Women’s labor rights and Suffrage

This exhibition here is about women’s labor rights and suffrage in the 1800s in America. Suffrage means that people have the right to vote, and during this period of time women weren’t allowed to vote. Women fought for their right to work and vote, through demonstrations, public rallies, speeches, etc.
The path for women’s voting rights was a long and tough one, but in 1920, women in America were finally given the right to vote.

Our project here is about some well known feminists, like Susan B Anthony, known for her struggle for women’s rights. Amelia Bloomer, known especially for showing a new outfit later known as “the bloomer outfit”, which was a huge step for women during that time, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, known for helping organize the first women’s rights convention.

The pieces here are shown in different forms, such as interview, letters, diary, slide show. We have been working with this topic for about 3 weeks. I hope you enjoy the exhibition on women’s rights, and I hope you learned something from it! Enjoy!

First women's rights convention!

The first ever women’s rights convention took place in Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York, 19-20th of July 1848. The convention was mainly about the social, civil, and religious condition and rights of women.

In this day and time a lot of people think that women should be at home taking care of the domestic life. But these women think differently. Lucretia Mott of Philadelphia, Elizabeth Cady Stanton of Seneca Falls, Jane Hunt of Waterloo and Elizabeth McClintock of Waterloo planned the whole thing. 300 people showed up at the convention, both women and men. But only 100 people signed the Declaration of Sentiments, 68 women and 32 men. The Declaration of Sentiments is a document that claims that “all men and women were created equal”. The signatures were to right all the wrongs on women’s rights.

I got some quick words with Elizabeth before her speech.
“Women’s right is a big issue that has to get out into the country. Women can do what men can do just as good! Why should we have to do the domestic work, when we are capable of doing something more?”
Then she was rushed out onto the stage to say her speech, which was a very good speech indeed.

Outside of the convention where protesters, protesting that women should take care of the domestic life. Sam Daily, one of the protesters, said
“Women should be at home and take care of the children. They are the ones that give birth, and take care of them. Women aren’t as strong as men, so how are they going to do it if they have to lift something heavy? And what if both parents are at work, whom are going to take care of the children?” Cries of cheers from people around him.

The 1870 stock market game

Hi there!

We played "The 1870 stock market game" last week. The game was to buy or sell stock, and then see how it did during the years. KY and Vishal where the brokers, and the rest of the class where the entrepreneurs. We started of by buying 10$ a "stock card", then the prise would sink or rise. Every "stock card" containing 10 stocks. The game was to see who could make the most money.

I wasn't a successful entrepreneur. My strategies for the stock market game weren't very good... I sold some stocks that had gone down in price, then later they went up....Then I bought it again... I should have just stuck with it. I bought some at a low price, hoping that they would go up... But they didn't. I don't think I spent my money wisely.

“You have to spend money to make money”, I did spend money, and I did make money, just not a lot of money.

Letter from Amelia Bloomer to Susan B. Anthony

25 March 1851
Dear Susan

It has been quite a while since we last saw each other! Last was probably that demonstration we went to two months ago, when the elections came around. I cut out the photo of us in the newspaper, and I’m sending it here to you.

I must say it’s very brave of you and Elizabeth to travel the country speaking at public rallies and trying to persuade the government that women and men should have equal treatment. How long more will you be travelling? Are the speeches going well? Is the government budging? How is Elizabeth?

Here, the demonstrations are going well, but it’s still not the same without you and Elizabeth. We have finally started to convince a few more, which is always a good thing if you ask me.

I hope that you will return in time for the speech I will be giving in a fortnight. It will be at the city center here in New York. I will speak about women’s rights (of course!). It’s a bit like the speech I held 6 months ago to the Worcester Women's convention, but still somewhat different. Anyway, I am going to speak in front of 600 people, and hopefully someone amongst the audience will agree and join us!

Speaking of making a difference in the world, I think our protests are finally starting to pay off! The other day there were newspaper articles about women having the right to work and vote, our demonstrations and speeches, and that the government is talking about letting women vote. Of course the report said that the government had only mentioned it, but it’s a start!

I don’t know if you have read the latest edition of “The Lily” but I have just promoted a new outfit that is very liberating. It’s a pair of pants which is narrowed to a cuff at the ankles, and the pants are worn below a skirt. The pants are pretty big, but very comfortable all the same. You should try it! It´s a way of keeping our decency and being practical at the same time. And I say that it’s a great deal easier to put it on in the mornings, instead of the long skirts and dresses! I will send you a picture of the suit, and you can say what you think.

New York is now in its finest months. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, which is music to my ears in the morning. Everyone is cheerful since it’s nice and sunny outside. I hope this letter gets through to you, and I hope to see you soon! Keep me posted on how it is going!

My warmest regards

Amelia

Image: http://news.bbc.co.uk/olmedia/50000/images/_53819_suffragettes_300.jpg

Image:

http://www.netlexfrance.info/wp-content/images/amelia_bloomer.jpg

Goals update qtr 1

Hi there!

Well, now I am going to write about my goals I set in the beginning of the school start. One of my goals was to write neater, which, I guess I sort of have. I have mostly written on the computer, but otherwise I think maybe a bit.
My second goal was to come up with another goal for humanities, which I have! It is to talk more, and get better at Socratic seminars. I don't really talk a lot at Socratic seminars (can you blame me for having a brother that does most of the talking?)


BYE

Interview with Amelia Bloomer

Amelia Bloomer was born in Homer, New York, on the 27th of May, 1818. Formerly known as Amelia Jenks, she married her husband, Dexter Bloomer, at the age of 22 in 1840.

Bloomer was a known feminist in her day, and I was one of the lucky people to sit down and interview such a wise women as herself. Her curly hair was drawn neatly into a bun, and her stern, intelligent face broke into a smile every now and then.

Why do you believe that women should have the same rights as men?

“I believe that women should have the same rights as men because I know that women are capable of doing just as much as men are capable of doing, maybe even more at times! Why should women be at home all the time, when we can do so much more?

Women should be able to vote, and make decisions too. They have the right to, and get a full education just like the boys. We can study just as hard, we can work just as hard, we can do anything just as well if we just put our minds to it!”

What was it like to write for your husband’s newspaper, the Seneca Falls County Courier?

“My husband, Dexter, encouraged me to write my points of view. I was ecstatic to be able to share my thoughts and ideas. I mostly wrote about women’s rights and prohibition, which I thought were topics that needed to get out there in the country.

There were no other women working at the news paper then, it was me, and 30 other men working there. It was challenging at first, but soon everything flowed on well.”

What encouraged you or inspired you to start your own newspaper?

“Well, as you know I was writing for the “Seneca Falls County Courier”, and I thought that there should probably be at least one newspaper about suffrage and women´s rights, then I could express more of my ideas. Also, not everyone knew about my articles in the “Seneca Falls Country Courier”. Therefore, if there was one newspaper with this one topic, more people interested in it would read it since the topic is right there!

The people who encouraged me the most to start my own paper were my friends, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. I met them at a convention and we quickly became friends, having so much in common and all.”

And that was how “The Lily” started. It was a huge success in its day, but “The Lily” stopped publication in 1855, when Amelia and her husband moved to Council Bluffs, Iowa.

How was it to be the first woman president of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Society?

“It was brilliant! I met and helped a lot of great women. I gave the Iowa Woman Suffrage Society a good name, and tried my best to promote women suffrage in the U.S, by, for example, speaking at rallies and public meetings.

I also lead many demonstrations in my day as president of Iowa Woman Suffrage society. We protested against the unfair situation and that women should be given the right to vote, and that we shouldn’t just sit at home. I also lead many delegations to discuss equal rights for women with government officials. I would say that I did good work for the best of womankind.”

And of course how was it to be a fashion role model when it came to “The bloomer”?

“Ah, yes, the bloomer outfit. Well, women weren’t really allowed to have pants at that time. It was frowned upon if anyone dared to. But when the bloomer outfit came along, it was a classy way to wear a dress and pants at the same time. Why should women wear dresses all the time? The bloomer promoted a new look for women. I wrote about it in “The Lily” to tell women everywhere to put down that corset, and try something that was comfortable. I myself wore it almost all the time. That´s where the name “the bloomer” came from.”

Amelia looked pleased at her accomplishments while telling me about them. A small smile crossed her face, her eyes sparkled as she reminisced and she looked happy.

Pros and cons

Good things:

• People learned to work hard

• More products were made faster

• The use of technology, which later on developed

• The use of clocks
  

• The factories developed into something better today

• People had to walk to work, good exercise.

• People met new people, friendships developed!

Bad things:

• Child labor

• Little pay

• Not enough days to rest

• Long days

• Usually only the father would bring home the money

• They worked too much, so they were very tiered by the end of the day.

• When a depression came, it was very bad for poor people that couldn't get jobs.