Blog #8
What were the most significant developments in women’s wage labor in the late nineteenth century? How did they affect working-class, middle-class, and elite women?
In the late nineteenth century the economy increased dramatically. As a consequence women labor increase. Women worked in the production of clothing which was the introduction of women in new fields. The majority of women worker were young and unmarried. That was an excuse for employers to pay a minimum wage to these women since they did not have any responsibilities only to support themselves. The middle and upper class had the opportunity to get educated, participate in civic activities and also to have public authority (284). The married women that were working were considered the worst of the society since they were considered the cause of social crises.
Since women wages were cut and were victims of layoff; they were part of many strikes and labor conflicts. In the 1870’s angry workers joined the Knights of labor, it started a secret organization but gain popularity because of campaigning to short the working hours to eight hours.
The growth of the post-Civic War era created a vast amount of factories and industries that gave a new and important role to women of the middle and upper class. They did not stay anymore at home cooking and making cloth but they went to shop. That was their new obligation as house women.
What is the importance of the images on page 345 for understanding Native American women’s experience during the era of western consolidation?
Those pictures show the “before and after” Indian American children. White people were trying to Americanize the Indians so they used to take a picture just to show the changes of the children lives. In the before picture the girls are not sitting on chairs they had a blanket to cover them and they braids this shows their own culture. They look sad and very uncomfortable. In the “after” picture they are grown up with a dress no more blankets around and no braids but their face is still sad. Looks like the world that they living on is very uncertain definitely is a world were they not belong to. Even though they were getting educated they were not happy.
What different sorts of women does Bessie Van Vorst meet in the factory, and how and why do their responses to their work vary?
Bessie started working in the factory sealing bottles of pickles at the begging she was making everything fast and working hard but when the day was over she started feeling the consequences. She had terrible pain in her hands her whole body aches. She met many girls at the factory some of them were just working for pleasure. They were supported by their parents by they wanted to buy cloths and give themselves some treats. Other women had children and husband but they still wanted to work at the factories. While Bessie was there because she did not have anyone to support her and she must work.
Why does Van Vorst conclude that working women are passive in accepting their working conditions and unwilling to stand up for themselves in the way of working men? Do you think she is right?
I do not think women were passive. Women were still afraid to speak up about their rights. They were making so much less money than men but still since they were women they always were complaining to each other and talking about their unfortunate but they did not say anything to their employers. Also women were not complaining with their employers because they felt that it was a good opportunity that they finally worked outside the house. So for them to strike was not a good idea since they were grateful of the chance given to work in a factory.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Blog # 7
Blog # 7
1. What divided the women of the North and South in the years immediately before and during the Civil War?
In the south there were different social classes but the difference between poor and rich growth enormously. There was a huge amount of slaves that still remain in the shadow. That created violence and conflict among the slaves and owners. Black women were trying to find their own way in the society but it was difficult for them because white women wanted to maintain their power over slavery. While women in the north south for equal rights with men and they were starting the suffrage movement. Women in the north were well advanced in their prospective as women besides the fact that they were wealthy they did not wanted to owned slaves alleviate their needs. Women wanted to work together to gain more power and fight altogether for their rights as females.
2. What impact did the emergence of the “New South” have on women?
The reconstruction of the south brought many advances for black women slaves they started fighting for their freedom to take control over their labor, children and even their own body. White women did not want to lose their slaves because they were afraid to be affected dramatically economically. Since, they would not have an available work force to keep up with their farms. After the Confederacy many slaves stayed with their owners for months since they did not have a place to go or some others did not know they gained freedom. Some slaves went to look for their love ones or family members that were separated from them. They also wanted to raise their children since they were fighting to get their rights as a free people. Ex-slaves were more interested in their education than own properties. So many institutions were opening to educate them. Black women became teacher to educate their communities.
White women now had big loss as a consequence. They had food shortages and a collapse of economy was in the way. Also many women lost their husbands in the battle field of the civil war.
Textbook documents (Pgs. 306-310)
According to the passage there were three owners of this successful grocery store: Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell and Henry Stewart but in the same suburb there was another grocery store owned by a white man which of course did not want another store competing with his. Not only was another store by was owned by black people which was very disturbing for a racist white men.
The prevailing opinion about lynching Negro was that they were criminals. Black men were known as disturbers of the white communities. They were charged to rape white girls. Therefore they were lynched.
Wells found that the same white men that tortured lynched and burned black men were still raping black Negro girls when ever they could. And the worst of the case was that black men were not rapists of whites they were only “weak to accept favors from white women.”
1. What divided the women of the North and South in the years immediately before and during the Civil War?
In the south there were different social classes but the difference between poor and rich growth enormously. There was a huge amount of slaves that still remain in the shadow. That created violence and conflict among the slaves and owners. Black women were trying to find their own way in the society but it was difficult for them because white women wanted to maintain their power over slavery. While women in the north south for equal rights with men and they were starting the suffrage movement. Women in the north were well advanced in their prospective as women besides the fact that they were wealthy they did not wanted to owned slaves alleviate their needs. Women wanted to work together to gain more power and fight altogether for their rights as females.
2. What impact did the emergence of the “New South” have on women?
The reconstruction of the south brought many advances for black women slaves they started fighting for their freedom to take control over their labor, children and even their own body. White women did not want to lose their slaves because they were afraid to be affected dramatically economically. Since, they would not have an available work force to keep up with their farms. After the Confederacy many slaves stayed with their owners for months since they did not have a place to go or some others did not know they gained freedom. Some slaves went to look for their love ones or family members that were separated from them. They also wanted to raise their children since they were fighting to get their rights as a free people. Ex-slaves were more interested in their education than own properties. So many institutions were opening to educate them. Black women became teacher to educate their communities.
White women now had big loss as a consequence. They had food shortages and a collapse of economy was in the way. Also many women lost their husbands in the battle field of the civil war.
Textbook documents (Pgs. 306-310)
According to the passage there were three owners of this successful grocery store: Thomas Moss, Calvin McDowell and Henry Stewart but in the same suburb there was another grocery store owned by a white man which of course did not want another store competing with his. Not only was another store by was owned by black people which was very disturbing for a racist white men.
The prevailing opinion about lynching Negro was that they were criminals. Black men were known as disturbers of the white communities. They were charged to rape white girls. Therefore they were lynched.
Wells found that the same white men that tortured lynched and burned black men were still raping black Negro girls when ever they could. And the worst of the case was that black men were not rapists of whites they were only “weak to accept favors from white women.”
Sunday, October 7, 2007
Blog # 6
What were the different kinds of experiences that particular groups of women had as the United States expanded west to the Pacific Coast?
In 1848 gold was discovered in California. American families migrated to the west and invaded the Indian’s land. At the time men were still in charged of the economic obligation and women with the childbearing and childrearing. Indians were afraid of the white people because there were rumors that “whites were killing and eating them (208).” Americans destroyed their production and houses so Indians end up in ruins; they had severe losses as a consequence.
In 1850 there was a massacre, 130 Pomo Indians were killed by the U.S army.
Also Indian girls were raped and kidnapped by Americans settlers (210). Indian girls were infected by white men with syphilis creating a great amount of infertility among them. The number of Indians was greatly reduce again since before they had already suffered the invasion of Mexicans and had to live under their rules.
Mexican women were living in California when adventurer white men arrived. These men married wealthy Mexican women who owned land. At that time women laws protected them to have control over their properties. But American wanted complete control and sought against the Mexican law. Finally American men passed a legislature that gave control over women properties and then Mexican women end up the same way as Indians, poor, offering domestic service and without their lands.
At the Gold Rush brought more men than women to the California mines. Some of those women followed their husbands but other just went for the adventure as men did. White women maintain their womanhood they stayed at home and took care of their families. While other women worked for the miner cooking their meals. Also there were prostitutes giving their services to men an making them wealth and independent as a consequence.
2. What kinds of historical developments brought American women into reform activities in the antebellum years?
The antebellum push to moved forward establishing social and cultural norms improving the society (213). In the 1820s women started a second Great Awakening since there were working in social and moral causes over time. Women converted to Protestants and supported their husbands in their missionary activities. As a result women started to advocate for moral reforms among the families.
Another important development was the abolitionism. Christians believed that slaves as any other human had the right to be free and condemned slave owners to be sinners for the mistreated of their servants. It also helped women to fight for their rights.
The women’s right was another important impact in American history. Women believed that they also deserve a better life. They wanted to have the same rights as men. They started to fight for freedom from their husbands. In the 1860 finally a bill was passed in the New York State giving wives the rights to own and sell their own properties, control their own wages and have the custody of their children in case of separation.
The civil war was a foundation for women to enter the men’s fields. They became active in the war serving as nurses, spies and soldiers. Other women were volunteers getting in charged of soldiers clothing and feeding.
1. Maria responds to the strangers she encounters with both fear and curiosity. About what is she curious? What is the source of her fear and how does Maria exhibit or conceal her reaction?
The Lieutenant and his people enter Marias room without permission and Maria not knowing what happen outside when they were talking with her servants. She was curious to know if they have founded Chavez. The officers looked everywhere inside the room and they found nothing. So they asked Maria that they were rumors that Chavez was in her house. Maria was surprise and responded with another question. She asked them if they have founded anywhere in the house and obviously they have not founded yet because they were looking in her room. Maria’s fear is the fact that she has a fugitive of the law hiding in her house. Knowing that at any moment she could be discovered and face severe consequences.
What is the source of strength that Maria draws? How does the absence of men affect the way she acts?
The fact that Maria was living without her husband made her independent and she responds to the responsibilities that she felt she has as the head of the house. She is just responding to the necessities presented at that moment. The absence of Maria’s husband made her stronger to take decisions in which the whole house is in danger.
In 1848 gold was discovered in California. American families migrated to the west and invaded the Indian’s land. At the time men were still in charged of the economic obligation and women with the childbearing and childrearing. Indians were afraid of the white people because there were rumors that “whites were killing and eating them (208).” Americans destroyed their production and houses so Indians end up in ruins; they had severe losses as a consequence.
In 1850 there was a massacre, 130 Pomo Indians were killed by the U.S army.
Also Indian girls were raped and kidnapped by Americans settlers (210). Indian girls were infected by white men with syphilis creating a great amount of infertility among them. The number of Indians was greatly reduce again since before they had already suffered the invasion of Mexicans and had to live under their rules.
Mexican women were living in California when adventurer white men arrived. These men married wealthy Mexican women who owned land. At that time women laws protected them to have control over their properties. But American wanted complete control and sought against the Mexican law. Finally American men passed a legislature that gave control over women properties and then Mexican women end up the same way as Indians, poor, offering domestic service and without their lands.
At the Gold Rush brought more men than women to the California mines. Some of those women followed their husbands but other just went for the adventure as men did. White women maintain their womanhood they stayed at home and took care of their families. While other women worked for the miner cooking their meals. Also there were prostitutes giving their services to men an making them wealth and independent as a consequence.
2. What kinds of historical developments brought American women into reform activities in the antebellum years?
The antebellum push to moved forward establishing social and cultural norms improving the society (213). In the 1820s women started a second Great Awakening since there were working in social and moral causes over time. Women converted to Protestants and supported their husbands in their missionary activities. As a result women started to advocate for moral reforms among the families.
Another important development was the abolitionism. Christians believed that slaves as any other human had the right to be free and condemned slave owners to be sinners for the mistreated of their servants. It also helped women to fight for their rights.
The women’s right was another important impact in American history. Women believed that they also deserve a better life. They wanted to have the same rights as men. They started to fight for freedom from their husbands. In the 1860 finally a bill was passed in the New York State giving wives the rights to own and sell their own properties, control their own wages and have the custody of their children in case of separation.
The civil war was a foundation for women to enter the men’s fields. They became active in the war serving as nurses, spies and soldiers. Other women were volunteers getting in charged of soldiers clothing and feeding.
1. Maria responds to the strangers she encounters with both fear and curiosity. About what is she curious? What is the source of her fear and how does Maria exhibit or conceal her reaction?
The Lieutenant and his people enter Marias room without permission and Maria not knowing what happen outside when they were talking with her servants. She was curious to know if they have founded Chavez. The officers looked everywhere inside the room and they found nothing. So they asked Maria that they were rumors that Chavez was in her house. Maria was surprise and responded with another question. She asked them if they have founded anywhere in the house and obviously they have not founded yet because they were looking in her room. Maria’s fear is the fact that she has a fugitive of the law hiding in her house. Knowing that at any moment she could be discovered and face severe consequences.
What is the source of strength that Maria draws? How does the absence of men affect the way she acts?
The fact that Maria was living without her husband made her independent and she responds to the responsibilities that she felt she has as the head of the house. She is just responding to the necessities presented at that moment. The absence of Maria’s husband made her stronger to take decisions in which the whole house is in danger.
Monday, October 1, 2007
Blog # 5
Blog #5
1. What were the implications of the system of slavery for southern white and black women?
People on the south were wealthy because of their big production of cotton, rice, sugar, and tobacco produce by the slaves. The production was the social, political, and cultural center of slavery society (155). Women life was different from the women in the north. Men from the south protected their women. They were jealous of their women’s honor and families. For women was a virtue to consider men the head of their families. An indifference to men would not give women any social or political authority. For wealthy women maternity was not important. They had slaves to take care of their children.
2. What is the significance of the story of Harriet Jacobs for our understanding of slave women’s experiences? (pp. 166-167 “Trials of Girlhood”)
Harriet Jacobs story reflect her most cruel moments of her life. Being a slave was a very difficult situation especially for a girl because she could not protect herself of her master. She was sexually abuse by her master in her early years of adolescence. After a decade of suffering she escaped. But she encountered the agony of living in an uncomfortable place without her daughter. Finally after seven years she moved to the south with her daughter. Harriet story had a quite happy ending but not many slave women were that fortunate. Slave women live without hope and worked hard to please their masters.
1. How did characters in these two accounts reject and resist the assumptions
about black people fundamental to the slave system? On what personal resources did they draw to make their challenges?
Slaves were not allow to learn about their families and nether learn how to read and write. But there were some slaves that escape to their slavery and found a way to publish their stories. The Crafts for example planned to run away from their masters and start a new life in the south were slaves had better opportunities. They went over their limitations not only gain their freedom but also were able to speak and recorded their own experiences. In the case of Polly Shine was interview by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. The WPA set many different questions that Polly answered according to her experiences. Polly reveals many facts that were very cruel for slaves in her slavery time.
2. Both of these stories were written after the fact: the Crafts’ ten years following the emancipation and Polly Shine’s after about seven decades. Evaluate the role memory plays in these accounts, and consider the ways in which it distorts or possibly authenticates the narrator’s experiences.
Even it took a long time to publish these two stories. The slave experiences were accurate. Many slaves suffered the same treatment. Most of the slaves did not have the chance to publish their stories but it is a fact that slaves have no rights and were used to prosper their masters. So masters had to impose many rules to control their slaves. Masters could not be nice with their slaves because they could lose their power and as a consequence lose their fortune. The mistreatment that slaves suffered was so traumatic that stayed in their memories for ever.
1. What were the implications of the system of slavery for southern white and black women?
People on the south were wealthy because of their big production of cotton, rice, sugar, and tobacco produce by the slaves. The production was the social, political, and cultural center of slavery society (155). Women life was different from the women in the north. Men from the south protected their women. They were jealous of their women’s honor and families. For women was a virtue to consider men the head of their families. An indifference to men would not give women any social or political authority. For wealthy women maternity was not important. They had slaves to take care of their children.
2. What is the significance of the story of Harriet Jacobs for our understanding of slave women’s experiences? (pp. 166-167 “Trials of Girlhood”)
Harriet Jacobs story reflect her most cruel moments of her life. Being a slave was a very difficult situation especially for a girl because she could not protect herself of her master. She was sexually abuse by her master in her early years of adolescence. After a decade of suffering she escaped. But she encountered the agony of living in an uncomfortable place without her daughter. Finally after seven years she moved to the south with her daughter. Harriet story had a quite happy ending but not many slave women were that fortunate. Slave women live without hope and worked hard to please their masters.
1. How did characters in these two accounts reject and resist the assumptions
about black people fundamental to the slave system? On what personal resources did they draw to make their challenges?
Slaves were not allow to learn about their families and nether learn how to read and write. But there were some slaves that escape to their slavery and found a way to publish their stories. The Crafts for example planned to run away from their masters and start a new life in the south were slaves had better opportunities. They went over their limitations not only gain their freedom but also were able to speak and recorded their own experiences. In the case of Polly Shine was interview by the Works Progress Administration (WPA) in 1938. The WPA set many different questions that Polly answered according to her experiences. Polly reveals many facts that were very cruel for slaves in her slavery time.
2. Both of these stories were written after the fact: the Crafts’ ten years following the emancipation and Polly Shine’s after about seven decades. Evaluate the role memory plays in these accounts, and consider the ways in which it distorts or possibly authenticates the narrator’s experiences.
Even it took a long time to publish these two stories. The slave experiences were accurate. Many slaves suffered the same treatment. Most of the slaves did not have the chance to publish their stories but it is a fact that slaves have no rights and were used to prosper their masters. So masters had to impose many rules to control their slaves. Masters could not be nice with their slaves because they could lose their power and as a consequence lose their fortune. The mistreatment that slaves suffered was so traumatic that stayed in their memories for ever.
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