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Freedmans's Bureau
Freedman's Bureau established public schools for the newly freed slaves. These schools were meant for blacks and poor whites and were taught by both men and women (1). It was a significant milestone for women since they had been denied education and jobs in the past and this was the first time they had the opportunity to show how they could contribute to society as a whole. Although almost all of these women came from the north to teach in southern states.
(1) Corbett, US History, Ch. 16.2 -
Pursuing Education
Although many women were at the time taking on the role of a housewife, some women began to pursue a college education (1). This is significant because for the first time, with their education, women were able to find jobs outside of the home as teachers. Most of these women still did marry and dedicate their lives to their duties as a wife, despite this, it still shows their desire to attend college and shows the interest women had in expanding their knowledge.
(1) Corbett, US History, Ch 19.3 -
Hope in the Fifteenth Amendment
Following the civil war, the fifteenth amendment was being drafted with the goal to allow for universal male suffrage. This gave some hope to women who believed that they could have a chance at suffrage along with the newly freed slaves that would be getting the right to vote as well (1). This shows once again a women's desire to play a greater role in society by their desire to be a part of the political system and the early beginnings of the suffrage movement.
(1) Corbett, US History, 16.3 -
Women Begin to Take Action
Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Stanton created the National Woman Suffrage Association, the first association dedicated to gaining women's suffrage. By creating this organization Anthony and Stanton gave rise to women who wanted to take action in expanding suffrage to places other than just the new west, such as Anthony, who took to the polls to vote but was arrested and refused to accept charges(1), showing a more progressive women.
(1)Ruth Pollack, American Experience, "One Woman, One Vote", 1:07 -
The "Good Housekeeping" woman of the middle class
With middle class families now able to buy homes rather than living cramped in the city, women focused on keeping a happy household to relieve the stress of their working husbands. Good Housekeeping often featured articles such as "Beatitudes for Bread Winners" that emphasized the hard working men and how they should be awoken by a wife that has made an extravagant breakfast and should return home to a "neatly dressed wife" with the dinner table set(1).
(1) JG Holland, Good Housekeeping, 1885 -
The Settlement House Movement
Jane Addams and Lillian Wald created The Settlement House Movement as a reform movement where they created these settlement houses in the city to provide aid to woking women that included daycare, free healthcare, employment opportunities, and even night classes (1). This shows how women supported each other during the hardships of urbanizations because they saw the importance of their contributions to society as working women
(1) Corbett, US History, Ch. 19.1 -
The Pioneer Wife
As Westward expansion, grew as a way for men looking for a new life in the west, many brought their families and wives with them. In this new forming society, in order to survive many women had to take up a huge amount of work, specifically on the farm(1). Women were now in a position where they could not just remain the typical house wife because in order to survive they needed to take on more challenging tasks.
(1)Corbett, US History, 17.2 -
New Voices for Women
Alice Paul created the National Women's party as a more progressive movement to gain women's suffrage. Her organization featured a younger crowd of women that desired a suffrage organization that took more action. Paul gained attention when she was published in a newspaper describing how she was force fed when imprisoned for a strike (1).This gained the publics attention by creating sympathy for the way women were being treated.
(1)"Alice Paul Describes Force Feeding", England, 1909 -
Women in World War I
Woman gained a huge amount of respect for their efforts in the first world war. This war saw women in every social class, including the upper class, work to support and expand the war effort. Working class women also participated in the war by becoming nurses and providing food for the men(1). The significance of this is that women played a huge role in helping with the war for the first time.
(1) "Women in World War I", The National Museum of American History, 2015 -
The Rise of the Flappers
With the end of the war and newfound suffrage, women looked for a way to change their image with the new morality that is different from their parents. Flappers wore short dresses, donned short hair with heavy makeup, and participated in drinking and smoking. By doing so women were able to liberate themselves socially, as they had already liberated themselves politically. As young women they wanted to change the way the taboo of going out, dancing, and drinking.(1)
(1) Corbett, US History, 24.3 -
The 19th Amendment
With a Progressive movement sweeping the nation, the suffragist finally gained their ultimate goal with the ratification of the 19th Amendment which prohibited voter discrimination based on sex (1). While the women of the west had been participating in voting the women of the south and the east now had the right. This created a desire for even more equality in other aspects of their lives, such as social areas.
(1) May 19 1919, The Nineteenth Amendment, National Archives -
Pink Collar Jobs
With the hardships of the great depression affecting the entire job market, women were often scrutinized for having jobs. By having jobs many felt they were taking away the opportunity for men that had lost their jobs to gain income again. Campaigns were formed in order to stop women from working, despite this, the number of women in the workforce grew. They found pink collar jobs where they worked as secretaries or telephone operators. This shows how women were now very secure and independent.
