Blog # 11

1. Is it appropriate to speak about a “New Woman” in the 1920s? If so, what was new?
In the 1920s women had definitely living a different life than the women in the 1800s. it is important to mentioned the progress they have gained by this time. Women were feeling with a greater freedom and they had the choice to control their lives. They were even changing their way of dress. It was a prosperous era in which women benefit of. Women were becoming shoppers. The 1920 was a progressive and prosperous era. Industries were growing and expanding internationally. Women also were more involved in politics and especially working outside home. There were an increased of working wives and mothers. Women were enjoying freedom that they became great consumers; also they had more freedom about sexuality. Not all women were having so much fun in this era. There were others that were poor and did have to work hard not only that but still suffering discrimination and it was hard for them to get involved in the workforce and in politics.

2. Why did women active in politics encounter so much difficulty accomplishing their agenda in the 1920s?
Women were gaining power and they of course wanted to be involved in politics but many factors stop them from been successful in join ether the Republican and Democratic Party. Women were very divided some were working in organization fighting for their political rights while other were still fighting for the antilynching law and others were indifferent to any of those movements. White women seemed to be interested in participating in politics but they did not have enough support from other ethnic groups; they were alone fighting. African American had their own suffrages groups but also wanted to save their men from the ridiculous lynching. They were more concerned in help primary their own people than step up and work with the other women to support the suffrage movement. It was hard for them as well because a lot of white women could not accept work with blacks since was really difficult for them to forget their superiority one day lost. Young middle-class women were not interesting to join any suffrage organization since they were busy spending money and satisfying their own pleasures. Women had big class and age issues which stopped them to become powerful in politics.

3. How does the image on page 499 represent some of the experiences of women during the Great Depression?
The picture reflects the misery that many Americans face in the Great Depression. She definitely seems worried about the future of her family. She had no control over the situation that they were living because unfortunately she was not the only one. Florence and the children were really having trouble finding food. Unemployed and with two children it must been very difficult. Not only that; but it they did not have anything to wear the only cloth that they had was very old. This picture creates an impression of hopeless. it is a sad picture since the children were in the same pain as the mom. They wanted to help their mom by looking for food as well as the Florence. The children were not enjoying their childhood at all.

4. To what extent did World War II challenge gender stereotypes for women? To what extent did it reinforce them?
Since men were drafted to fight in Europe and Japan women had to find out the way to keep up with the household since they were the only supporters of the family. So women had to go out again a look for work and somehow help the soldiers at war too. There were many job opportunities for women they were clerks, electricians, cookers, etc. and also were trained to learned skilled jobs. But that was not all women also wanted to be part of the war; so many of them were also recruited to join the military. Women’s opportunity had come to break the barriers that exist between men and women. But still was racial segregation among them black women were not allow to work in the Defense industries but since they really needed people, they soon had to hire African Americans as well. It was so sad that the opportunity of women came as a result of the World War I but it gave women the opportunity to prove that they were smart skilled as men and they can survive without them.

Blog # 10

1. How did African American women approach the issues of reform and suffrage?
Black women did not full participation on the suffrage since they were still seen as a lower class women and of course they wanted to get involved in the movement since it was for women in general not only for whites. So they realized that the only way to get involved was forming their own organizations and clubs. So they could help each other and also be participants of the suffrage movement. Black women were still discriminated even though they had the freedom from the slavery but it was difficult for them to get involved in political and social activism.

What were the main differences between the emerging feminist movement and the suffrage movement?
The suffrage movement was basically a movement to gain political and social power. Women believed they had the rights to choose their own party and of course to vote as men did. So they formed organizations and women worked together to protest and make the congress to consider their petition. In the other hand the feminist movement was about women in power of their own lives. They wanted to have sexual freedom, individuality and birth control. Women wanted to get rid of true womanhood since they were becoming more independent of men. The women who participated in this movement were educated middle class women and artists. These women had a different lifestyle; some of them had their own apartment, other women were living in “free unions” and also there were lesbian women living with their couples. Not all the women who supported the suffrage movement were participants of the feminist movement.
1. What were the various definitions of feminism according “Talks of Feminism. . .”?
In Cooper Union six men and six women had a meeting with the purpose to answer the question: What is feminism? In the debate Rose Young said that for her feminism was “some fight, some fate, and some fun.” Edwin Bjorkman said “that woman shall have the same right as man to be different.” George Middletown said “feminism means trouble: trouble means agitations; agitation means movement; movement means life; life means adjustment – so does feminism.” People had different definitions of feminism but all of them lead to the same concept “freedom for women.”
2. What role does women’s economic independence play in feminist thought?
Women no longer had to be subordinated to men so they manage their own businesses. They were the owners of their lives and their money. They could decide to do anything they wanted with their finances. Since feminist women were the middle-class college graduates and professionals and artist they were totally independent. They had the power to start a new movement.
What is your own definition of feminism?
Feminism to me is giving the women the opportunity to take their own decision and let nobody decide what is right or wrong for their lives. Women as human being have the same capabilities to create a new world and have the power they deserve in society. Women are intelligent and smart enough to control their own lives. So feminism was a good cause that many women in the past fought for which they thought it was fair.