Herstory Final (Exam 3)

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Bessie Smith

A woman of color born in 1894 to a poor family in Tennessee. She dreamt of being famous, and made her dreams a reality. Bessie Smith was “The Empress Of Blues” in the 1920s, and boy could she sing the blues. She was a big drinker and had a very commanding presence. She was 5’9” and 200 lbs. The Jazz Age, baby! She was known for her sexy deep voice and her rough & tumble personality. She was tragically killed in a car accident in 1937.

Woodstock Festival

A huge music festival featuring tons of musical guests and attracting over 400,000 people in total. Arranged by 4 dudes who had money and wanted to put on a music festival. 50,000 people had already shown up on August 13, 1969 and started to camp out, even though the festival wasn’t supposed to start until the 15th. Performers from the famous weekend included Bob Dylan, The Grateful Dead, Joan Baez, Melanie, Jefferson Airplane (w/ Grace Slick), and many more.

Was a huge event for hippies, and significantly brought together the vibes of the 60s: s*x, drugs, and rock and roll, all in one place. Also propelled all the performers into icon status, including all the female performers! Not so fun fact: the festival grounds did not have restrooms/port-a-potties.

Ileana Ros-Lehtinen

The US’s first Hispanic female elected to Congress! She is of Cubana descent and represented Florida’s 27th Congressional District starting in 1989. She held the position for 3 decades, ending in 2019. She’s an LGBT ally; supported the repealing of DOMA, Don’t Ask Don’t Tell, and is a huge supporter of trans rights. Made a pro-trans PSA in 2016 that said, “every trans person is a part of someone’s family.” Including hers! Ileana has a trans son, Rodrigo, who goes by Rigo. She showed neither race nor gender slowed her down.

Rosie the Riveter

An iconic propaganda symbol of the working woman during the WW2 era. Rosie was famously depicted wearing overalls, eating a sandwich, and stepping on Mein Kampf. She had a blend of both masculine & feminine traits. Norman Rockwell’s version of Rosie was published in the Evening Post in 1943. RR as the working woman was everywhere, Norman Rockwell's portrayal of RR was in the Saturday Evening Post. She was modeled after the women participating in the war production efforts, riveting together big metal tanks, planes, and other equipment needed for the war.

Loretta Lynch

The first black woman to be the US Attorney General. She was born in Greensboro, NC in 1959. “Don’t let violence be the new normal.” Prosecuted corrupt public officials, terrorists, human traffickers, and cybercriminals. She tried to make it so that cops would be required to have body cams (which was scrapped once US got a new AG). Served for two years, from 2015-2017. She made history by being the second female US Attorney General, and the first AA woman to be an AG. She used her platform to speak up for the LGBT+ and tried to ensure the accountability of law enforcement officers.

The 19th Amendment

An amendment added to the US constitution that finally gave women across the nation the right to vote. The 19th Amendment was passed on August 26th 1920. Lucy Burns, Alice Paul, and The Silent Sentinels, a group of peaceful female protestors at the Capitol, all contributed greatly to its passing. Women all across America could finally exercise the right to vote, legalized on a federal level. This was a colossal victory for the WV and all the brave women who fought tirelessly for suffrage for so many decades prior.

Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances (FACE) Act

Dr. David Gunn, an OBGYN in Pensacola Florida was fatally shot on his way in to work by Michael Griffin, who was waiting for him in the parking lot of the clinic. Also known as the “Stay Away Law”, The FACE Act “forbids the use of force, threat of force or physical obstruction" from individuals either providing or receiving reproductive healthcare. On March 10 1993, David Gunn was shot in the back 3 times by Michael Griffin, who claimed he was “acting for God”. The FACE Act was passed by 1994. Gunn’s tragic murder propelled new laws to be made in order to try to prevent other patients and healthcare providers from facing the same fate.

Phyllis Schlafly

A woman who believed that the Equal Rights Amendment was an “attack” on a woman’s job of motherhood, what they were “born to do”. In 1972, Nixon said yes to the ERA and Congress started to review it. She started the STOP movement in efforts to stop the ERA from going forward. Phyllis was from Alton, Illinois but her STOP mission spread all throughout the nation. She is significant because she and STOP pretty much caused the dismantling of the ERA.

Women’s Peace Party (WPP)

An organization founded by Jane Addams in 1915, who was later awarded a Nobel Peace Prize for her work in 1931. The WPP wanted the US to avoid getting involved in WW1, but we did anyway in 1917. Founded in Chicago, then grew across the nation and even went international. They represented the WV in political affairs at a time when women weren’t even guaranteed the right to vote yet.

All American Girls Baseball League (AAGBL)

A league of all women baseball players, created so that the nation could still enjoy the national pastime of baseball even while the men were away at war. Started by Philip Wrigley in 1943 to avoid a baseball shutdown. He made a bunch of rules for the ladies; mandatory charm school, had to appear feminine, required to wear skirts and makeup, and were given no leg protection. These ladies played all over the nation, but the league originated in Chicago. Women had to take on all kinds of men’s roles during WW2 and then were forced to give them back afterwards and generally expected to return to the COD.

Beats

An early feminist movement of women who didn't want to conform to the 1950s scripted gender roles of the housewife and mommie. They all were in that position, so knew it from experience and felt it placed them in a "box" where they were inferior and limited. They wanted to challenge societal norms/subvert expectations. Women like Betty Friedan, the OG Beat Lady, started the major movement for women to not conform to the roles placed on them, get out of the "box", and live for themselves... and she literally set the example by divorcing her husband. Betty eventually wrote the book The Feminine Mystique to show how awful and dependent housewives felt. Betty Friedan and the female Beats were feminists in the 1950s before it was cool to be a feminist in the 1960s/70s. Beats were all over, but a big emphasis is growing cities in the 1950s/1960s. The Beats laid the foundation for the explosion of the hippie movement and other social movements in the years to follow.