Abstract This paper studies the impact of women on the political landscape of the U.S. The paper begins with a review of the suffrage movement and the passage of the nineteenth amendment. Then, the paper summarizes the early influence of First Ladies, such as Eleanor Roosevelt and Ladybird Johnson. The bulk of the paper studies the current group of influential female decision-makers, including cabinet members, governors and state and national legislators. The paper concludes by asking how far the U.S. has come since the 19th amendment, and whether the U.S. will ultimately see a female president.
From the Paper "Congress proclaimed the Nineteenth Amendment to be part of the U.S. Constitution on August 26, 1920. It reads: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex..." (Americana, p. 575) Thus, the ratification of the Amendment by at least three-fourths of the States gave women the right to vote. It was called "Women's Suffrage" and recognized the equality of women under the law. Of course, as we all know, equality under the law as to access to the voting booth, and access to equality at work and under other legal activities were two separate items. In fact, until this very year, 1999, Congress has refused to pass any legislation, lumped together as ERA...Equal Rights Amendment which goes far beyond voting. So, in essence, women are not, according to the strictest interpretation of Constitutional law, protected in all areas of life."
Abstract This paper analyzes the political makeup of a U.S. congressman or
congresswoman. There are many aspects surrounding the career of a congress-person, most of which the public is generally unaware of. The writer of this paper delves into the rarely spoken qualifications needed to obtain the support of a particular party which include: Financial backing, proper education, desirable religious beliefs, race and age. This paper details the daily life of a congress-person which is extremely demanding. If the representative is truly honest and qualified, it may be even more difficult than for those representatives who are simply going with the flow of the system. The writer of this paper also discusses the lack of black or Hispanic members in the House of Representatives as well as the Senate. This paper also examines the impact of the media on the effectiveness of elected government officials.
Table of Contents:
Outline
Congress Does Not at all Represent the American Population
Requirements of a Congressperson
Some Congressmen and Congresswomen are Genuine
Thesis
A Look at Congress
Footnotes
Works Cited
From the Paper "Some of the requirements of congresspersons make logical sense for the profession, while others simply do not. Sufficient political experience is a sensible requirement of a candidate, but it must be weighed with the cost of electing representatives that are past their prime, bought into the status-quo, disillusioned, or even senile. One journalist described witnessing congressmen who were obviously too old to be competent in this job. The WASP requirements of congressmen are illogical in this desegregated, supposedly enlightened post-suffrage and civil rights era; one's gender, ethnicity, and religion have little or nothing to do with how well one can perform in Congress, apart from the fact that each representative will have to overcome all of the prejudices held against them."
