Women's Power Dbq Essay

In the United States of America, women have historically been treated as second hand citizens, and sometimes even after-thoughts. However, between the years 1890 and 1925, a revolution of sorts took place, bringing down sexual double standards, and bringing women to positions of power. New inventions, developments, and laws affected the lives of women, and without the events that occurred within this period of time, women would be in a much different situation today.
The Industrial revolution played a major role in sparking change in women’s lives. Economic need forced women to stray from their domestic duties, and work in similar situations to men. Often times, women filled manufacturing positions, and worked as tailors, or mechanics (Doc. D). Women eventually began to gain respect from working in difficult environments – often times, overcrowding in factories posed safety issues, and people were frequently injured on the job. Through their hard work, women proved themselves to men (along with society as a whole), and shower that they were capable of far more that household duties (Doc. B).
Politically, the turn of the century was a pivotal time for women in the U.S. The Supreme Court started to become aware of women’s abilities to work and function

like everyone else (Doc. B), and women’s status as human beings eventually stopped being questioned by most (Doc. C). In addition to proving themselves in workplaces like factories, women began to claim positions of political significance. These actions shattered the ideas that women were “weak” or “defenseless”, and helped society to move forward (Doc. C).
Assumptions about the nature of women began to be disproven in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Women began to be seen as more than second-hand citizens, and participated in activities other that the usual cleaning and cooking. People began to come to the realization that limiting women so much was not beneficial to the development of society, as they were not able to use their skills to help anyone outside of their family. Flappers – women who dressed and acted provocatively for the entertainment of others - gained prominence, and the concept of promiscuity amongst women became less scandalous and outrageous. Women across the United States rejected sexual double standards, and demanded respect (Doc.

B).
Ultimately, the period 1890-1925 was extremely important to the progression of society, and the normalization of the concept of women existing as human beings. The period was revolutionary for women, and without it, women would currently be several steps further from equality that they already are.