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Early 20th century feminism
Causes and effects of prohibition on american society
Women's rights in the early twentieth century
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Picture this. You’re standing in line waiting to put in your ballot for the election. As you walk up to the door, a man quickly slams the door in your face. “What do you think you’re doing!?” he asks you in a rude, and angry manner. “You can’t be here. Leave. Now.” Today, as women are privileged to have the right to vote, this probably seems crazy to us, but in the 1920’s women could not vote. There were many changes for women that occurred in the 20s. With the changing music trends, fashion was revolutionized. The new, energetic dances of the Jazz Age required women to be able to move freely. They adopted more casual modes of dress, shortening their skirts/dress. Flappers, the young women of the 1920’s, epitomized the Jazz Age through their fashion. With their short skirts, short hair, noticeable makeup, and a fun-loving attitude; they represented a new freedom for women. …show more content…
Prohibition was a huge element of America, especially in the 1920s. Installing prohibition into America was supposed to be beneficial by lowering taxes and enhancing human health. However, prohibition had numerous drawbacks, ranging from crime to alcohol abuse. The road to prohibition started with the temperance movement. The campaign had been dominated by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. The argument used was that temperance would protect the home and it was for this reason that women’s voices were so influential as the home was considered to be their “sphere”. The temperance movement was thorough and many women handed out leaflets, protested, and used lobbying as techniques. This campaign showed that women, when well-organized and with good leadership, could be very influential in bringing about change on issues within their “sphere”. However, the divisions between women who changed from supporting prohibition to supporting its repeal, and those who remained loyal to the laws on prohibition
From coast to coast people were reading the exploits of a new type of woman called flapper. Prior to World War 1 Victorian ideals still dictated the behavior of American women and girls. Frederick Lewis Allen describes the traditional role of women. Women were the guardians of morality. They were made of finer stuff than men. They were expected to act accordingly. Young girls must look forward in innocence to a romantic love match which would lead them to the altar and to living happily ever after. Until the right man came along they must allow no male to kiss them. Flappers did the opposite. Flappers danced the Charleston, kissed their boyfriends while they played golf and sat behind the wheels of fast cars. The liberated usually young female disdained the traditions of her mother and grandmother before her. Flappers would smoke and drink alcohol, she cut her hair and wore short dresses. They also changed their views on courtship rituals, marriage, and child rearing. With these they could have the same freedom as men could. The time period also saw a highly physical change in women’s lives like how they dressed and looked. For the first time in American history women could choose to be free from long hair and voluminous clothing. Before the women changed they wore very restrictive clothing consisting of long skirts with layers of petticoats over tightly laced corsets that produced an hourglass figure with wide hips and a narrow waist.
A Flapper is “a young woman in the 1920s who dressed and behaved in a way that was considered very modern” (Merriam-Webster). There was many opinions on how young women should act in the 1920s, but the ladies listened to the voices in their head. They set an example for the future women to dress and act the way they want, men could no longer tell women how to dress and act. The new era of young women opened many doors for all females.
Imagine walking in the streets where all other women and girls are dressed in long dresses, look modest, and have long hair with hats. Then, there is a girl with a short skirt and bobbed hair smoking a cigarette. This girl makes a statement and is critically judged by many people for dressing this way. Women during the 1920s did not look “boyish” in any way, so when short hair and short skirts were introduced, it was seen as shameful. The girls wearing this new style are known as flappers.
Prohibition was the eighteenth amendment. It prohibited the production and consumption of alcoholic beverages. People would have never thought of “excoriating” alcohol until the 19th century (Tyrrell 16). During this time widespread crime and dismay arose. Some beneficial things did come out of this period of chaos such as women were able to prove themselves as people their temperance movements. During this time many things happened that led to Prohibition’s strongest point and to its fall. Prohibition proved to be a failure from the start,. Prohibition was scarcely adhered to and also widely defied but out of this women had a chance to voice their opinions and prove themselves.
In the 1920's the term flapper referred to a "new breed" of women. They wore short skirts and dresses which were straight and very loose. The arms were left bare and the waistline was dropped to the hips. By 1927 the length of the skirts had rose just below the knee which when they danced would be shown. The chests appeared to look very small and women would tape themselves to look even smaller. Bras were also sold to make them appear very small. Their hairstyles were cut very short and were known as a bob, another popular style that was later introduced was the "Eaton" or "Shingle". These styles had slicked the hair back and covered the ears with curls. Women started wearing "kiss proof" lipstick in shades of red, their eyes were ringed a dark black color, and their skin was powered to look very pale. One of the big things with the flappers were that they smoked cigarettes through long holders and drank alcohol openly in public now. They also started dating freely and danced all night long very provocatively. Jazz music was rising in population and the flappers brought it out even more. Not all women changed into becoming a flapper, yet the little numbers impacted the 1920's in a huge way.
Before 1920 women did not have the right to vote. They were known as “second class citizens”. Women were to stay home to help and organize the family’s necessities. Having any other higher power was said to be way out of their limitations. Mainly because women weren’t fully exposed to the happenings outside of the home, which led to the male figure believing that it was impossible for women to vote if they didn’t know the facts. Men thought that if women were able to vote that they would reach a power, that they could not take away and they didn’t want that. Men wanted to be head of the household and everything else in between.
Prohibition originated in the nineteenth century but fully gained recognition in the twentieth century. The Prohibition was originally known as the Temperance Movement. In the 1820s and 1830s, a wave of religious revivalism developed in the United States, leading to increased calls for temperance, as well as other reform movements such as the abolition of slavery (“Prohibition”). These reforms were often led by middle class women. The abolition of slavery became a more important topic of debate until after the Civil War. By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common thing throughout the communities in the United States (“Prohibition”). Women advocated the unity of the family, and they believed alcohol prevented such a thing. Drunken husbands only brought about negativity to the home, and women could not support that behavior. Suffragists, in their pursuit for voting rights, also sought to eliminate alcohol from the home. Small-scale legislation had been passed in several states, but no national laws had been enacted. On January 29, 1919, the Eighteenth Amendment was ratified by Congress; it banned t...
In the 1920’s, the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, which gave women the right to vote. During this decade women became strong and more independent. Women were accomplishing a lot more than they had before. Women started going to college so she could earn her own living. More women started leaving the home and working at a factory or as a secretary. Women were discriminated at the work place. They received lower wages then man did. In the 1920’s, the term flapper was introduced. It was first used in Britain after World War 1. Young women were labeled as flappers who wore makeup shorter skirts. Fl...
The hopes of the prohibitionist were dreams of a healthier and more successful nation. Their dreams were spun from the idea of shutting out the alcohol industry and enforcing large industries and stressing family values. The eighteenth amendment consisted of the end of sales, production, transportation, as for importation and exportation of intoxicating liquors. Their imaginations were large and very hopeful. The prohibitionists felt that alcohol is a slow poison of their community. They felt that if the liquor industry was shut out that Americans would spend their hard earned money in the clothing, food, and shoe industries therefore boosting the American economy. Many felt, “Seeing what a sober nation can do is indeed a noble experiment and one that has never yet been tried, (Crowther, 11) Prohibition was a test of the strength of the nation and an attempt at cleaning up societies evils. These reformers denounce alcohol as a danger to society as well as to the human body. Some ethnic hopes of prohibition was to regulate the foreigners whose backgrounds consisted on the use of alcohol for religious purposes. And try to enforce an American valued society upon them. Many reformists felt that ending the use of alcohol would protect American homes and families. They felt that alcohol use was the root of their family’s destruction. Many women felt that their husbands would waste a lot of their income on the purchase of alcohol and not on family needs. Alcohol was often known as a “poison, or sin”. Another hope for the eighteenth amendment was to reduce the crime and death rate. Many people felt that drunkenness was the cause of many of the nations crimes. Prohibitionist felt very passionately on their cause and were often called “dry’s.” They felt their battle was justified and that, “it is manifest destiny that alcohol will not survive the scrutiny,”(Darrow and Yarros, 20).
Before the 1920s men and women were thought to have two separate roles in life. People believed women should be concerned with their children, home, and religion, while men took care of business and politics. In 1920 there were significant changes for women in politics, the home, and the workplace. When the 19th amendment passed it gave women the right to vote. “Though slowly to use their newly won voting rights, by the end of the decade women were represented local, state, and national political committees and were influencing the political agenda of the federal government.” Now a days it’s normal for women to be involved in politics and it’s normal for women to vote. Another drastic change
By the turn of the century, temperance societies were a common fixture in communities across the United States. Women played a strong role in the temperance movement, as alcohol was seen as a destructive force in families and marriages. In 1906, a new wave of attacks began on the sale of liquor, led by the Anti-Saloon League (established in 1893) and driven by a reaction to urban growth, as well as the rise of evangelical Protestantism and its view of saloon culture as corrupt and ungodly. In addition, many factory owners supported prohibition in their desire to prevent accidents and increase the efficiency of their workers in an era of increased industrial production and extended working hours. (History.com Staff)
In 1919, there was a time when all the men got the right to vote, which wasn’t fair to the women. They wanted to do something about it but they couldn’t, it was all about the men. Later in that year, there was a women, two actually, named Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Elizabeth worked with Lucretia to do something about the whole voting situation and they were very successful. The law, Women’s Right to Vote, was passed by congress on June 4th, 1919, and was ratified on August 18th, 1920. Here’s my experience. It was January 12th 1919, the day was sunny with some clouds in the sky and you can smell the scent of fresh roses as you walked down the sidewalk. I closed my eyes as the summer breeze blew through the window letting the air hit my face and suddenly opened them when I heard
The Anti-Saloon League and the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union were two main Prohibition supporters. These groups blamed many of the social problems occurring in the nation, such as murder and crime, on the consumption of alcohol. The Anti-Saloon League was established by the Reverend H. H. Russell in 1895 in Oberlin, Ohio. This organization focused on regulating saloons unlike other groups supporting antiliquor laws who fought against many issues with alcohol instead of focusing on one central issue. The group was composed of many Protestant churches around the nation and was the biggest reason Prohibition happened. The Woman’s Christian Temperance Union fought to better American society since the mid-1800s. This group was composed of women of various social and ethnic backgrounds. Black and white women of the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union in the South came together to fight for prohibit...
Women during the 1920's lifestyle, fashion, and morals were very different than women before the 1920's. Flappers became the new big thing after the 19th amendment was passed. Women's morals were loosened, clothing and haircuts got shorter, and fashion had a huge role in these young women.
Today, the issues of alcohol abuse and gender inequalities may seem like two distinct subjects; historically, however, the two have long been linked. Since both prohibition and the women’s rights movement were addressed during the same time historical period , beginning in the early 19th century during the antebellum period all the way up to the progressive era, their many parallels are logical. The Seneca Falls Convention is often referred to as the beginning of the women’s rights movement Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who lead the convention, were both advocates against alcohol usage. The temperance movement began with the antebellum reformers and led all the way up to the ratification of the Eighteenth Amendment. The Eighteenth