Civil Rights

Women have not always had the rights that we have today. Women have fought for equal opportunities, equal rights, and equal treatment as men for many years, dating back to the 1770’s when Abigail Adams started to voice her “feminist views.” Many disagreed with her views and opinions. A woman’s role was to tend to the house and family. It was the man who worked and provided. Men controlled society and women. The government protected men within the relationship regardless of mistreatment. Men were even able to gain custody of the children and all of the family possessions if the woman was able to free herself from the mistreatment. There have been many women in the past that have sacrificed their lives to gain rights for women.

According to Edwards III, Wattenberg, & Lineberry (2008) in 1848 the first major step towards women rights began on July 19th. One hundred men and women signed the “Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution,” a petition requesting women have the right to vote. It took seventy-two years for the 19th amendment to finally be ratified giving women the equal opportunity to vote (p. 158). The 19th amendment states that the United States constitution prohibits each of the states and the federal government from denying a citizen the right to vote because of the citizen’s gender. Women fought through organizations, protests, lobbying, anything they could do to get the United States government to recognize their relentless actions to achieve their ultimate goal of allowing individuals to vote regardless of their gender. Edward III et al. (2008) continue to discuss that Charlotte Woodward was the only one that signed the “Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolution” and was able to vote in 1920 (p. 158). Although only one signer of this declaration was able to vote and fulfill their goal of being a woman voter, their goal was ultimately carried out and still is over ninety years later because women are still able to vote and voice their opinion.

It was hard to choose simply one subcategory because I feel that they all tie into each other in one way or another. Women in the workplace go hand in hand with wage discrimination or comparable worth. Women were looked down upon by men as being weaker, less dominant, and less experienced. Women had gained the right to vote, but that was only the beginning. Women wanted to be treated equally in society. Several groups were organized to take a stand against public policy and discrimination against women. Women wanted the opportunity to pursue an education and a career, but public policy ensured that women still maintain the role of house wife. According to Edwards III et al. (2008) women were able to work in the workfoce, but were still not offered the same opportunities or equal treatment as men. Women could not work overtime, long hours, or do any heavy lifting (p. 158). Women’s organizations such as National