ENGL 227-Cooper
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Discrimination and unequal treatment of women in America can be traced back to the origins of the country.The idea that men and women were not of the same stature reflected American society immensely. However as time progressed women in America found their voice and began to embark on a journey that would not only give themselves rights, but also change the culture of our country. This being said, through my scholarly research, I have compiled six sources that all share the theme of women in America, and touch on not only the struggles they have faced, but how their role in society has evolved.
At Home in the City: Urban Domesticity in American Literature and Culture, 1850–1930 (review)
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Meredith Goldstein's article exhibits the fact that American individualism is linked to property ownership, thus being said, her piece is centered around the time period between 1850 and 1930, a time when many Americans were flocking to the city in search for an urban dwelling. This migration effects women because they were able to gain a new sense of independence in the city, for they could now travel outside the home, such as to Central Park without losing their place in society, but at the same time not be confined inside the house. The move to the city allowed women to gain public identity, however they kept their sense of domesticity. Just simply flocking to the city with their husbands gave women the opportunity to experience more freedom.
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Manifest Domesticity
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This source refers to the two spheres between men and women, but incorporates domestic America in a broader sense, for the two spheres are carried over into foreign affairs. When it comes to society within America, men and women are found in separate corners, however in the global perspective, men and women become "national allies" and are viewed to be on the same level when it comes to standing against foreign countries. In this source the world domestic not only links the household to the nation, but the nation to the rest of the world. Since women are at the core of the domestic household in America, it is implied that women have a much bigger role in shaping foreign affairs that one would have thought. Domesticity is a chain,linking, the home to America and America to the wold, and women are the core of the chain, illustrating their role in society is vital.
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Feminizing the Nation: Woman as Cultural Icon in Late James
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This source exemplifies the dual role played by women during the Progressive Era, for women were still seen as the keepers of America's morality, but at the same time were beginning to step into their own and begin to change American culture. American
civilization itself
was at stake in the behavior and attitude of the American
woman, therefore it is vital that women grow and mature into well fit leaders of the nation, yet it is also imperative that they keep the qualities that have allowed them to represent the moral goodness of the nation.Women have taken on the role as keeper of the nation because of their ability, and at one time, primary role of giving birth, so women gaining power appears to be a conflict of interest, for it they are tainted with the corruption of the male dominated public, her role as the "bearer of all things good" is put in jeopardy. In this source it is stated that, "This paradox is also evident in Theodore Roosevelt's support
for women's
suffrage and for what he terms in 1911 "full equality of
rights" (767),
combined with his adamant opposition to birth control, which
he bases on a
conception of women's primary duty as the propagator of the
nation." The women of America capture the cultural goodness of the nation, and with their increasing role in society, their original innocence should not be lost with their gaining freedom.
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The Business of Housekeeping: The Mistress, the Domestic Worker, and the Construction of Class
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This source puts the role of the American housewife in new light, for it shows that running the home is a daunting task, and that it shares similarities to that of running a business. As the lady of the household, it is vital that when setting up her household staff, she must remember to keep the environment friendly and workable, while ensuring those employed by her that the wages received will reflect the ideals of the American economy and American capitalism. The idea that the American household is set up like a business, increases the stature of women in society, for if displays similarities between women in the the home and male business leaders in the workforce.
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Going Public: Women in Nineteenth-Century Cultural History
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This source focuses on the fact that inn nineteenth century America, two spheres existed in society. For example, you have men in the public sphere and women in the private, domestic sphere. These two spheres defined the role of women for quite sometime, however it wasn't until when started to "go public" did their role in society to change. Between labor movements, and championing changes in education and politics, women began to take initiative outside of the home. Since the male was considered to the sole role in public activities, Peiss states that "this cross-gendered behavior represented a woman's attack on the public realm", meaning that the emergence of women outside of the home was indeed making waves in society and creating significant changes in comparison to the normal standard. This source goes on to explain that although women were banned from saloons and political clubs, they were able to create informal women organizations, that were able to help them dip their fit into the "public pool", while also subconsciously defying the role of the male in society. Women moving out of the home and into the public world truly helped go give their gender more prominence and set the stage for greater things to come.
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Gender in Captivity
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This source touches on an issue we discussed in class, the captivity narrative, yet can also be used to incorporate the theme of the oppressed woman, and the challenges she has faced in society and her road to change. This source mentions Mary Rowlandson, as well as other women who have been held captive, and explains because of their gender, even their own individual stories were "tweaked" to fit their role in society. For example, Rowlandson was held at at "captivity of her editor", for instead of touching on the the fact that her story is full of resilience and bold moves on her part, her narrative is edited to make it seem that everything she did was an "obligation to her protector." Rowlandon's captivity took place years before the surge of womens activism, however the idea that your gender has the ability to hold you captive to societal norms would be a theme that would carry over into future generations, and would remain a constant battle for women.
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From today's perspective, women in America have come me a long way from the times when their writings were manipulated as a means of diminishing their strengths. If it was not for their strong fight they put forth, women would still be expected to remain in the home, these sources are examples of what was once expected of the American female and how personal passion can ignite a revolution and spark a change in society.
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