Abstract This paper discusses how the basis of expansion into the west relied on a great many factors in the 19thcentury. America was a nation had land and bountiful resources, which allowed immigration, trade and land grabbing to become prominent. The paper further discusses how America as a young nation, rely on aggressive and often brutal measures to gain land with foreign entities, such as the Native Americans and Mexicans, which helped fuel a cut-throat economy for a white hegemonic population.
From the Paper "This historical study will evaluate the critical point that led to American expansion during the 19th century, and why the economic and immigrant related polices that helped to make this country grow. By learning of the westward expansion, one can realize the power of immigration and economics that helped to expand the boundaries of a young country. In essence, the economic and immigrant based trends of the America as a nation to grow into world power beginning at the Atlantic Ocean, and ending at the Pacific Ocean by the end of the century. The economic power of early America in the 19th century was based on trade and through westward expansion. The economic affect that fur trading had on the American west can be found through supply and demand."
Abstract This paper traces the history of the women's suffrage movement in 19thcenturyAmerica, with an emphasis on its leaders and goals. In particular, the contributions of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Fanny Wright are illustrated through their writings and lectures. The paper states that women earning the right to vote meant a nearly complete transformation of social norms in the United States. The paper also describes the connection between the abolitionist movement and women's suffrage. The writer concludes that despite the ratification of the 19th Amendment, women still suffered from widespread discrimination and continue to fight for equal rights even today.
From the Paper "Susan B. Anthony and scores of other prominent suffragists rallied as much for the cause of abolition as for women's rights. One of the most notable companion causes of 19th century suffragists was the temperance movement. In fact, suffragist Frances Willard had been intimately involved in the Christian Temperance movement and in 1891 became president World's Woman's Christian Temperance Union. The temperance movement's primary objective was the reduction in alcohol abuse, and in 1872, the Prohibition Party became the "first national political party to recognize the right of suffrage for women in its platform," ("Women's History in America"). Therefore, the women's suffrage movement did not exist in isolation of other social, economic, and political causes."
Abstract This paper discusses how the culture or way of life of the people in America in the late 19thcentury consisted of such factors as their heightening interests in material goods and possessions made possible by the Industrial Revolution, growing interest in the world around them, their growing divisions of socio-political ideologies and collective institutions, their traditional pastimes, customs and evolving ideals. It contends that, as a result, American life in the late 19thcentury was profound in the evolving process of reaching, as never before in the history of the nation, a highly advanced state of science, mechanics and societal evolution. It also examines how this was exemplified by an emerging socio-political platform calling for greater demand of change voiced from not only American white women but from the recently freed black American masses, with both factions struggling for greater human and social rights.
From the Paper "In fact, it was the Industrial Revolution during the 19th century that was the forerunner to today's progress in computerized and Internet technology through its industrial development that has been continuous to a large extent this very day. This is because the Industrial Revolution during the 19th century, just as the technological explosion of today, led to increasing new changes of life in many different ways that never ever were considered before that time. Unfortunately, one of the changes brought about by the exciting new vistas of America's mechanized manufacturing industrialized society of the 19th century was the deepening separation between the poor and rich classes of American. This unfortunately brought about greater disparity of the poor delving into greater poverty versus the immense riches gained by the wealthy class of people. "
Abstract This paper covers the evolution of child labor laws from 19thCentury England through the present. The author discusses harsh working conditions endured and injuries suffered by children. Cited are specific pieces of legislation and non-profit campaigns aimed at stopping the phenomenon.
From the Paper "Child labor in 19th century England was a shameful practice that many of us never look back on. The displaced working classes took it for granted that a family would not be able to support itself if the children were not employed. Therefore, children as young as five years old were working 12 hour shifts for less then 20 dollars a day. The conditions in which these children worked were below standards. It was a long and deadly fight to regulated child labor laws in England during the 19th century. Today many of us take for granted the regulations on child labor; we act as if this is how it has been since the beginning. What we do not realize is how much child labor has progressed since the 19th century. Three hundred years may sound like a long time but when you consider how life was for a child then and compare it to a child's life today, I think you?ll begin to come to a better understanding of exactly what we have gone through to get where we are today."
Abstract This paper looks at the radical changes in women's roles and rights in America during the 18th and 19thcenturies. The paper begins by briefly looking at their legal status in the 16th and 17th centuries. Next, the paper turns to a discussion of the struggle for women's rights within the context of the Age of Enlightenment, which began during the 18th century. The paper shows that while strides were being made, much progress was denied by the very men who were agitating for social change within the upper echelons of power. The paper then examines the impact of the Industrial Revolution on women's roles in society. Within the context of social change, the paper looks at the role of women in the abolitionist movement and examines how the suffrage movement for women differed from that for former slaves. The paper concludes with a discussion of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote.
Outline
Women's Legal Status in the 16th and 17th Century Women's Rights in the 18th Century Women and the Industrial Revolution
Women Abolitionists
Women's versus Black Man's Suffrage After the Civil War
Introduction of the Women's Suffrage Amendment
Women's Suffrage Becomes a Reality in 1920
Conclusion
From the Paper "The modern Western struggle for women's rights began in the 18th century during the Age of Enlightenment. Political philosophers in Europe began to question traditional ideas that based the rights of citizens on their wealth and social status. Instead, leaders of the Enlightenment argued that all individuals were born with natural rights, and improved education and more egalitarian social structures could correct inequalities. Such radical ideas about equality and the rights of citizens helped inspire both the American Revolution in 1775 and the French Revolution in 1789--and spurred many women to claim equal rights as well. The fact was that women actually suffered many set backs in their unwritten rights during the "Age of Enlightenment". Earlier women of means had been writers, poets, dramatists, painters and thinkers. Rousseau's contention that women were not rational helped relegate many women to the status of "beast of burden". Where the wealthy had formally educated their women in the 16th and 17th Century so that they could intelligently discuss everything from politics to mathematics, this became less fashionable in the 18th Century."
Abstract The paper looks at how, by 1863, women in the US were beginning to influence the economy due in large part to the Civil War and the shortage of male labor. The paper looks at how many men, however, endorsed the societal norm of the time that a woman's rightful place was in the home. The paper describes how women starting their own businesses found it very hard to secure adequate credit to start and expand their businesses. The paper portrays how even resourceful women were relegated by societal norms to the role of glorified housekeeper.
From the Paper "One has to only look at the Declaration of Sentiments issued at the end of The Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 for historical proof that women were treated as second class citizens in America in the latter half of the 19th century.1 If women were in fact treated legally, politically and socially as men's equals, there would have been no convention, no one hundred and fifty plus year feminist movement in America. Women may well have made only limited progress in the subsequent half century in elevating their status, but there is ample evidence that it was not for lack of trying."
Tags: feminism, housekeeper, business, status, equality, home
Abstract The 1800s was a century filled with immense change. The emotions of repression, and the desire for sexual equality that burnt within the hearts of women would be sent forth into this new era of reform. The paper shows, however, that women didn't stop at defending their natural right to equality. They also fought for other radical ideas concerning temperance, the abolitionist movement and prison reform. Despite the inferior status of women at this point in time, the paper discusses how they managed to play a substantial role in this Reform Crusade.
From the Paper "As the temperance movement was a giant leap in the status of women, the abolitionist movement was also yet another progression towards the goal of reform. In the mid-1800's, the movement took off due to the efforts of two particular women. Angelena and Sarah Grimke were raised proper young women, but also grew up detesting slavery, and they made sure that their opinion was known. In response towards a pastoral letter condemning the sisters efforts, Sarah Grimke writes that "Men and women were created equal"(Skinner 61) and ultimately proclaims that women are worthy adversaries especially involving issues such as the abolitionist movement."
Abstract This paper introduces, discusses and compares the hardships faced by pioneer women as they traveled across the American continent in the 19thcentury. Specifically, it looks at the long and grueling journey, depression, financial ruin, disease and death on the trail.
From the Paper "Most of the women who traveled west were part of a family ? they had to follow their husbands or lose them. Some of them traveled with great anticipation of what was to come, and some of them dreaded leaving the comforts of the East to head toward what they knew could only be hardship and loss on the trip west. One such woman was Lucetta Rogers, who travel to California in 1853 to meet her husband. He had left her in Connecticut, and she traveled by ship to reach him faster after she learned he was sick with typhoid fever."
Abstract By the mid-19thcentury, theater in the United States had undergone a dramatic transformation. Theater became enormously popular and attracted a more genteel and wealthy audience. The paper shows how plays by American writers began to showcase social concerns, and actors and actresses enjoyed a new-found status as respected members of society. "Uncle Tom's Cabin" became one of the most popular plays of the time and typified American theater's new focus on social conditions. The paper shows that the last half of the 19thcentury marked significant changes in American theater. These changes were partially spurred by the large population growth in East Coast cities. As America grew, the number of theaters increased. Also as America's leisure time increased and wages increased, Americans looked to the theater for entertainment. The paper explains that improvements in transportation allowed actors and actresses to tour parts of America that had never had professional theaters, and the result was an explosion in the popularity of the theater.
From the Paper "The historical accuracy of Uncle Tom's cabin was also indicative of the move toward the historical accuracy of sets, costumes, and dialects seen in 19th century theater (Robinson). The play is a 'melodrama', or simply a play with music, allowing American audiences all over the country exposure to the music of the Negro spiritual, which contained a complex mixture of dialect and music that depicted black culture of the time. In ACT II, Scene 4, Topsy sings 'Oh, I'se So Wicked', a song that characterized the life and dialect of southern slaves, and depicted the degradation of slaves."
This paper compares two essays about the role of women in 19thCentury England written by Sarah Stickney Ellis (excerpt from "The Wives of England"- 1843) and Jeanne Deroin (excerpt from "Almanach des Femmos"- 1852).
980 words (approx. 3.9 pages), 2 sources, 2002, $ 34.95
Abstract This paper defines that these two critical essays are essential studies of how women's role in 19thCentury English society shifted from one of subordination to a more liberal, even radical criticism of the society's treatment of women. This paper discusses Ellis? essay, which talks about women's subordination to men and Deroin's later essay, which criticizes the unjust and unequal treatment of the society to its women, particularly in their role as wives, mothers, and as women inside the family institution.
From the Paper "Ellis? essay, an excerpt from her book, ?The Wives of England,? talks about the ways and actions a woman must portray in public in order to be considered an intelligent and "rational" individual by her society. The essay is described as an advisory about the necessary actions a woman must do in order to make their husbands, or the men, ?feel like kings in their own households and thereby become aware of just how much they need their devoted wives.? Ellis started her essay by stating that the role of men in the society is essential and their role as the "head of a household" are both vital functions to which the males of the society must attend. In effect, Ellis makes it clear that the role of women fades in comparison with the important work men must do to both maintain the stability and security of the society and his family."
This paper traces the evolution of women's health and medical practices through the 19thcentury, citing "The Yellow Wallpaper" by Charlotte Perkins Gilman in the analysis of female hysteria.
Abstract This paper explores women's health issues in the 19thcentury. The writer suggests that the attitudes of men toward women were central to issues concerning women's health. The paper looks at primitive gynecologic practices, allopathic medicine, personalities including midwife Martha Ballard and trends such as Lydia Pinkham's Vegetable Compound. The writer concludes that studying the history of the progress in women's health is an excellent way for women to learn what they will have to do to improve their own futures.
From the Paper "In the 19th century, any female complaint was likely to be considered a nervous disorder. The woman in "The Yellow Wallpaper" is the victim of what contemporary men labeled "hysteria" for which many hysterectomies were performed. Getting out from behind that male imposed wallpaper was a major effort of will for women. If she complained too much, a woman would most likely be subjected to the new hysterectomy procedure developed by Dr. Robert Battley, which had a very high mortality rate. Doctors like the husband in Gilman's story provoked a reactionary movement that included the efforts of Dr. John Kellogg and Dr. Sylvester Graham, part of the popular health movement that flourished from 1820-1870. They encouraged loose, healthy clothing, exercise and steam baths for both sexes, advocated vegetarian, whole wheat, alcohol free diets and strongly rejected masturbation as sinful, lawless and unhealthy."
Abstract This paper is a critique and reaction statement to the non-fiction book "The Kingdom of Matthias: A Story of Sex and Salvation in 19th-CenturyAmerica", by Paul E. Johnson and Sean Wilentz. This book focuses on the events in 1834-1836, where a man calling himself "Matthias the Prophet" began an underground religious cult in New York City that focused on sex and the deprecation of women.
Abstract This paper explains that, in Bettina Bradbury's research, between 1861 and 1891, mainly French-Canadian women are found living and working in a harsh way, which demanded general resourcefulness to maintain their families' survivals. The author points out that, in contrast, Joy Parr's study of Ontario's industrial towns after 1880 reveals women's closer connections to the waged labor economy. The paper stresses that Bradbury's depiction of working class women in Montreal is convincing and speaks to Canadian women in terms beyond economics or feminism. The author found that, despite much theory referring to positions of gender as somehow unitary, there are dangers in presuming the realities of working class women in the later 19thcentury. The paper concludes that this literature helps interpret a contemporary Canadian society, which still tends to disadvantage women.
Table of Contents:
Introduction
Situation versus Culture
Reflection
Last Remarks
From the Paper "Few widows received pension incomes for their husbands had often not had pensions in the forms of employment available to them. A predictable aspect of law so disadvantageous to women was the woman to turn to prostitution for survival or those running brothels or taverns. Joy Parr's work refers to Paris, Ontario and the demand for mainly British factory hands, often women, who were already skilled contributors to factory life before emigration. The idea of women working beyond the home as losing their reputations prevailed in much attention to 'protecting' women in Paris Ontario, as in the Penmans company's payment of quite low wages but also providing recreational and health care services."
Abstract A study of the lives and culture of French peasant women during the 19thcentury. Discusses the influence of the Revolution, and of Napoleon's structural improvements, on rural France and (indirectly) on the role of women in the economy. Also covers rural schooling efforts and the influence of industrialization on population and materials available in rural areas.
Abstract This paper discusses the severity of women suffering in the 19thcentury labour market. Illustrated is how women's roles were predetermined and pushed into being house labourers.
