What did it mean to be a woman during the 19th century?
Well, a woman could not vote and could not retain title to her property after marriage but could be legally beaten by her husband. A wife was supposed to "immerse herself in her home and subordinate herself to her lord and master." Now, of course the suppressed women would want to change their position and therefore their outlook on life. During the 19th century, women finally fights to breath the air of freedom and self-determination. They were determined to retain their own rights.
Gender differences were strongly emphasized. Because of the burgeoning market economy, women and men were put into sharply distinct and different economic roles. Women were thought of as physically and emotionally weak yet artistic and refined. They were thought of to have finely tuned moral sensibilities and to be the keepers of men. They had the special responsibility to teach the future of tomorrow how to be good and productive in life. On the other hand, men were considered to be strong but crude, in danger of slipping into a monster if not guided by the mind of a woman.
The home was considered a woman's domain. Reformers like Catharine Beecher celebrated the role of a homemaker. Catharine Beecher advocated for her sisters to seek employment as teachers however she implemented the homemaker as a necessity in a woman's life. Some women agreed, but most thought that the home was just a glorified version of a cage. Women yearned to tear down the bars that separated their private world from the public world of men.
Most female reformers were wealthy white women and began to gather their strength and majority as the century neared it's halfway point. Most of these women were battlers who demanded rights for their fellow women. They fought for temperance and the abolition of slavery as well as rights for themselves. They had been touched by the ideas of the Second Great Awakening and the evangelical spirit to do so.
Some women avoided marriage; about 10 percent of adult women remained "spinsters." They didn't want their property to be stripped from them after marriage, as so many other things already were.
Prominent Feminists during the 19th Century:
Feminists met at New York in 1848. During this convention, they proposed the "Declaration of Sentiments" that declared that "all men and women were created equal." One demanded a ballot for females in order for them to vote. This convention launched the modern women's rights movement. Women were gradually being admitted to colleges and some states (beginning with Mississippi in 1839) allowed wives to own their own property after marriage.
Well, a woman could not vote and could not retain title to her property after marriage but could be legally beaten by her husband. A wife was supposed to "immerse herself in her home and subordinate herself to her lord and master." Now, of course the suppressed women would want to change their position and therefore their outlook on life. During the 19th century, women finally fights to breath the air of freedom and self-determination. They were determined to retain their own rights.
Gender differences were strongly emphasized. Because of the burgeoning market economy, women and men were put into sharply distinct and different economic roles. Women were thought of as physically and emotionally weak yet artistic and refined. They were thought of to have finely tuned moral sensibilities and to be the keepers of men. They had the special responsibility to teach the future of tomorrow how to be good and productive in life. On the other hand, men were considered to be strong but crude, in danger of slipping into a monster if not guided by the mind of a woman.
The home was considered a woman's domain. Reformers like Catharine Beecher celebrated the role of a homemaker. Catharine Beecher advocated for her sisters to seek employment as teachers however she implemented the homemaker as a necessity in a woman's life. Some women agreed, but most thought that the home was just a glorified version of a cage. Women yearned to tear down the bars that separated their private world from the public world of men.
Most female reformers were wealthy white women and began to gather their strength and majority as the century neared it's halfway point. Most of these women were battlers who demanded rights for their fellow women. They fought for temperance and the abolition of slavery as well as rights for themselves. They had been touched by the ideas of the Second Great Awakening and the evangelical spirit to do so.
Some women avoided marriage; about 10 percent of adult women remained "spinsters." They didn't want their property to be stripped from them after marriage, as so many other things already were.
Prominent Feminists during the 19th Century:
- Lucretia Mott: a Quaker who resented not being heard at the London antislavery convention of 1840.
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton: a mother of seven who insisted on leaving "obey" out of her marriage ceremony. She shocked her fellow feminists by going as far as to advocate suffrage for women.
- Susan B. Anthony: a militant lecturer for women's rights. She fearlessly exposed herself to garbage and vulgar epithets. She became a conspicuous advocate of female rights. Her followers, also progressive women, were called "Suzy Bs."
- Elizabeth Blackwell: first female to graduate medical school
- Margaret Fuller: edited the transcendentalist journal The Dial and took part in the struggle to bring unity and a republican government to Italy.
- Sarah and Angelina Grimke: championed anti-slavery
- Lucy Stone: kept her maiden name after marriage, challenging a man's perspective and ego
- Amelia Bloomer: revolted against women's attire. One of the first to wear a short skirt with "bloomers."
Feminists met at New York in 1848. During this convention, they proposed the "Declaration of Sentiments" that declared that "all men and women were created equal." One demanded a ballot for females in order for them to vote. This convention launched the modern women's rights movement. Women were gradually being admitted to colleges and some states (beginning with Mississippi in 1839) allowed wives to own their own property after marriage.