Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Adriana Gerardo
History 153
Seven years ago, I moved to the U.Si. I thought it was going to be an easy transition, I figure my
many trips to the States; the class I took in college of global history; the American movies and
TV series I grew up watching; and the support of my born American spouse, where all I needed
to adapt and start a new life in Michigan. Time proved me wrong, I struggled to understand
many current issues in America; thus, I felt shy to give an opinion; after all, how can I give an
opinion on something I do not grasp? Now I am outspoken, I have a viewpoint about current
stories, I can agree or disagree; but most importantly, I can support my ideas with facts.
Contemporary American History is a great course, it has taken me back in time to understand my
Women in America have fought for freedom, independence, rights and a status quo. My class
served as a time machine, I travel through numerous decades from the late 1800s to the end of
20th century to see the social and private transformation of women. I read about their struggles,
their dreams, their setbacks; I learned about the warrior women who fought landmark battles to
challenged the morality of American society, she judged that womens inequality impoverished
the country and the exclusion of women to vote was oppressive. Her partiality marked the
beginning of womens suffrage. She organized the Seneca Falls Convention, the first womens
rights convention ever held in the United States. Stanton lived in an exciting timeii, a period
where progress was favored in America; thus, she pressed for a constitutional amendment (The
Progressives). Womens right to vote was introduced in 1848 and legalized until 1920; Stanton
died in 1902, she did not live enough to see the Nineteenth Amendmentiii become the law of the
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land. Stanton and her army of women won the right to vote; yet, it wasnt not going to be the
on political matters, their arguments have proved to change the law. Unfortunately, the
progressive era stopped, the daughters of [the 1920s] generation seemed uninterested in
[womens] grand causes (The 1920s). The political weather was calm, but Stantons
accomplishment teared another wall, women use the political equality to open the doors of social
equality. In the roaring twenties, women assumed independence and carefree attitudes, they
work in the day, and go out at night, they drank and smoked in the presence of men; likewise,
they adopted less conservative views about sex. However, this new morality highly sparked
critics to wonder if [the women] were expressing themselves or acting like men (The 1920s).
With the turn of the Great Depression, it was hard to engage in leisure activities for self-pleasure.
American society was in deep trouble, women had to make multiple life adjustments to survive
during these hard times. Federal reforms where no longer to advance a prosperous society, but to
take them out from the biggest economic hole the US. had ever sank in. The Great Depression
Fortunately, or unfortunately, WWI and WWII took place and with them, the U.S. economy got
stronger. Equality flickered at the factories, women had to fulfill the available jobs that men left
to join the Army forces. Not only men were beneficial in a total war, but women were also; thus,
the society was benefitting from the arrangement. Propaganda played a crucial role, Rosie the
Riveteriv told women it was their moral responsibility to help in the war efforts. The war
scenario moved women into the labor force in a time where the production of manufactured
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goods was not very inclusive of them. At the end of WWII, encouraged by the government, the
housewives hit the bookshelves, The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedan, considered the
work and life of Stanton to argue her point of view, is this [ the housewife role] all there is? Is
this all a woman is capable of doing (The 1960s and 1970s). The author became the leader of
the second womens movement and cofounded the National Organization of Women (NOW).
Friedan believed women did not hold any moral superiority as a gender, but instead, was morally
equal as a man.
The 60s and 70s gave birth to grave laws. Moral arguments against the birth control pill
prompted laws prohibiting them; what is worse, religious advocates called them sinful. In 1965,
The Supreme Court in Griswold vs. Connecticut declared unconstitutional the prohibition of
contraceptive laws and determined that a fundamental right to privacy exists between the lines
of the constitution. (The 1960s and 1970s). Not everyone was happy with the aftermath, the pill
changed the family dynamics, it gave room to cohabiting and to a sexual revolution.
In 1973, under President Nixon, Roe vs. Wade reached the Supreme Court of the United States.
After a crucial examination, abortion was legalized during the first trimester of pregnancy. Roe
vs. Wade fueled many ethical dilemmas. Pro -life, those who believe life starts at conception,
stated Roe vs. Wade equals murder and the abduction of the unborn natural right to life. Pro-
choice advocated women hold the power over their bodies and their reproductive abilities;
therefore, it is not the responsibility of the government to decide what is best for her.
Today, women are still being call upon action in behalf of themselves. The improvement of
society and future generations of women rely upon how women are treated by men, but also, by
other women; but to a greater extent, by those who represent places of power. Women face many
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dilemmas, and it could be laid-back to think that in the short amount I get to live, there is no
much I can accomplish. It is common to feel powerless against something so much bigger than
ourselves, or to leave the issue for others to resolve. The older I become, the more I start
questioning the safety and resolve of the ones I will leave behind, and cant stop wondering, if
the matters that affect us today as women, will be carried on. It only took one woman to open
many doors to other women, so, it is my responsibility to take advantage of it and be outspoken,
demand that my rights, my freedom and my values are upheld by others and defend them when
they are not. It only takes one, to make a difference, and nowhere is this more plausible and
Endnotes
i In April 2010, I moved from Mexico to the U.S.
ii Stanton lived during the Progressive Era, a period of social and political activism from the 1890s to
the 1920s in the United States.
iii The 19th Amendment declares it is the right of every citizen, regardless of sex, to vote.
iv Rosie the Riveter was a poster used for a governmental campaign to recruit women to work in the
munitions industry.
Annotated Bibliography
The Progressives: Progressive Citizens Schoolcraft College E-text. Web. Accessed on April 23, 2017.
This E-text was provided by Schoolcraft for the class of Contemporary U.S. History. It
examines crucial cusps in American society and politics, as well, as the lives and contributions
The 1920s: The 1920s Society Schoolcraft College E-text. Web. Accessed on April 23, 2017.
This E-text was provided by Schoolcraft for the class of Contemporary U.S. History. It
examines crucial cusps in American society and politics, as well, as the lives and contributions
The 1960s and 1970s: A New America. Schoolcraft College E-text. Web. Accessed on April 23,
2017.
This E-text was provided by Schoolcraft for the class of Contemporary U.S. History. It
examines crucial cusps in American society and politics, as well, as the lives and contributions