Women's Civil Rights (1865-1992)

The position of women in 1865, the campaign for political rights 1865-1960, the campaign for political rights 1860-1992 and the main developments of social and economic change 1865-1992.

What is temperance?

The belief that alcohol was a major social evil and that a good family life was only possible if alcohol and its misuse was prohibited.

What is suffrage?

The right to vote. In the USA this included voting not only for the president but also for senators and congressmen in the federal Congress as well as the state governors and congressmen. Local officials were also elected.

Who was Sojourner Truth?

Her real name was Isabella Baumfree. She was sold into slavery in 1808 but escaped in 1826 and rescued her son from slavery in Alabama in 1835. She campaigned for abolition and women’s rights. Her speech at a women’s rights convention in 1851, ‘Ain’t I a woman?’, and her memoirs made her famous.

Who was Lucretia Mott?

A Quaker teacher and tireless social reformer. She founded the American Anti-Slavery Society in 1833 and helped to organise the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, writing a manifesto for women, the Declaration of Sentiments. She founded the Equal Rights Association in 1866.

Who was Elizabeth Cady Stanton?

Was influenced by leaders of the abolitionist movement in the1840s and worked with Lucretia Motts against slavery. She was friendly with Susan B Anthony, which led to the formation of National Womens Suffrage Association in 1869, and helped to organise the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. She campaigned for reform of divorce and property laws.

What is a general definiton of early feminism?

The belief in equal political, economic, social and cultural rights for women. Feminist ideas had spread during the French Revolution and in the writings of the English campaigner Mary Wollstonecraft. In the USA, the turning point was the first convention to promote equality for women, held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848.

What is prohibition?

A ban on the creation, sale and consumption of alcohol was introduced in a constitutional amendment in 1919. It had already become law in many states. It was repealed in 1933 after problems with enforcement and increading evidence that it was a cause of crimeas gangsters traded in alcohol illegally.

What is lobbying?

The practice of trying to influence the president and Congress to make changes by letters, petitions, appeals and meetings.

What was the Populist Party?

The US People’s Party was founded in 1891 and represented discontented Southern and Western farmers, hostile to big business and railway companies. It gained over 8% of the vote in the 1892 presidential election and 10% of the vote in subsequent congressional elections as part of a protest vote against the power and influence of big companies.

Who was Elizabeth Lease?

Bitterly opposed to big business and helped to organise protests in Kansas against railways. A powerful and virulent orator, she was a leading member of the radical Populist Party but her outspoken views resulted in her splitting with it and withdrawing from active politics.

Who was Susan B Anthony?

A Quaker deeply opposed to slavery. With Elizabeth Cady Stanton she founded a temperance society in 1852. She was a joint founder of the NWSA in 1869 and led the united suffrage movement after 1890 as head of the new NAWSA. She gained notoriety for her arrest for attempting to vote in 1872.

Who was Lucy Stone?

An ardent abolitionist and campaigner for womens rights. She urged equal pay, refused to pay taxes as she was not represented in Congress and pioneered wearing trousers (‘bloomers’). She founded the AERA and broke with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, leaving the women’s movement disunited until 1890.

Who was Julia Ward Howe?

The daughter of a New York banker. An unhappy marriage was revealed in an intimate book of poems which made her a famous literary figure. She wrote the ‘Battle Hymnn of the Republic.’ She travelled the USA and the world lecturing on womens rights and other reforms including world peace, prison improvement and education.

What is electoral malpratice?

Misconduct during elections; for example, voting when not eligible to do so.

Who was Carrie Chapman?

A teacher from Iowa who had led the Womens Suffrage Association in the 1890s. She addressed Congress on women’s rights and became Susan B Anthony’s successor as president of the NAWSA in 1900. She was effective in gaining support for women’s suffrage at state level and her support for the war in 1917 helped to persuade Congress to pass the Nineteenth Amendment.

Who were Daughters of the American Revolution?

An avowedly patriotic society open to women who can show that their ancestors played a role in achieving US independence. It was formed in 1890 by a descendant of George Washington and now has over 180,000 members. It aimed to commemorate and celebrate key elements of US history.

Who was Eleanor Roosevelt?

From a wealthy New York family, she became a social worker. She married her cousin Franklin Roosevelt, becoming a leading supporter of the New Deal, women’s rights and those of African and Asian Americans. She was the first chair of the United Nation Commission for Human Rights.

What was the National Women’s Party?

Founded in 1916 by two activists from NAWS, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, who aimed at a suffragette-style campaign. They led protests, and held a silent protest outside the White House, along with minor acts of law breaking with arrests and hunger strikes. They demanded bu failed to achieve the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1920s.

Who was Ella Baker?

A highly influential campaigner for civil rights and a grass-roots organiser, part of the NAACP, SCLC and SNCC and was one of the most important civil rights leaders.

What is the draft?

The US term fro conscription or calling up civilians for military service.

Who was Phyllis Schlafly?

Born in St Louis and financed her college education by testing machine guns in an arms factory during the war. She was a conservative journalist and wrote in support of family values and against feminism. She thought the real right of a women was the right to stay at home.

What was the silent majority?

Used by Nixon in 1969 to describe the mass of middle-class Americans (‘Middle America’) who were conservative and opposed social change and did not join in anti-war demonstrations. The term was used in the 19th c. to describe dead people.

Wht were the Roaring Twenties?

The popularity of elements of US culture, such as jazz, gies the impression of a freer society in search of pleasure, despite prohibiton. The glamorisation of gangsters, short skirts, fast cars, jazz musicians and the cinema as a source of entertainment points to a new, dangerous and exciting urban culture.

Who was Margaret Sanger?

A nurse in New York who was shocked by hardships caused by unwanted pregnancies in poor areas. She invented the term ‘birth control’ and opened a contraception clinic in 1916. She faced disapproval but persisted in her belief that every child should be wanted.

When and what was Bradwell v Illinois?

1873 – The Supreme Court rules that states have the right to exclude married women from practicing law.

When and what was Minor v Happersett?

1875 - said that the American Constitution didn’t give women the right to vote, agreeing with many of the state laws, such as Missouri, stopping women from having the federal right to a political voice. The decision was left to the individual states.

When and what was Muller v State of Oregon?

1908 – Supreme Court upholds Oregon’s 10-hour work day for women (protective legislation, but implies women are physically weak).

When and what was New York v Sanger?

1918 - Margaret Sanger wins her suit in New York to allow doctors to advise their married patients about birth control for health purposes.

When and what was Radice v New York?

1924 - Upholds a law that forbade waitresses from working night shifts but made an exception for entertainers and ladies’ room attendants

When and what was US v One Package of Japanese Pessaries?

1936 - won judicial approval of medicinal use of birth control

When and what was Fay v New York?

1947 - Supreme Court says women are equally qualified with men to serve on juries but are granted an exemption and may serve or not as women choose

When and what was Hoyt v Florida?

1961 - upholds rule in Florida that made it far less likely for women to be called for jury service on the ground that a “woman is still regarded as the centre of home and family life.”

When and what was Weeks v Southern Bell?

1965 - marks a major triumph in fighting restrictive labour laws and company regulations (opened many previously male-only jobs)

When and what was Griswold v Connecticut?

1965 - The Supreme Court ruled that a state’s ban on the use of contraceptives violated the right to marital privacy, meaning that men and women were now free to use contraceptives, should they wish to as well as ending the Comstock Laws.

When and what was Loving v Virginia?

1967 - Invalidated state laws prohibiting interracial marriage.

When and what was Bowe v Colgate-Palmolive Company?

1969 - women can work in many other jobs as long as they meet physical requirements

When and what was Philips v Martin Marietta Corporation?

1971 - outlaws companies refusing to hire women with pre-school children

When and what was Eisenstadt v Baird?

1972 - establishes that the right to privacy protects access to contraception for married and unmarried individuals alike.

When and what was Roe v Wade?

1973 - Women have a constitutional right to an abortion during the first two trimesters.

When and what was Geduldig v Aiello?

1974 - state disability insurance programs could treat pregnancy differently from other medical conditions without violating the Constitution

When and what was Cleveland Board of Education v Laufleur?

1974 - women to take unpaid maternity leaves after the first trimester of pregnancy because of a conclusive presumption that pregnant women are no longer able to work. The Court further invalidates a section of the rule making a teacher ineligible to return to work until her child was three-months old.

When and what was Taylor v Louisiana?

1975 - denies states the right to exclude women from juries

When and what was General Elec. Co v Gilbert?

1976 - upholds women’s rights to unemployment benefits during the last three months of pregnancy.

When and what was Rostker v Goldburg?

1981 - This case affirmed the constitutionality of a male-only draft registration system but did not address subsequent changes in military policy and the role of women in the armed forces.

When and what was Kirchberg v Feenstra?

1981 - overturns state laws designating a man “head and master” with joint-owned property

When and what was Meritor Savings Bank v Vinson?

1986 - Sexual harassment was made an illegal form of job discrimination, meaning that women now had greater protection within the work place.

When and what was Johnson v Santa Clara County?

1987 - allowed to take sex and race into account in employment decisions even where there is no proven history of discrimination but there can be no inequality based on the number of women or minorities holding the position

When and what was Webster v Reproductive Health Services?

1989 - Upheld the law that imposed restrictions on the use of state funds, facilities and employees in performing, assisting with, or counselling on abortions, meaning that women’s rights to have an abortion were still often restricted

When and what was Planned Parenthood v Casey?

1992 - reaffirmed the right to an abortion found in Roe v Wade 1973, and ruled on  the requirements of Pennsylvania abortion as unconstitutional. This was the first major test case for overturning Roe vs Wade.

How did Abraham Lincoln support women’s rights?

Was an early advocate for women’s suffrage, saying “I go for all sharing the privileges of government who assist in bearing its burdens, by no means excluding women.”

How did Woodrow Wilson support women’s rights?

Felt strongly against the treatment of arrested suffragettes so joined his daughters fight (Jessie W.W. Sayre) for the passing of the 19th Amendment. When the initial application failed, Wilson persisted until ratification.

Who are some key women who became part of FDR’s cabinet during the New Deal?

Frances Perkins (Secretary of Labour), Oveta Culp Hobby (Secretary of Health, Education and Welfare), Bertha S Adkins (Under-secretary of Health, Education and Welfare), Clare Booth Luce (US Ambassador to Italy) and Katherine Howard (Deputy Civil Defence Administration)

How did JFK support women’s rights?

Organised passage for equal pay, but also supported idea of women in domestic role.

How did LBJ support women’s rights?

Continued JFK’s civil rights work and passed an executive order in 1968 prohibiting sex discrimination and starting affirmative action to hire women.

How did Nixon support women’s civil rights?

Advocated for ERA in his 1970 report “A Matter of Simple Justice” and promoted more women being in executive roles

How did Reagan impact women’s civil rights?

Pledged to improve social security for women, especially the elderly and single or working mothers, but many of the acts he passed opposed these ideas. Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed as the first female justice in the Supreme Court.

Which states were the first to enfranchise women and when?

Wyoming in 1869 and Utah in 1870 (due to high Mormon population and feeling that women were not given enough rights because of culture of polygamy)

When and what was the 19th Amendment?

Ratified in 1920 and gave women the vote - though most that weren’t white remained disenfranchised

When and what was the Equal Rights Amendment?

Proposed in 1923 and stated that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the Unites States or by any State on account of sex.” However it did not pass Congress until 1972, and still remained unratified even then.

What was the WPA (Works Progress Administration) and how did it impact women?

Provided work for around 410,000 people, but only 14% were women. They were only really given clerical or ‘feminine’ roles.

What was the FERA (Federal Emergency Relief Administration) and its impact on women?

Gave work to women (204,000 by 1935) in a federal relief program.

When and what was the Fair Labour Standards Act?

1938 - creates maximum work hours and minimum wage without regard to sex, but didn’t apply to domestic servants and agriculture (massive impact on women as main roles)

When was the Equal Pay Act?

1963

Which Virginian Democrat added sex-based discrimination into the Civil Rights Act?

Howard W Smith

Which was the first state to legalise no-fault divorce?

California in 1969

What did the failed Equal Opportunities Amendment in the 1980s propose?

Focused on domestic violence, providing shelters, issues of sexual abuse within or outside marriage, protecting women from sexual harassment in the workplace, education on history of women’s rights, access to contraception, prevention of unsafe abortions, social attitude issues and funding for education for young women.

When and what was the Women’s Educational Equity Act?

1974 - funds the development of non-sexist teaching materials and model programmes to encourage education opportunities for girls and women

When and what was the Pregnancy Discrimination Act?

1978 - bans employment discrimination of pregnant women

When did the last state ratify the 19th Amendment and which state was it?

1984 - Mississippi

What did the 1991 Civil Rights Act do?

Strengthened against discrimination of women in the workplace