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All States in US pass laws banning women from voting
This wasn't a new idea, as women had never really had rights, but by putting it into writing it shows just how little women were represented by their governemnts. -
Mississippi Married Women's Property Act
Mississippi became the first state to grant married women the right to hold property in their own name. This was a huge step because traditionally once women were married they lost most of their rights, but by allowing them to own property, it showed that women were starting to be seen more as individuals and less as property. -
Seneca Falls Convention
300 people showed up and wrote the Decleration of Sentiments which was a plea to end gender based discrimination. This was a major step for women, by gathering to demand rights these women set a precedent for future rallies to come. This was really a turning point in the fight for women's rights. -
Wyoming's Women's suffrage law
Wyoming became the first state in the US to pass a women's suffrage law. While it took a while for the US to adopt nationwide suffrage laws, this was a major step because it officially gave women a say in their government. -
Bradwell v. Illinois
This was a major step backwards for the women's rights movement. The case was for a woman Myra Bradwell who argued that she had a right to be able to practice law. The Supreme court disagreed on the grounds that it wasn't protected by the constitution. One judge went as far as to say it was important to maintain the "respective spheres of man and woman" in the sense that women should focus on motherhood and taking care of the house. -
Muller v. State of Oregon
This supreme court case was about whether the working hours of women should be shortened to a max of 10 hours per day. This case was both good and bad for women's right. On the one hand it improved women's working conditions, but this was done because the court agreed that women were essentially to weak for such work, and simply not designed to do that. -
19th ammendment is ratified
This was an important moment in the fight for women's rights. It was really the culmination of many other rallies and movements by women and men for women's right. This ammendment officially gave women suffrage, and in doing so gave them a voice in governemnt for future decisons regrading women's rights. -
United States v. One Package of Japanese Pessarie
This case was a huge win for women's reproductive rights. This case served to end the Comstock laws which had been in place in 1873, and these were laws that prohibited the sharing of contraception and contraceptive information. This case legalized doctor prescribed contraception, and lead the way for women to have more control over their bodies. -
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act
This was a federal law passed that banned dicrimination on the basis of sex, religion, race, and ethnicity. Previously there had been many issues where women were openly discriminated in many vocational fields, but with the passage of this law women were had much more recognition and rights as workers. -
Roe v. Wade
This is a case that is still very controversial to this day, and is frequently brought up by politicians. This case legalized abortions up through the first trimester in all 50 states. This was truly an important case because it recognisdd the need of women to safe abortions, and it also showed the changing views towards women's bodies. -
Mitsubishi Motor Manufacturing of America lawsuit
Mitsubishi paid 34 million dollars to settle a lawsuit with hundreds of women claiming they had been sexually harrassed. While this was about two decades befor the era of #metoo, it was lawsuits like these that paved the way for women to feel more oen about their treatment in the workplace. -
Nancy Pelosi becoes Speaker of the House
Nancy pelosi becomes the first female Speaker of the House. This moment sums up all the momentous gains that women have made in politics in the last 100 years. The ability for women to represent the US in governemnt can never be overshadowed because represenation for all people is a principle this country was founded on. -
Question 4
It is also in the near future that a women will be elected president; just looking at the 2020 election there are a few good choices (Kamala Harris, Kirsten Gillibrand, etc.) Granted there is also proposed legislation which would limit the rights of women, but overall I think we are moving in a positive direction. -
Citations
Civil Rights Act of 1964: Know Your Rights. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.aauw.org/what-we-do/legal-resources/know-your-rights-at-work/title-vii/{{meta.pageTitle}}. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.oyez.org/cases/1850-1900/83us130{{meta.pageTitle}}. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.oyez.org/cases/1971/70-18 -
Question 1
1.This entire issue has evolved over time. The most prominent part of this issue is the political representation of women which has changed so drastically just in the last 100 years. In the beginning of this country women were given mnimal rights, and once they married they became practically property, subject to the will of their husbands. As time progressed women were gradually given more autonomy which translated into calls for legal reform and political representation. -
Question 2
From 1777 to present day there have been many compromises in the fight for women's rights. Almost every law was one step forward one step backwards. A perfect example of this is the Muller v. State of Oregon. It was in a way a win for women, but it came at the exspense of declaring women not as capable as men. Overall the general path of women's rights has been forward moving, but sometimes the motivation for progress differed. -
Question 3
The country is heading towards a point in politics where the gender and ethnic makeup of our politicians matched the gender and ethnic makeup of the US population. This also goes for the workforce in most proffessions. This has been a publicized goal of many politicians and advocates, who push for more represenation. This is also supported by statistics which shows an increase in gender and racial representation. -
Question 4
The future for women's rights looks bright. Some of the issues that will continue to develop are the US's stance on maternity leave. we are one of only two countries that doesn't require companies to allow maternity leave. There have also been the introduction of new laws regrading planned parent hood, and women's right to decisons about their bodies. -
Citations
(n.d.). Retrieved from https://usa.usembassy.de/etexts/democrac/30.htmDetailed Timeline. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.nwhp.org/resources/womens-rights-movement/detailed-timeline/Editors, H. (2017, November 10). -
Citations
Seneca Falls Convention. Retrieved from https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/seneca-falls-conventionNewsletter #59 (Winter 2011). (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.nyu.edu/projects/sanger/articles/tracing_one_package.phpThe Mississippi Married Women's Property Act Of 1839. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.hancockcountyhistoricalsociety.com/vignettes/the-mississippi-married-womens-property-act-of-1839/Title VII of the