. The purpose of this paper is to acknowledge the reformations and changes brought to people and society by women during the Gilded Age and the Progressive Era. Regardless of where women may have moved to and lived during these times of expansion and industry, women were determined to not revert back to the roles they had been put in for so long. The purpose of these changes and new roles was to advance society and make everyone equal, but not every woman accepted the changes given to them or received the same kind of treatment due to various differences. Ultimately, the reformations made by women during this time would shape future movements fighting for the same cause.

The United States of America gained a large reputation of equality and social democracy. This was much better at the time than Europe which had less opportunity and was much harder to rise in social status unlike the United States. Although, an entire section of the United States population was cut off from these great improvements and those were women. After the revolution, “republican Motherhood”, the vision of women passing on knowledge to the youth was put on hold in the United States society. The “Cult of Domesticity” had taken women back to their homes to just not do work outside of home. Many people embraced the “Cult of Domesticity” and Republican Motherhood” in order to be apart of a ideal American motherhood. Although, blacks or even lower class women were unable to achieve this because of either economic or public restraint. Educated women that were in the middle or high class had a hard time moving up social class and slaves were often separated from their families holding them away from all of that. A Reformer in (doc 4), Margaret Fuller, is trying to have social and economic equality but it is held back by the “Cult of Domesticity” and “Republican Motherhood”.

Led by a fair number of women, the Second Great Awakening opened new possibilities for women. The idea that women were subordinate to men was slowly becoming a thing of the pass. Women broke the social norm and began to lead reform movements in order to gain rights. The Grimké sisters regularly spoke to coed audiences about abolitionist efforts in order to gain support and spread the idea of abolition (Pastoral Letter to the Liberator, 1837). However, women didn’t fully receive equal legal status and rights until the mid-nineteenth century. The Seneca Falls Convention ultimately paved the way for women’s rights and the Declaration of Sentiments proposed “women’s equality in everything from education and employment to legal rights and voting”(Hewitt, Lawson

The 1920’s, also known as the “roaring twenties” consisted of multiple movements and changes in attitudes about the formerly traditional values society held during this time period. Shifts with women's suffrage, equality amongst races, and the ending of traditional household roles were prevalent through the years, sparking controversy between those who valued the old and those who valued the new. Significant changes amongst the way women’s suffrage and traditional household values were viewed began to occur during the twenties (Document B). Women were finally seen on the same playing field as men, and although they weren’t considered “equal” by any means, they were making notable progress.

In the mid to late 1700's, the women of the United States of America had practically no rights. When they were married, the men represented the family, and the woman could not do anything without consulting the men. Women were expected to be housewives, to raise their children, and thinking of a job in a factory was a dream that was never thought impossible. But, as years passed, women such as Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Elizabeth Blackwell began to question why they were at home all day raising the children, and why they did not have jobs like the men. This happened between the years of 1776 and 1876, when the lives and status of Northern middle-class woman was changed forever. Women began to

This is especially important in a time when women held no real legal rights, going from being a dependent in their father’s house to a dependent in their husband’s house. Women were not even able to give a public speech. While John Adams reply of being masters only in name is a humorous reflection of some households still today, what if women’s right had been penned in at the same time as the constitution? Unfortunately it did not happen but the republican ideology did lead to further equality in marriages and more education for women as they were responsible for raising future leaders of the republic. The second great Awakening had a profound influence over the rights of women as the evangelical revivals made Christianity important to the budding American social

At the beginning of the book, Sarah was limited to doing as her mother said and as society expected. For example, Sarah says,“Between breakfast and my departure for Madame Ruffin’s school on Legare Street, Mother saw to it that I was shut in my room, copying a letter of apology to Reverend Hall” (Kidd 46). This quote shows how after Sarah tried to teach slaves the alphabet, her mother forced her to write an apology. It also shows how a young Sarah despises that her mother makes her apologize for trying to be kind to other humans. She was denied her own ideals. As Sarah gets older she moves to the North, which gives her more freedom, much to her mother’s disapproval. A kind man named Israel, who lives in the North, allowed Sarah to stay with him, and she says, “I took up residence in a garret room on the third floor, following months of correspondence with Israel and endless skirmishes with Mother… In her mind, I’d gone the way of the lunatic female saints who’d gotten themselves boiled in oil and burned at the stake” (Kidd 213). This quote shows Sarah knew what her mother thought about her, but continued doing what she thought was right for herself. Sarah stood up for her

Sarah was twenty-six when she accompanied her father – who was in need of medical attention – to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where she became acquainted with the Quakers. The Quakers had liberal views on slavery and gender equality, and Sarah was fascinated with their religious sincerity and simplicity, and also their disapproval of gender inequality and slavery. Because of her father’s death, Sarah had to leave Philadelphia in 1818, and return to Charleston. There, her abolitionist views grew stronger, while she also influenced Angelina.

Subsequent to the emergence into a new era, laws were passed in the late 1800’s, which essentially prohibited women from any self rights or power. The passing of the City, Town, and

Between the late 1700’s and the early 1900’s many American women struggled to obtain the same rights as men. The society of women as a whole had pushed for equality constantly throughout the years. Women especially obtained more equality by publicizing their reasoning and demands for equality. This, is first and foremost proven by the way women had advocated greatly for improved academics for women. Women used another good tactical approach to achieve equality by speaking out strongly against inequalities between the genders.A third example of a great leap for equality, would be the religious movement, the upsurge in religious enthusiasm allowed women to demonstrate their piety and even to found new sects; and this in turn led to change in the way the world viewed women.