John Todd and Gail Hamilton both wrote their views on women rights, both have different view points and are controversial still today. John Todd is heavily influenced by his religious beliefs and is much more conservative in his thinking. Gail Hamilton refutes Todd's views on the subject which in the time of writing was something very uncommon.
John Todd starts his writing off with the topic of equality between men and women. He begins his paper with, “Nobody pretends that the sexes are equal in weight, in height, or in bodily strength. The bodies of the two sexes seem to have been planned for different ends.” He believes that “God” designed women for a specific purpose which isn't the same as men. He then goes onto say that woman have superior brains than men by stating, “It is quicker, more flexible, more elastic.” These claims are unverifiable and he seems to be using apple polishing fallacy to persuade the reader to join his view point. He then says that women cannot be independent of men because of two reasons, “God never designed you should, and your own deep instincts are in the way.” These reasons are flawed as we know today that women can be independent in todays society, but back in the 1800s people didn't question ideas as much as they do now. Todd says that God didn't intend for women to occupy the same sphere because of how she is physically oriented. Todd then goes on to speak about how women don't have the ability to invent. Gail Hamilton attacks Todd by saying, “one reason why women have never been inventors is, that they have never been artisans' but the matter is utterly irrelevant.” He has a strong point in that women shouldn't have to be able to invent to have equal rights as men. Just because t...
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...dd thinks that girls would become overworked if they went to school while still performing household duties as he believes them to be physically inferior. Hamilton believes that if a girl starts school at the same age boys do, she will come out “as health, as fresh, as eager as she went in”. Both men have somewhat valid arguments, but Hamilton's viewpoint is in support of equal education opportunities. We know now that children are able to retain information much easier than adults.
I believe Hamilton effectively refutes Todd's viewpoints in that he is fighting for women's equality. He doesn't argue with Todd about the physically ability of women but rather than differences between men and women should have no effect on their rights as Americans. It's a great step forward for the time it was written, undoubtedly it had an impact on the fight for women's rights.
“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” This is a fight that both Abigail Adams and the Woman’s Rights convention had never given up on. Whereas Letter to John Adams and Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Woman’s Rights Convention differ. In the Letter to John Adams Abigail Adams establishes her argument through a letter to her husband. While Declaration of Sentiments of the Seneca Falls Woman’s, Rights Convention is the rights of women offer acceptance at a convention. They are also similar as they both are arguing for women rights as well as reference to the amendments.
Although society claims that we are in the age where there is gender equality, it is clear that women are still not of equal standing than men. In our society, women are of lower status than men. Such as in the workplace, a male employee’s project proposal is favored over a female employee’s proposal because a male superior believes that women cannot construct ideas as well as male employees. This is a result of how our culture has influence our view that women are less superior than men. Our male dominant culture taught us that women are not as capable as men are and that between the two genders, the man is the superior.
However, the writers of the Constitution had omitted women in that pivotal statement which left women to be denied these “unalienable” rights given to every countryman. Gaining the support of many, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the leader of the Women’s Rights Movement declared at Seneca Falls that women had the same rights as men including the right to vote and be a part of government. The Women’s Rights movement gained support due to the years of abuse women endured. For years, men had “the power to chastise and imprison his wife…” and they were tired of suffering (Doc I). The new concept of the cult of domesticity supported women’s roles in society but created greater divisions between men and women.
Stanton argues many valid points with significant impact. Throughout her speech, she uses many examples of logical appeals. She states, “The question is now: how shall we get possession of what rightfully belongs to us?” In this quote, Stanton is agitating the question of when women are going to get not only the rights they deserve, but also the equality they demand. She is disgracing the rules that they live under, and questioning when things will be set right. She also argues, “All white men in this country have the same rights, however they may differ in mind, body, or estate.” All white men in America at this time had freedom no matter what they owned or what their background. They could be rich, wealthy businessmen or poor country farmers, and as much as they differed in society standards, they all shared one common thing: their rights. She is making an emotional appeal to the women of the country, and exposing the anger of the unfair situation the women are stuck in. One of the key phrases she repeats is, “The right is ours.” Stanton repeats this short, yet powerful, phrase in order to get her message through. She believes and fights that all free women should be just as equal as all free men. The use of repeating this phrase helps others understand how dearly ...
...e no female Newtons and La Places. I think Gail’s effectivity in refuting Dr. Todd’s arguments laid in relevancy. It should not matter that women were not inventors, because most men were not inventors. Gail even questioned Dr. Todd’s status as an inventor and makes him seem like a hypocrite. More than likely over half the male population of United States were not inventors. She claimed relevancy again when Dr. Todd asked why women weren’t Newtons and La Places. Again, Dr. Todd and over half of the American population were not mathematicians and still had certain rights. Again, she turns him into a hypocrite. Mr. Todd is not a mathematicians. In regards to earning property I think she handled the argument very well by simply stating that women did earn property throughout their role of mother and wife. In all she effectively refuted all major arguments of Dr. Todd.
She later states that, “sisters and brothers are exposed to the same parental backgrounds and attend schools of the same quality” (O’Neill, 2003, p.309). She has no evidential statistics to make that claim. Parental backgrounds vary from cultures, often boys are given more privileges than girls. It can be argued that families encourage boys and girls differently, which can be a factor to what school and career choice the individual wants to pursue. Without realizing, parents can pressure boys into aspiring for more prestigious careers to be able to support a family because of gender roles. Throughout history, women have proved that they are able to do the same work that males do. When it comes to work productivity, it can be argued that one sex does not have work done better than the other. In the statistics given, there is none that relate to a certain career. She continues to add on that the types of skills in a particular field of work are important but, does not give wage differences between men and women in particular jobs. There have been testimonies within workplaces that men are being paid more than women with no reasonableness. There could have been more statistics added to specify the fields of work that show significant differences in
When Thomas Jefferson wrote the second paragraph of the Declaration of Independence, it became one of his greatest legacies. In the first line he wrote, "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal" (U.S. Constitution, paragraph 2). Jefferson wrote these words to give inspiration to future generations in the hopes that they would be able to change what he either would or could not. The word “men” in the Declaration in the early 1700 and 1800’s meant exactly that, but even then it only was true for some men, not all. Women, children, and other segments of the population such as slaves and Native Americans were clearly not included. Jefferson himself was a slave owner and held the belief that women were inferior to men. Though women played no role in the political environment, they were crucial to the development and economic success of the times. The strength, courage and work ethic of pioneer women like Martha Ballard in “A Midwife’s Tale” (Thatcher, 1990) created the very fabric of the community and wove it together so the community could thrive.
Early on in the biography, we see an opinion on women’s education from Franklin and Collins. Collins said it was improper and they could not handle it like a male, while Franklin argues differently. An assumption can be made that most people feel
Sixty- nine years after the Declaration of Independence, one group of women gathered together and formed the Seneca Falls Convention. Prior and subsequent to the convention, women were not allowed to vote because they were not considered equal to men. During the convention, Elizabeth Cady Stanton delivered the “Declaration of Sentiments.” It intentionally resembles the Declaration of Independence: “We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal…” (Stanton, 466). She replaced the “men” with “men and women” to represent that women and men should be treated equally. Stanton and the other women in the convention tried to fight for voting rights. Dismally, when the Equal Rights Amendment was introduced to the Congress, the act failed to be passed. Even though women voiced their opinions out and urged for justice, they could not get 2/3 of the states to agree to pass the amendment. Women wanted to tackle on the voting inequalities, but was resulted with more inequalities because people failed to listen to them. One reason why women did not achieve their goals was because the image of the traditional roles of women was difficult to break through. During this time period, many people believed that women should remain as traditional housewives.
Women did not benefit from the Declaration of Independence, despite the assertion that the declaration would further equality throughout the nation. The Declaration of Independence did not discuss women’s rights and what Independence would mean for them. Thomas Jefferson did not disclose any information about women in his writing of the declaration. The declaration granted all white males the right to vote, but women did not receive the same right. How can the Declaration of Independence argue that it brought equality when women were not granted equal rights to men? Elaine Crane supports this view and shares the view of Charles Brown in her writings where she writes “Brown argued through his protagonist that the denial of the vote to women violated “pretensions to equality and
Civil disobedience is the refusal to follow or demand laws or rules. Taking a stand on issues of justice in society may be important or redundant to many individuals. In my case, taking a stand on issues of justice is important. Individuals take a stand on justice so they can change issues, speak for people who can’t speak for themselves, and fight for what they believe in.
Murray argues that; women’s minds equal those of men, women’s mentality will increase with education, and a Biblical argument is moot. Murray even mentions that strength associated with intelligence fails to discredit women’s intellectual ability because: a) the people working in the fields (such as African American slaves) would then be the most intelligent, and b) masculine women and feminine men exist (Murray 180). Her points, though, come with a caveat. Murray wants education for women, but for women to continue in their same gender defined categories. Women can use their educated minds to occupy themselves during the mundane tasks such as sowing and sweeping. In fact, she argues that women will become more complacent and lose the attributes that annoy men, gossiping and unnecessary visits, and gain characteristics men would prefer, such as discretion and better judgement. Despite her limits on women’s rights, Murray asks a question that rings forth by following generations; “How is one exalted and the other depressed…The one is taught to aspire, and the other is early confined and limited. As their years increase, the sister must be wholly domesticated, while the brother is led by the hand through all the flowery paths of science” (Murry 178). Murray fought for women’s rights through education, and
...al questions, an extended metaphor, and allusion, she persuades her audience to try and break down their insecurities in order to create a rich lifestyle for them. However, gender stereotypes have been and always will be prevalent in society. As she states in the essay, “Indeed it will be a long time still, I think, before a woman can sit down to write a book without finding a phantom to be slain, a rock to be dashed against.” It has been shown that she was correct, seeing as women are still discriminated against in a number of professions. If a woman states, for example, that she wishes to be a mechanic, or possibly even an electrician, many men and other women will likely snort at the idea and think of it as a ridiculous joke. Even though society has come a long way over the years, it will still be an even longer amount of time before women can finally feel equal.
In her book, there were many similar ideas to Mary’s: equal intellectual potential and capacities of both men and women, a friendship between a man and a woman should be a basis for their marriage, and the need for educational reform for women. Crocker, however, did not raise the issue of women’s right to employment or political citizenship. Botting, and Carey. 710-12. The aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid aforesaid afore
In Mary Wollstonecraft 's A Vindication of the Rights of Women, she contemplates the subordinate role of women in society and the many factors, natural and artificial, that contributes to this inequality of power among the sexes. She advocates for the equal playing field of education. Women are only educated to the degree of what is seen as useful to what is considered their natural, sexual character. She says virtue cannot be held to different standards or criteria because that would make virtue relative. Although there are obvious differences and physical inequalities between the sexes, these cannot make one sex superior to the other because what truly sets mankind apart from other brute creatures is our ability to reason. All of mankind