1865 - 1914 Flashcards
(26 cards)
What was the 14th Amendment for women and when was it?
- Ratified in 1868
- 14th Amendment granted citizenship to all born in the US
- But explicitly referred to ‘male’ citizens
What was the impact of the 14th amendment on women?
- legally entrenched gender discrimination by defining political rights around men
- excluded women from voting
When was the 15th Amendment and how did it affect women?
- Ratified in 1870
- 15th Amendment granted voting rights to African American men but excluded women entirely
What was the impact of the 15th Amendment on women?
- Many felt betrayed after years of joint campaigning for abolition
- Showed that race and gender were being prioritized differently
- Highlighted women’s exclusion from formal political change
What were the main women’s suffrage groups during this period?
- AWSA 1869: supported the 15th Amendment, believed that women’s suffrage could come later
- NWSA 1869: opposed the 15th unless women included
Who were the founders of the National Women Suffrage Association?
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- Susan B Anthony
What was the approach of the National Women Suffrage Association (NWSA)?
- radical and confrontational
- opposed male-only suffrage, demanded federal amendment
- challenged the legal system
What was a quote from one of the leaders from the NWSA?
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton
- “It was unjust to make sex a basis for civil rights”
What was the view of the American Women Suffrage Association (AWSA)?
- more moderate and focused on state level reform
- supported African American male suffrage even if women had to wait
What methods did the American Women Suffrage Association use?
- Petitions
- legal lobbying
- less direct action
What happened in Bradwell v Illinois and when was it?
- 1873
- The Supreme Court ruled that states could bar women from practising law
- reinforced that women’s role was domestic, not professional
What was decided in Minor v Happersett and when was it?
- 1875
- The Supreme Court ruled that women were US citizens, but that did not guarantee the right to vote
How did reconstruction impact African American women socially?
- though legally free, African American women faced discrimination, violence and poverty
- most worked as domestic servants or sharecroppers
- Over 90% of AA women worked in domestic roles by 1880
What was the ‘Cult of Domesticity’ and how did it impact women?
- reinforced the belief that women belonged in the home as moral guardians and caregivers
- justified legal and economic exclusion of women from public and professional life
What role did women play in reform movements during this period?
- Women were active in temperance, education and abolition movements
- however they remained excluded from political decision-making
What role did women play in benefiting African American women post slavery
- Northern white women established Freedmen’s schools
- Groups like the American Missionary Association
- Over 3000 Freedmen’s schools by 1870, many staffed by women
What was the role of women in the temperance movement?
- Women saw alcohol as a threat to family life
- Women Christian Temperance Union was formed in 1873, became one of the largest women’s organisations, advocating for prohibition
What type of jobs were available for women during this period
- factory work
- domestic service
- teaching
- nursing
What issue did women face in working during this period?
- low paid
- low status work
- gendered roles
What % of women were employed outside the home in 1870?
- 13%
- mainly in domestic services and teaching
How did industrialisation affect working class women by 1900?
- industrial growth increased demand for cheap labour
- more women entered factories, but wages were low and hours were long
What % of the workforce were women in 1900?
18%
What role did trade unions play for women workers?
- Most early unions excluded women
- Women’s Trade Union League 1903 began organising female labourers
- fought for better wages and conditions but had limited success before 1914
What social and legal opposition did women face during this period?
- Dominant gender ideology (Cult of Domesticity)
- Legal rulings like Minor v Happersett
- lack of political representation
