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Mary Wollstonecraft vs. The European Enlightenment
Mary Wollstonecraft is an English philosopher who, ahead of her time, fought for women's rights. She is known to have published a book called A Vindication of the Rights of Womanen in response to Thomas Paine, an Enlightenment philosopher who had himself published a book on human rights that defended violence during the French Revolution. This was the beginning of feminism in the United States. -
Radical Women Unite at Seneca Falls
The thing that really marked the beginning of feminism in the United States was a declaration of sentiments modelled on the declaration of human rights. It refers to the fundamental rights that are denied to women, such as the right to vote. It was women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton who wrote this declaration, also known as the Seneca Falls Convention. -
Ain't I a Woman ?
With the women's movement, the question of black men's rights arises. And that of black women even more so because with them they are left out. Sojourner Truth, an abolitionist and feminist, summed it up perfectly in her 1851 speech when she said, "I think between the negroes in the South and the women in the North, who all talk about rights, white men will soon be in a difficult situation." -
The Hierarchy of Oppression
In 1896, black women formed a group led by Mary Church Terrell and including women such as Harriet Tubman and Ida B. Wells-Barnett. This group and the others that make up the National Association of Colored is intended to show that black women too are fighting for women's rights. Unfortunately, their efforts will be in vain because this movement will remain that of upper class white women. -
America Becomes a Democracy (Sort Of)
During World War I, men being requisitioned women had to take their places to work. And it was because of this 72 years after Seneca Falls that women got the right to vote. -
Rosie the Riveter
During the Second World War women started to work in ammunition factories. They were symbolized by "Rosie the Riveter". American women proved that they could work as fast and as well as men. After the war, it was clear that women had a place in the workplace. This is the second wave of feminism. -
National Organization for Women (NOW) Founded
NOW is the largest women's liberation organization co-founded by Betty Friedan in 1966. In 1963, Betty Friedan wrote a book called The Feminine Mystique about women, their role in society and the discrimination they face. However, this woman was not as open-minded as had been thought because during a speech in 1969 she publicly refused to allow lesbians to be part of the organization, but in 1977 she changed her mind and decided to include them in the NOW. -
1973 — Feminism vs. The Religious Right
With feminism, a movement for the legalization of abortion was born. This remains very controversial mainly by the church because it is similar to homicide. After long discussions in Congress all the States ended up legalizing it, but even today it remains at the heart of feminist actions. -
1982 — A Revolution Deferred
Although the 19th amendment had been passed 10 years earlier. The religious right, which was completely against abortion, managed to get it overturned. So the 19th Amendment officially died in 1982... -
#MeToo Movement
The #MeToo movement, which refers to the sexual assaults suffered by women. It shows women's solidarity and that their struggle, although old, is far from over.
