Ursula Burns : The First African American Female Chief Officer

As the millenniums pass and years go by, the world continues to evolve each day. Across the world, in every society, men and women have specific roles that they carry out. During ancient times, in most cultures, women were inferior to men. This is still true in many countries today. It has taken American women many centuries to have gained the rights and privileges they have today. Women have made many immense achievements, fought for their rights and stood up for what they believed in during the past century. It is very important to understand the role of women in history because they have played an imperative part of how each society functioned. In Classical Athens, women and men were citizens however men were superior to the women.

Across cultures and throughout history, women have experienced ongoing systemic oppression; and they have responded with progressive movements of protest and creative alternatives. Harriet Tubman in the fight against slavery: Fannie Lou Hamer for voting rights: Ella Baker and Mary White Ovington in the civil rights movement: Rosa Luxemburg in the German socialist movement: Winnie Mandela in the anti-apartheid movement: Puerto Rican independence leader and poet Lolita Lebron: and American Indian movement activists Anna Mae Aquash, Ingrid Washinawatok, and Winona LaDuke (Mink and Navarro). Women have pioneered in movements for labor rights, prison reform, reproductive rights and health, education, affordable housing, affirmative action and equal rights, human rights, and environmental safety. These women’s leadership styles span a range from soft to harsh, from wielding individual, hierarchical power to possessing a commitment to collectivism, and from identifying as “woman as caretaker of life” to woman as requiring and utilizing equal power to man. There is no one characteristic that applies to all women as social change leaders (Hurtado).

Along with their right to vote came a change in the social status of women as a whole. They were no longer viewed as inferior individuals to men, but as strong citizens of the United States who could equally contribute to the political system. Nevertheless, women began changing their “natural roles” years before the Nineteenth Amendment was even ratified. They left the domestic housewife label and took on different jobs such as factory and office work. The support of women reformers urged them to move forward and aim for a change. Because of the women reformers in the Progressive Era, modern day women are benefitting from their hard work and persistence. Women are still able to vote and express their political opinions. Female votes matter just as much as those of the men. Furthermore, women are not confined to being housewives. They can take on any job that a man can and also care for those in their home. In fact, many women are the main supporters of their households now. With that being said, women reformers paved the way for all women that followed after them. If women reformers could see a glimpse of how far women have come since their time, they would be highly pleased to see the fruits of their

Because of gender norms in the 1960’s, society was resistant toward women in power and leadership, especially African American ones. Even though African American women had the traits, skills, and personalities to be formal leaders of social justice movements like the Civil Rights Movement, they were never given a platform to do so, mostly because their leadership wouldn’t be recognized as legitimate

Compared to the many male leaders of America and those who made a difference, the number of female leaders and those who made a difference is very small. At least that’s how it seems since a majority of the female efforts in history go unrecognized. There were many women that changed America; they made a gigantic impact on the American history. Women, before, during, and after colonial times, had no rights as those of a property owning white man. They were just above a slave in social status. White women and women of color fought for a change in their country. Many rights were exclusively for the white man who owned property and was of Puritan belief. During time, male African Americans had won the right to vote, but not even the white

Many groups of people throughout the history of the United States have fought to change for change and fairness for their groups. Women have been among the courageous groups that have forged paths to create better lives for themselves and future generations of women.

The demand for independence and equality were perhaps the most driving catalysts of the American Revolution, but given that these ideals only applied to white men at the time, I wonder how many women imagined that they would ever enjoy such liberties. In the nineteenth century, it was assumed that the natural order of society dictated that men and women were predestined to live out their lives as they always had. Women were expected to be submissive, obedient, and subservient to the men around them. Women 's struggle for equality has been a long-fought battle and continues into the present time. Those who began the crusade for women’s rights in the mid-1800s courageously defied the status quo of their time to forge the way for women to participate in every way they aspired to do so, standing up for what they believed and showing the world that women were competent, capable, and intelligent. This paper will explore how women’s role in society was transformed during the period leading up to the Civil War, providing a snapshot of the courageous people and events that shaped the futures of women in America.

It took a very long time to get women’s rights close to what men’s are, but it is still not perfectly equal. In the present day, their rights are still not the same. In Abigail Adam’s letter, dated 1776, to her husband she asked him to “remember the ladies” and to not put so much power in the hands of the husbands. It wasn’t until 1920 when the 19th amendment was added to the U.S. constitution saying that that women would not be denied the right to vote. But, women are still considered even today not as athletic or as smart as men. Only recently have women been allowed to fight in the front lines. Women

The letter Abigail Adams wrote to her husband in the March of 1776 had one purpose. She encouraged her husband to “remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.” Adams wanted her husband to include women in the formation of the United States. Unfortunately, women were scarcely mentioned in the Declaration of Independence, Article of Confederation, or Constitution. It was not until 1919 when women were given the right to vote, and there is still a pay gap between the genders. Throughout history, the oppression of women has been a common theme. Women have been seen as the weaker sex, restricted to domestic work, and treated as less than their worth. The limited rights of women in the 1950s and 1960s

America is the land of opportunity. It is a place of rebirth, hope, and freedom. However, it was not always like that for women. Many times in history women were oppressed, belittled, and deprived of the opportunity to learn and work in their desired profession. Instead, their life was confined to the home and family. While this was a noble role, many females felt that they were being restricted and therefore desired more independence. In America, women started to break the mold in 1848 and continued to push for social, political, educational, and career freedom. By the 1920s, women had experienced significant “liberation”, as they were then allowed to vote, hold public office, gain a higher education, obtain new jobs, drastically change

Throughout history, women have been portrayed as stay-at-home wives who care of the children, clean the house and prepare meals while the men go out, work and provide for their families. They weren’t supposed to be influential, powerful

Through great strength and courage, women are capable of succeeding and accomplishing their goals now more than ever before. Oppression was the force that brought them down, but the willpower of women from the past has paved the wave for women in many male dominated fields such as academics, medicine, and government. Consequently, women are capable of reaching their full potential due to the actions of those that came before them and the women in present time in various fields. We're noticing an increase in women in government, for example, women make up twenty percent of the United States Congress, which is a great accomplishment considering the great strides women had to go take to simply make a vote. Clearly, women are gradually obtaining power in government and one perfect example of this is the Chancellor of Germany, Angela

A women's role has changed tremendously and is making its greatest impact in our society today. Many years ago, women's contribution to society was limited and controlled by men. Women are standing tall and are playing a major role in many important areas. Women's role has changed at an accelerating rate and have part in areas such as Politics, Professional Training Jobs, Medicine,Business and Law. Formerly they were not part of any political matter, but they have advanced in many aspects. For example, women have attained power and have been growing in political office.

Women have found power in a variety of ways though out history in their struggle towards justice and equality. Though personal power can take many forms this paper will primarily focus on power found through gender solidarity, class issues, race or sexuality. I intend to examine the ways in which three different women, of different races and times in history, were able to find such power resulting in a positive change to either their own lives or the lives of others. Those women are: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Eleanor Roosevelt and Melba Beals.

Creating a nation that had nothing to begin with, yet redefined what living prosperously is, took more than just man. It took more than just women. The nation we call the United States needed both sexes more than they ever would never knew. Yet people often forget every mother, daughter, sister and aunt has made a difference whether man wants to own up to the allegation. Women have suffered before the years that are now ahead of you.