The Contagious Disease Acts
During the year 1866 and 1869 two acts known as the contagious acts were passed by the british parliament. The acts were put in place to avoid venereal disease in the armed forces. These law were enforced in the towns where armed forces were permanently stationed. It allowed police to arrest any woman within the district who he thinks is a prostitute. In 1870 Harriet Martineau, Florence Nightingale with many others published an article called “The Ladies Petition 1870”. The article address the problems with the contagious disease acts and appeals to remove the law, stating it takes away women’s freedom. John Stuart Mill in his testimony before the house of lords in 1871 on the contagious acts argues with the committee members to abolish the law or fix it. He thinks it takes away women's liberty, and is
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unfair to only place it on women’s. Josephine E. Butler in 1879 address the man and woman on social purity, she discusses what is wrong with the society and who is to blame for. “The Ladies Petition 1870” a newspaper article published in the year 1870.
The article is published in garrison towns. The time this document was written was during a male dominating society where women were not granted equal rights. It is written Harriet Martineau who was a writer and a journalist, she also was political radical and Florence Nightingale who was a reformer of army medical services and the nursing organizations. she became one of the early activist to fight for women’s right basically to own property. The articles has other authors but these two seem to be the main authors. The authors purpose to write this article is to bring attention to abolish the contagious disease acts. The authors intend to target lawmakers to abolish the contagious disease acts and towards women's in the district to stand against the acts. The authors argues that when a law is created it applies to everyone, but this law is only applied to women. The author indirectly suggest that the law should not be only applied to woman but also applied to men. They also state that the law allows “ Any women can be dragged into court and required to prove that she is not a common
prostitute”(Martineau, Nightingale…). The author claims that not all women are prostitutes and without no strong proof no one should be dragged into the court. They also state that many women who are not prostitutes are voluntarily accepting to prostitution to avoid a public trial (Martineau, Nightingale…). They claim allowing the police to accuse any women he thinks is a prostitute violated the right to personal freedom and destroyed their reputation. The authors think that forcing someone to take surgical examinations is not right, and if someone does not comply, imprisonment should not be the case. While Martineau and Nightingale and others make a compelling argument they fail to address what alternative medical ways can be used to counter the people who already have been infected. Wiser teachings were not going to help the people who already have encountered the disease. The document does not tell the readers how the medical tests were performed and how it may affects a woman health, thus affecting their argument. The authors mainly suggests moral solutions rather than medical.The Contagious Disease Acts suggests that during the time period women were almost blamed for everything rather than men, and hardly any rights were granted. However this documents shows that women were standing up for their rights during that period of time, and were finally fighting for their freedom and equality. John Stuart Mill was a british philosopher an economist and one of the most influential people during the 19th century. Mill believed in equality with men and woman and supported the freedom of individuals.
Stanton did not reveal much in her memoirs, so the author had to work hard to bring this information to the surface. The convention changed the course of history by starting by protecting women’s rights and enhancing overall gender equality. The book is a reflection of women’s activity in the name of their freedom and rights and equality for fifty years. The book is significant both to the present and to the past, as long as there are many issues in the society related to the women’s rights, and to the time studied in the class. 2.
Since the beginning of the 17th-century and earlier, there has always been different perspectives on women 's rights. Men and women all over the world have voiced their opinion and position in regard to the rights of women. This holds especially true in the United States during the 18th and 19th century. As women campaigned for equality, there were some who opposed this idea. There was, and always will be a series of arguments on behalf of women 's rights. Anti-women 's rights activists such as Dr. John Todd and Pro-women 's rights activist Gail Hamilton argued intelligently and tactfully on the topic. There were many key arguments made against women’s rights by Dr. John Todd, and Gail Hamilton 's rebuttal was graceful and on par with her male counterpart. Let 's examine some of Dr. John 's arguments against women 's equality.
Society continually places restrictive standards on the female gender not only fifty years ago, but in today’s society as well. While many women have overcome many unfair prejudices and oppressions in the last fifty or so years, late nineteenth and early twentieth century women were forced to deal with a less understanding culture. In its various formulations, patriarchy posits men's traits and/or intentions as the cause of women's oppression. This way of thinking diverts attention from theorizing the social relations that place women in a disadvantageous position in every sphere of life and channels it towards men as the cause of women's oppression (Gimenez). Different people had many ways of voicing their opinions concerning gender inequalities amound women, including expressing their voices and opinions through their literature. By writing stories such as Daisy Miller and The Yellow Wallpaper, Charlotte Perkins Gilman and Henry James let readers understand and develop their own ideas on such a serious topic that took a major toll in American History. In this essay, I am going to compare Gilman’s “The Yellow Wallpaper” to James’ “Daisy Miller” as portraits of American women in peril and also the men that had a great influence.
When looking at Terborg-Penn’s article with the speech Susan B. Anthony gave in 1873, we see a contrast of feminist ideas. Susan B. Anthony speaks about the equality that women
White Atlantans, according to Hunter, viewed African-American women as the purveyors of physical as well as moral decay in the early decades of the twentieth century. White hysteria over the "servant 's disease" led to city officials ' attempts to license washerwomen and control the domestic life of household workers who had access to private white homes. The African-American community, particularly black female activists, resisted these efforts and organized their own public health campaigns to address the problems of tuberculosis in black communities. Thus, the second half of To 'Joy My Freedom effectively demonstrates how the dialectic of domination and resistance occurred on a variety of levels outside the workplace: from dance halls to health clinics. Hunter ends her book with a short chapter on the Great Migration, highlighting the increased repression surrounding the war years, in particular the startling efforts to apply "work or fight" laws to black household workers. Migration out of Atlanta and other southern cities, was, for many, a final act of resistance against the New South power
This again specifically states the rights of women and how there are specific laws that meant to provide and protect on several
In the nineteenth century the inequality of women was more than profound throughout society. Margaret Fuller and Fanny Fern both women of the century were much farther advanced in education and opinion than most women of the time. Fuller and Fern both harbored opinions and used their writing as a weapon against the conditions that were considered the norm in society for women. Margaret and Fuller were both influential in breaking the silence of women and criticizing the harsh confinement and burden of marriage to a nineteenth century man. Taking into consideration Woman in he Nineteenth Century by Fuller, Aunt Hetty on Matrimony, and The Working-Girls of New York by Fern, the reader can clearly identify the different tones and choice of content, but their purposes are moving towards the same cause. Regardless of their differences in writing, both Fern and Fuller wrote passionately in order to make an impact for their conviction, which was all too similar.
During the 1900’s, women were under the idea of the cult of domesticity. This meant that women’s place was in the home. They had jobs such as cooking, cleaning, and caring for the children. In the article “Why Women should Vote,” it is clear to see that Addams was biased and believed that women deserve the right to vote. She wrote an article saying why women should vote and why it was the responsibility of women to vote. Many women around the country felt oppressed. Different groups started to form as they fought for women’s rights.
As the years dragged on in the new nation the roles of men and women became more distinct and further apart for one another. Women were not allowed to go anywhere in public without an escort, they could not hold a position in office let allow vote, and they could only learn the basics of education (reading, writing, and arithmetic). In law the children belonged to the husband and so did the wife’s property and money. The only job women could think about having was being a ‘governess’ which would give other women education.
Ehrenreich, Barbara and English, Deirdre."The 'Sick' Women of the Upper Classes," The Captive Imagination: A Casebook on the Yellow Wallpaper, ed. Catherine Golden, New York, Feminist Press, 1992, 90-109.
While reading some of her writings I decided on analyzing a column which she published in 1858, A Law More Nice Than Just. This is a volume that speaks about Fanny Fern and her way of thinking on how men think of women and what are there reactions. The first “attack” is that women are not allowed to wear pants, this is only an action for men, “…Emma Wilson was arrested yesterday for wearing man’s apparel” (810). Why, should men be the only ones to wear pants, when there is supposed to be equality for both sexes. This is just that, a sexist idea, because women have the same right and that does not make them more or less feminine than those who wear pants, skirts or dresses all the time.
Women’s education reform started to see more and more support as well. Molly states in her valedictory address at the Young Ladies’ Academy of Philadelphia in 1792 that, “ With some, however, it has been made a question, whether we ought ever to appear in so public manner.”[Document J] Molly is saying that some are beginning to question whether or not it 's suitable for women to appear publicly. At the end of her address, Molly states, “And if to read, why not to speak?”[Document J] Overall, she is saying that if men get to have a voice why cant women? Women like Molly Wallace began to speak out against the gender restrictions at the time and this eventually led to the Women’s Rights Movement. Another example of women’s roles beginning to change was shown in a woodcut from Marblehead, Massachusetts in 1779. The woodcut depicts a patriot woman wearing a tricorn hat, wielding a musket, and carrying gunpowder. [Document A] This shows that women’s roles were expanding and society was moving forward. Slaves and indentured servants also began to see change in their societal position as well. In An Ordinance for the Government of the Territory of the United States Northwest of the River Ohio in 1787, Article 6, it states that, “There shall be neither slavery nor involuntary servitude in the said territory, otherwise than in the punishment of crimes whereof the party shall have been duly convicted.”[Document H] This excerpt is basically saying that slavery and indentured servitude was banned in the territory northwest of the Ohio River. However, if the slaves were fugitives they would be lawfully returned to their owners. Both women and slaves saw drastic social change which prompted future movements such as the Abolitionist Movement and the Women’s Rights
In the mid nineteenth century America was going through an age of reform. The person who would be the center of these reforms would be the women in society. Women soon realized that in order to make sure that all the reforms went through they would need more power and influence in society. The oppression and discrimination the women felt in this era launched the women into create the women’s right movement. The women fought so zealously for their rights it would be impossible for them not to achieve their goals. The sacrifices, suffering, and criticism that the women activist made would be so that the future generations would benefit the future generations.
Initially, women were considered as the temptation of the public world which meant that they were only allowed to work at home and take care of the children. However, when women finally entered the workforce they were paid half as much as the men who did the same jobs. Furthermore, “in the 1800’s, women could not vote or serve on juries. Married women could not own property or win custody of their children in a divorce”(History 1). This shows how there was no improvement of women’s rights during the Antebellum period. Since the unfair treatment that women received lead to many rebellions in the country, many people have argued that this was the start of the Women’s Rights Movement. This movement would become one of the most important and famous movement that had ever happened in the United States. Therefore, this showed the impact that the Antebellum period brought to the people.
Largely throughout the history of the United States of America, women have been intimately oppressed by their spouses in collusion with a patriarchal society. The Realist literary period saw no exception to this oppression of women. The Realist period, which lasted approximately from 1865-1910, involved many injustices on women, women’s rights, and equality. Males were supreme to females throughout this period, and women were denied many basic freedoms, including the right to vote. Women were regarded as frail, unequal, and inferior. However, the marginalization of women in this period did not go without protest. Women began to have an active voice on issues pertaining to their own rights as the end of the Realist period neared. Headways into women’s rights were made in this period around the turn of the century. “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gillman chronicles the oppression and deteriorating sanity of Jane, who is being confined in a room by her physician and husband. This story is critical in telling of the oppression and subordination of women to their husbands throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. “The Story of an Hour” by Kate Chopin depicts a frail woman, who dies after a fright from her husband, who she believed was dead. The Awakening by Kate Chopin details the life of Edna Pontellier, who seeks individualism and life away from the control of men. Edna Pontellier assists in representing the audible and vociferous women’s rights movement that arose towards the end of the 19th century. American women in the Realist literary period encountered three elements that defined their societal status: oppression, inequality, and activism.