17 Comments
Arjana Begzati
2/22/2014 05:29:03 am
Even though the Progressive movement (just like most other important movements in history) centers around male influential figures like Theodore Roosevelt, Woodrow Wilson, Chester A. Arthur and Upton Sinclair, women played an important role in reforms of especially this era. Being considers the guardians of the home and children, women were in charge of very important aspects of the society. In oder to take care of the problems of the homes, (which existed at a national level,) women saw the need to influence the public as a whole. Some of their concerns included sanitation (which obviously affects the home), healthcare, education, children's rights (especially child labor), social issues for working women, (like working conditions,) and many more. In order to tackle those problems more effectively, middle-class women organized themselves into clubs to start with small changes and reach big goals. The parts of this movement led by women started out at the local level, but soon expanded to the state and national level. When remembering the most important tool for changes of a citizen, women realized that in order to see reforms they wanted, they earnestly need the right to vote. The women suffrage movement had started way before the Progressive Era, but its peak was reached during this period, encouraged by the need of more power to solve problems.
Reply
Timmi Keisel
2/23/2014 07:40:17 am
Great answer Arjana! I feel like you summed up women's contributions to this movement very well. I always love reading your answers!
Reply
Anthony Brandt
2/25/2014 02:38:55 am
great answer and great supporting details.
Reply
Timmi Keisel
2/23/2014 07:12:30 am
During the time of Progressivism, women were definitely a force to be reckoned with. Women’s rights were a very large change during this time, but women controlled and were a part of so much more. Women’s Clubs became very popular during the Progressive period. By 1892, there were more than 100,000 women involved in over 500 clubs. These clubs seemed to focus on some of the topics leaders more so overlooked. They opened libraries and made a big impact in schools. They campaigned for free kindergarten and introduced school nurses and hot lunches for the students. They also supported more heated topics also. Included were child labor laws, pure foods, and the most scandalous at the time, woman suffrage. Many men at the time like President Wilson ignored this cause; however, Alice Paul’s hunger strike caught everyone’s attention. Also like Arjana said, women supported Progressivism, and having this support would definitely be beneficial from a political standpoint.
Reply
Zane Boerner
2/23/2014 11:37:34 pm
I really like your answer it is short and to the point and still answers the question thoroughly. Keep up the good work!
Reply
Elayna Muller
2/23/2014 11:20:21 am
Many thought women were supposed to have "womanly jobs" such as teaching and being librarians, but women during the progressive movement are remembered now as reformers. By the end of the nineteenth century, more women were having less children and more began looking for things to do outside the house. In fact, nearly "10% of all American women in the last decades of the nineteenth century never married, and single women were among the most prominent female reformers of the time." There also became an increase in the divorce rate. Plus, higher levels of education contributed to the prominence of women in reform activities. After the formation of the General Federation of Women's Clubs created in 1892, there were more than 1 million members by 1917! These Women's Clubs planted trees, supported schools and libraries, built hospitals and parks, supported child labor laws, worker compensation, pure food, drug legislation, occupational safety, and woman suffrage. The National Association of Colored Women arose as well. These clubs that helped women win passage of state and eventually federal laws to regulate conditions of women became the change that led progressive men to welcome the women who contributed to their cause.
Reply
McCall Etl
2/23/2014 03:01:19 pm
I like this question! I would definitely characterize women as a huge part of the Progressive movement! Men of the time may not want to hear that, but considering what the women did with the rights and voice they had, it's pretty amazing. There were obvious big names for males in this movement. Theodore Roosevelt, Lincoln Steffens, Upton Sinclair, etc. However, there were huge women names too. I can think of Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Paul as two big ones. Eleanor Roosevelt was a big component for social work which benefitted many people, and it still does today. I'll refer to Alice Paul later. Other women in general were starting to change. Now that they were having less kids, women were searching for activities outside the home. This brought about clubs that eventually played a huge role in social reform. They really changed schools for the better - introducing inspections, free kindergarten, hot lunches, etc. They also promoted better health care and better sanitation. They pushed for the well being of people by attempting to limit the consumption of alcohol, which unfortunately didn't stay effective. However, all of these other efforts we can still see today! These pushes in social reform were not only benefitting the country, but they were giving women a place in society. Eventually these women were pushing for suffrage. This seems to be a touchy subject of the time, so men probably didn't take it seriously during the period. However, when Alice Paul went on her hunger strike to gain the right to vote, she caught the men's attention. These women were serious. Even Woodrow Wilson was shocked by these insane effort, and eventually the 19th Amendment was passed. Like Arjana and Timmi said, men also probably saw the good in having more support for the Progressive movement, and the probably also became aware of what women were doing. They were becoming independent and relying on each other for economic and social support, and were making great strides doing so.
Reply
Kirsten Comstock
2/23/2014 11:44:07 pm
McCall you really did a great job answering this question. You made a lot of good points and gave a lot of examples of people, what they did, and what they went through. Good job!
Reply
Zane Boerner
2/23/2014 11:34:58 pm
Women were a large part of the Progressive movement. Women's rights changed dramatically in this time as they gained political power through the right to vote. There were also a lot more women receiving higher levels of education since there were more women's colleges and coeducational public universities giving women the opportunity to go past a high school education. There was also a rise in women's clubs at this time. In 1892 there were over 100,000 women in 500 clubs, and 1 million women were members by 1917. These clubs dealt with a lot of social reform. They planted trees, supported schools and libraries, and built hospitals and parks. The success of these clubs and the power to make changes the that they wanted to society could have been a huge factor in being welcomed by male Progressives.
Reply
Rachel Frantz
2/24/2014 12:29:39 am
Great answer. Do you think the progressive movement would have been as successful as it was if women hadn't played a role in the reform? Or if the men wouldn't have accepted the women's contributions?
Reply
Kirsten Comstock
2/23/2014 11:41:24 pm
During the Progressive movement woman made a huge impact. While these woman were fighting for woman's rights, they were also involved in a lot of other things. Woman were looking for more things to do with more of their free time and so they started clubs. Around 500 of them to be exact and a lot of woman were involved in them. They also started to benefit schools. They were fighting for free kindergarten, they had the first hot lunches introduced in schools, and opened several libraries. Alice Paul, amount other woman, had a huge impact on woman's suffrage. She went on a hunger strike to gain the right to vote and I feel like that really showed men that these woman were fighting for something they really wanted and meant business. I also think that men saw that they were really working hard for this and even through all of the tough trials that they all went through they still fought for woman's rights and I think they took their hard work into consideration. They were now seeing them different and not just woman relying on their husbands. They were serious about this and made great changes for the future.
Reply
Sabrina Lousberg
2/24/2014 01:50:19 am
Great answer! What do you think would have happened if Alice Paul gave in and ate? Do you think this would have affected the mens' view on women? Do you think women still would have gotten the right to vote?
Reply
Rachel
2/23/2014 11:56:46 pm
Women played a huge role in the Progressive movement. Even though they didn’t have the same political stature and power as the leading men of the time they still managed to accomplish some very important tasks. The women of this time were more independent then in previous time periods. Women now no longer had to marry to be successful and they could thrive without a husband. The women also formed various clubs. Each club pushed for reform in its own way. These clubs helped lead to libraries, inspected schools and playgrounds, and rehabilitation of prostitutes. To me women pushed for less self-centered reform then men. The woman wanted to improve the lives of children, the poor, and the prostitutes…etc. These were elements often over looked by the men of the era. Two very important women during the progressive movement include Eleanor Roosevelt and Alice Paul. Eleanor pushed for social work and Alice Paul fought for the right for women to vote. Woman also pushed for reform in the heated topic of child labor. They fought to protect their children and others children. Many men tried to overlook the Progressive women of the time; however, the women became too dominant of a force to reckon with. The men began to see the political advantage to working with women. I believe that the men realized that these ladies were not just going disappear and that it would actually be in their advantage because of the support they’d gain through accepting the women.
Reply
Megan
2/24/2014 12:51:00 am
Great answer Rachel! You had good thoughts and your added opinions were really good. What do you think would have happened if Alice Paul would not have got her way? What would the probability of women having the right to vote now be like?
Reply
Megan Chintala
2/24/2014 12:46:49 am
Women made a lot of progress and made a huge impact during the Progressive period. Not just in the social part of things, but also on the economic side of things. Even though women in some states didn't have a lot of rights than those in the other states, they still managed to get things done. Higher levels of education also helped women in their fight. More and more colleges were being built for women and this was helping them for support. Women then began to form clubs. These clubs were very powerful. There was over 100,000 members and almost 500 clubs. Women clubs planted trees, supported schools, libraries, and they built hospitals and parks. These things were very beneficial for people during this time. The importance of Kindergartens and hot lunches came up within these clubs. A lot of men chose to ignore all of these clubs and what they were doing. Including President Wilson. But when Alice Paul went on a hunger strike, it caught a lot of people's attention. Women had the right to vote and people no longer ignored them.
Reply
Sabrina Lousberg
2/24/2014 01:48:20 am
Women played huge roles in the progressive movement. They also had huge impacts on the progressive movement. Women were not fighting for their rights. They wanted to have the same opportunities as men with the same benefits. They really wanted the right to vote. Although these women weren’t just fighting for their own rights, they also started several clubs to occupy their free time. These clubs helped introduce the first hot lunches to schools and opened several libraries. Through all of the womens’ hard work and tough trials, the women never gave up their fight. They would be “thrown” down and get up with ten times more spirit and work just as hard as the last to prove they were worth it. I believe the men finally started to see this and began taking the hard work these women did into consideration. I believe Alice Paul also helped make a huge impact in the minds of men during this time. She went on a hunger strike while in prison to gain the right to vote. Alice Paul and the other women of this time period were iconic to say at the least. They helped pave womens’ rights for the future.
Reply
Anthony Brandt
2/25/2014 02:35:47 am
The role that woman played in the progressive movement was a strong one. Woman became less dependent on men and had "Boston Marriages" and this made them strongly independent. The birth control pill gave woman the choice to have children or not. Woman form clubs that increased awareness of school care and activity. Credit is given to these clubs for the creation of kindergarten and warm school lunches. with the rise of woman independence it gave rise/hope to colored rights activist. they also gave rise to the fifteenth amendments.
Reply
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
May 2014
Categories |