Brianna Cruz

December 2016

English 201-02

Composition II

Professor Sabah Salih

Female Issues in Early America

As America found its footing after separating from Great Britain in 1776, women began to notice the
unfair treatment happening in their own country. Women such as Anthony, Stanton, Thomas, and
Sanger all stood up for female rights at some point in America’s history. They campaigned for women’s
basic rights, the right to vote, the quality of their higher education, and the control over their own
reproductive organs. These women campaigned and educated others about these issues, so that women
today could be treated equal to men and fairly in the United States.

The movie North Country, which was directed by Niki Caro in 2005, accurately depicts some of the many
struggles females had in early America. North Country is based on the true court case; Jenson vs. Eveleth
Mines which occurred in 1984. This movie is a fictional account of a single mother who obtains a job as a
mine worker in Minnesota. The main character in North Country gets unfair treatment from her fellow
male employees at the mine because they feel as though a woman took a job away from a man which
was unheard of. Unfair treatment of women in the workplace is one issue women such as Anthony,
Stanton, Thomas, and Sanger all campaigned for women’s rights.

One of the first women in America’s history to stand up for Women’s rights is Susan B. Anthony.
According to Diane Ravitch, the author of The American Reader, Anthony was raised in Massachusetts
by a Quaker family. She spent her adult life leading women in the fight to obtain their right to vote and
ability to live independently from men both economically and personally (277.)

In 1873, Anthony presented the speech, “A Women’s Right to Vote,” throughout New York. She states
that the constitution, specifically the fourteenth amendment, proves that women have the right to vote,
just as men do. During a class presentation, Blake Posten stated Anthony’s thesis in her own words is,
“As the constitution makes it clear, women are entitled to vote. Both men and women should be treated
equally and be seen and recognized as equals in the government” (Posten.) This thesis is accurate;
Anthony’s speech informs others why women have the same right as men to vote. Posten used several
quotations from Anthony’s speech to back up her thesis. One quote that stuck out from Anthony’s work
states, “It was we, the people, not we, the white male citizens, nor we, the male citizens; but we, the
whole people, who formed this Union. We formed it not to give the blessings of liberty but to secure
them; not to the half of ourselves and the half of our posterity, but to the whole people – women as
well as men” (279.) Men and women supported the separation from Great Britain, but Anthony felt that
men still took all the credit. This quote illustrates that although men and women both formed a Union
against Great Britain, men still weren’t willing to treat women as their equals. The inability to vote was
one challenge women’s rights campaigners advocated against.

Another American female campaigner that stood for women’s rights was Elizabeth C. Stanton. Stanton is
still praised today by feminists for her many accomplishments promoting women’s rights in early
America and was recognized as the nation’s leading feminist (347.) Along with Anthony, Stanton formed
the course of American feminism and fought for women’s rights in regards to the right to vote, the right
to independence for women economically and personally, and the right for women to have control of
their own decisions and body (277.)

In 1892, Stanton delivered “The Solitude of Self,” which explains why women should practice self-
reliance and be responsible for making their own decisions. She stood for basic women’s rights and felt
that women should be in complete control of their own lives. In a presentation by James Imholte, he
presented Stanton’s thesis in his own words; “Women should be given every right and privilege that
men have. Not giving women those same rights makes women inferior to men and not equal.” His thesis
accurately expresses Stanton’s views in that; she felt by keeping women from making their own
decisions, women are inferior to the men who do make their decisions. One quote from Stanton’s work
that supports her thesis, on page 347 states, “Secondly, if we consider her as a citizen, as a member of a
great nation, she must have the same rights as all other members, according to the fundamental
principles of our government.” This quote further backs up Susan B. Anthony as well, by stating that if
women are considered citizens of this country then they are citizens of the constitution, therefore
should obtain the same rights as men. Stanton continues in “The Solitude of Self,” describing why
women should be responsible for making their own decisions, just as they are responsible for raising
children and taking care of their husbands. Basic rights for women was a common issue women fought
for throughout America’s history.

Another female campaigner was Martha C. Thomas, who fought for women’s rights in regards to a
higher education. Thomas was born in Baltimore to a Quaker family, and is said to have been born a
feminist; as she strived to be educated and independent from a young age. She successfully obtained
her goal, as in 1894 she became president of Bryan Mawr College upon her completion of obtaining a
doctorate degree in Literature (360.) During this time in America’s history, women like Thomas were
few, as men still had difficulty adapting to the presence of a woman in such a high position.

In 1901 she wrote an article, “Should Higher Education for Women Differ?” in response to the President
of Harvard’s negative view toward women in the education system (361.) Her thesis can be found on
page 362 of the text, where she states, “So long as men and women are to compete together, and
associate together, in their professional life, women’s preparation for the same profession cannot safely
differ from men’s.” This quote illustrates that a man’s education should not differ from a woman’s when
it comes to their profession, because they both are being taught how to do the same job; therefore,
they should be acquiring the same knowledge. Alexander Meiler accurately stated Thomas’ thesis in his
own words during a presentation; “Equal education for men and women is essential to achieving
workplace equality. Both men and women should be equally educated through a common curriculum at
a collegiate level in order to be able to fairly compete for potential jobs.” Meiler stated during his
presentation that women during Thomas’ time were seen as people with responsibilities solely in the
home (Meiler.) At this time, women were beginning to enter the workforce, therefore required the
same education as men in the workforce. One quote from Thomas’ work that supports both her thesis
and Meiler’s paraphrased thesis can be found on page 361, as Thomas states, “And so in law, in
architecture, in electricity, in bridge-building, in all mechanic arts and technical sciences, our effort must
be for the most scientific instruction, the broadest basis of training that will enable men and women
students to attain the highest possible proficiency in their chosen profession.” Thomas provides her
audience with examples and reinforces her belief that women and men should obtain the same
education to create equal opportunities in the workplace. Equality in the workforce permitted by an
equal education was another thing women campaigner’s in early America dealt with.

One final issue women campaigners dealt with was the right to have complete control over their bodies.
Margaret Sanger was famously known for advocating and informing women about birth control; in 1914
she published a magazine and renamed it Birth Control Review (435.) Unfortunately for Sanger, laws
during this time prohibited the spread of information in regards to birth control and she faced many
legal issues in her fight to inform women about contraception.

Sanger’s Women and the New Race, which was released in 1920, contained an excerpt known as “The
Right to One’s Body.” Sanger’s thesis in this excerpt is, “No woman can call herself free who does not
own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she
will or will not be a mother.” During Sanger’s time, women were not allowed to be the deciding factor
on if they were mothers or not. She states in her work that women are completely dependent on men,
even when it comes to what happens with their bodies and that women should be allowed to have
complete control of their lives. Stevie Voss accurately put Sanger’s thesis in her own words during a
class discussion; “Without legal access or ability to gain knowledge of birth control in the United States,
women are suppressed in their freedom to choose to have a child or not. Women need to take their
freedom into their own hands and challenge it.” She is stating that women need to have complete legal
control over their bodies because it is their right to have a say in if they conceive a child or not. One
quote from Sanger’s text accurately supports that thesis; “…until she is able to determine for herself
whether she will be a mother and to fix the number of her offspring. This unavoidable situation is alone
enough to make birth control, first of all, a woman’s problem. On the very face of the matter, voluntary
motherhood is chiefly the concern of the woman” (p 437.) Sanger spread the word about birth control
to all women because she felt all women should know they have a choice if they want to be mothers or
not. Her thesis states that a woman is not truly free until she is able to control her own body. This was
just one more issue women campaigners had to do discuss in America’s history.

Women campaigner’s had to defend women’s basic rights, including their right to vote, the quality of
their higher education, and the ability to have control over their bodies. Women such as Anthony,
Stanton, Thomas, and Sanger allowed many women today to have the basic rights we are able to enjoy
such as voting, controlling when we become mothers, our college level education, and our basic rights.
They allowed women today to be independent and have a voice in society, not only politically but
individually and domestically as well. The analyses of these texts allows students to understand the
difficulties women faced in early America. The lack of equality and basic human rights encouraged
women to fight and stand up for themselves, which allows women in America today basic rights and
equality to men.
 Works Cited

Anthony, Susan B. “Women’s Right to Vote.” The American Reader: Words That Moved a

Nation. 2nd ed. Diane Ravitch. New York: Harper Perennial, 2000. P 277- 285. Print.

Imholte, James. “The Solitude of Self.” Class presentation. 2 November 2016.

Meiler, Alexander. “Should Higher Education for Women Differ?” Class presentation. 4 November 2016.

North Country. Dir. Niki Caro. Perf. Charlie Theron, Jeremy Renner, and Frances McDormand.

Participant Media. 2005. Film.

Posten, Blake. “Women’s Right to Vote.” Class presentation. 5 October 2016.

Ravitch, Diane, ed. The American Reader: Words That Moved a Nation. 2nd ed. New York:

Harper Perennial, 2000. Print.

Sanger, Margaret. “The Right to One’s Body.” The American Reader: Words That Moved a

Nation. 2nd ed. Diane Ravitch. New York: Harper Perennial, 2000. P. 436 – 439. Print.

Stanton, Elizabeth C. “The Solitude of Self.” The American Reader: Words That Moved a

Nation. 2nd ed. Diane Ravitch. New York: Harper Perennial, 2000. P 348- 353. Print.

Thomas, Martha C. “Should Higher Education for Women Differ?” The American Reader:

Words That Moved a Nation. 2nd ed. Diane Ravitch. New York: Harper Perennial, 2000.

360 – 365. Print.

Voss, Stevie. “The Right to One’s Body.” Class presentation. 16 November, 2016.