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Summary Women thematic notes, Civil rights A level History
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A* thematic notes on Women from . Following OCR exam board.
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1865-1920Political- activism of women
Temperance was another area in which women’s organisations relentlessly demand reform
and showed themselves as force to be reckoned with
Action to curtail the proliferation of saloons began before the outbreak of the civil war
Women believed it was their role to combat the evils of drunkenness that threatened and
undermined home and family life.
Demand for action galvanised women into action in a way that the campaign for political and
other rights was unable to do for some considerable time (1960s feminist wave)
Women Christian Temperance Union (WCTU)- 1874
NACW (National Assosiation of Colored Women)- Formed in 1896
By 1915 the NACW had 50,000 members
Unlike white women, black women suffered racial prejudice as well as gender discrimination
Consequently, whilst there was a concern for social issues, the acquisition of civil rights was
always a dominant feature of their campaigns
Ida B wells was a key figure of the NACW
Campaign for the vote- spearheaded mainly by educated, white middle-class women
Dates back to the earl decades of the 19th century
Became allied in the minds of early feminist reformed with the temperance and anti-slavery
movements
Campaign for womens rights had begun specifically in 1848 when Stanton founded the
Women’s rights convention in seneca falls
The 15th amendment= furiated women as it only extended franchise to men
Opposition ot the 14th and 15th amendments effectively split the women’s reform
movement- a feature that was to become characteristic of women’s campaign groups in the
future
AWSA- established in 1869, more moderate approach in trying to achieve the vote at state
level
NWSA- established in 1869 aggressively campaigned for a federal constitution
Initial split in the movement- indicative of the moderate v radical split seen throughout the
movement; failed to achieve solidarity and the vote because of their inability to form a united
front. Divisions between rival suffrage organisations had weakened the overall women's
rights movement. There was still a lot of resentment, not only among male opponents, but
also among some women- who disliked the idea of suffrage.
Merged to form the NAWSA in 1890- suggesting when united more likely to achieve
Alice Paul formed breakaway organisation the Congressional Union for Women’s Suffrage
during WW1- created a climate for change, encouraging radicalism
Congressional Union- picketed the White House on a daily basis
Impact of suffragist activity- the policy of the NAWSA in focusing its campaigning at state
level did yield some positive results
By 1918- twenty states had given women the right ot vote in state elections- suggesting it
was women themselves that caused political elevation and the enfranchise
It was the part played by women on the home front in WW1 which accelerated a federal
response- Alice Paul etc
Following Wilson’s call in 1918 for a constitutional amendment giving women the vote,
ratified it in 1920
The fight for the vote was largely a middle-class, white woman movement
,The women’s movement was subsequently splintered into several areas of social divisions in
women’s attitudes to what constituted acceptable spheres of activity outside the home
Interest in political matters as a whole for women can only be regarded as limited
Many didnt really value the vote- as evidenced by the lack of women who used it in the
1920s (only 40% in New York and Illinois?)
Social
Jane Addams- established Hull House in Chicago in 1889 as a social centre to support the
settlement of newly arrived immigrant families
Adams and her fellow workers came to act as an influential pressure group urging politicians
to address a whole range of social issues but, most immediately, the problem of slum
housing and evils that accompanied it
Urban growth meant more opportunities for education for women. There were new colleges
for women in the east while in the western states there were co-educational opportunities.
The first training school for nurses was set up in 1873 and by 1890 there were 35.
More organisations to care for the welfare of younger urban women, such as the Young
Women's Christian Association (YWCA) established in 1867.
The impact of immigration and the issue of equal pay were all factors hindering the progress
of women's rights
The influx of immigrants in the 1880s and 1890s led to many women from Southern and
Eastern Europe working from poor homes in crowded cities, taking in lodgers, working in
sweatshops, or working as maids and cleaners or within the sex industry. Domestic work
came to be associated with immigrants and lost its status.
There were still distinct double standards- men did not generally expect to play a part in
domestic chores and wages were still unequal, ultimately impetus fell on women to uphold
the domestic sphere
Economic
National Consumers league (NCL) set up in 1899 to gain recognition for the rights of women
in the workplace
- Pressure for the improvement in the wages of female sale clerks with local
businesses
- Pressure to secure protective legislation for women and children in the work place
and improve working conditions
- Pressure on state govts to provide aid for mothers and improved facilities for children
and young people- better schools e.g.
- Saw significant change in the American economy which enhanced opportunities for
unmarried white women, most particularly those who were educated and middle
class
- For the vast majority of working class, unmarried women who were predominantly
immigrant, AA or of another ethnicity, exploitation of themselves and often their
children was the charactering norm
- Gilded age: sexual exploitation, low pay, expectation to give up your job when you
become married unless you’re working class,no career path for women, restricted to
clerical/secretarial jobs etc
- The growth of industrialisation and improved transport during this period meant that
more work was done outside the family home than in the traditional rural
, environment. The progress of women's rights was also subjects to economic
fluctuations. For example, the first major temperance campaign after the Civil War in
1873-74 coincided with an economic slump
- Industrial growth led to more women working. By the 1880s, 26% of Philadelphia's
workers were women- in some urban centres where textiles were important (Atlanta
and Massachusetts), women amounted to 1/3 of the workforce
- Economic expansion also produced more opportunities for white-collar work. Before
1861 clerks were mainly men, but by the 1880s clerical work had opened up
opportunities for women, especially with the development of the typewriter. However,
female wages were considerably lower than male wages for similar work and there
were fewer promotion opportunities.
Prohibition campaign details
- 18th amendment to constitution was passed in 1917, banning the sale, import,
transport and manufacture of alcoholic drink. Heralded a turning point for the
beginning of prohibition
- Different female pressure groups had played a significant part in the campaigns
leading to the amendment- indicative of the increased role of women in the political
sphere. However their stance politically hinged upon redressing the domestic issue of
men being abusive when drunk, clearly still restricted to the domestic sphere- only
foothold into politics
- Issue of prohibition provides a good example of the fundamental divisions that
existed in the early decades of the 20th century between women’s groups who used
the same arguments to achieve opposite outcomes.
- Indicative of the strength and influence of the female voice when focused on issues
identifiable with their traditional sphere within which they were regarded as the moral
authority
- WCTU 1874- key womens organisation in the campaign for prohibition. Under
powerful leadership of Frances Willard
- Willard demonstrated many leadership qualities, recognised the need for enhancing
the public appeal of the movement by aligning it with emotion and a unifying image
- Argument for prohibition firmly rooted in the protection of the home
- Turning point in the formation of the anti-saloon League (ASL) 1893. The league was
also a non-partisan organisation, aligned itself with WTCU to create a united front
- 1913: successful combined lobbying tactics and joint campaigns had resulted in
prohibition laws being enacted in 9 states- movement was gaining momentum
- WW1 catalysed the movement- by 1917 26 states had prohibition laws
- Wanted national prohibition laws to make it consistent, more effective
- Use of propaganda, pressure, lobbying- led to congress passing the amendment in
1917, ratified in 1919
- Could be down to the success of women activism- however it was also the fact that
America did not want to feed into German trade as most of the breweries in the US
were German. Also those who opposed prohibition failed to unite and organise
themselves against the prohibition lobby
- Change in attitudes to prohibition in the late 20s: equally effective in overturning
prohibition
- Many WCTU members nearing the 30s now joined the pressure to repeal
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