Feminism: Crystal Eastman

Feminism

Feminism is the public support for or recommendation of women's rights on the grounds of political, social, and economic equality to men. In a more simple way of stating it, women rights equivalent to those of men. Before suffrage begun, women were strictly to act as women should, or what they were expected to act like. They were expected to take care of the children, cook, and clean. Not only were they supposed to do house work, but they also couldn’t vote or own any property. On August 26th, 1920, after 72 long-lasting years of fighting, and prolonged anticipation, women finally won their rights to be treated equally. There have been, and still are, many feminists in this world. One very prominent feminist is Crystal Eastman.

Crystal Eastman was born on June 25, 1881. Her father was Rev. Samuel Eastman and her mother was Annis Ford Eastman. She lived in Marlborough, Massachusetts with her family. Although it has not been confirmed, she was possibly born in a family cottage in Glenora, New York. Her mother was one of her greatest influences in becoming a feminist. When she was only fifteen years of age, she wrote her first paper on feminism and titled it “Women”. She later became a social reformer, someone who makes changes in their society and influences people and the way for life at that particular time, pacifist, a writer and a suffragist. This means she fought for women’s rights in a calm, nonviolent manner. She realized that women wanted freedom and that suffrage was a very major beginning in the movement. She organized a Feminist Congress in New York in 1919 (National Women’s History Museum). After women wan the right to vote in 1920, socialist feminist Crystal Eastman observed that suffrage was an important firs...

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...n’s freedom in the 21st century is “Feminism” by Nancy G. Dziedzic. 2009, you find out that women are now fully half of the American work force (Dziedzic 34). In the early 20th century, women could not even vote much less have a well-paying job. It was even worse if you were a woman of color, example: Spanish, black. Females have achieved parity with males in the law dust in fields like veterinary, medicine and psychology (Dziedzic 34).

Feminism has changed drastically since the time Crystal Eastman gave her speech “Now We Can Begin”. Women are now allowed to work, vote, own land or even be housewives if that’s what they choose and prefer. Even though the time has changed, the topic does and will continue to persist and be around forever more. Not all people agree with women’s freedom. Thankfully, it is not as big of an issue as it was in the early 20th century.