Although it could be argued that the source of women’s liberation could be traced back hundreds of years; the start in the in the United States goes all the way back to the drafting of the Constitution with voices like Abigail Adams the wife of President Adams. In a letter to her husband in 1776 Abigail Adams wrote to her husband “remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.” The women’s liberation movement continued to grow in the United States to become the place in the world where women have more rights then anywhere else in the world. We will briefly examine the successes of this movement in the United States and identify the struggles that are still fought.
In the American feminist scenario there developed two types of feminism, liberal and radical. The liberal feminism had the goals of making legal changes to give women equal rights with men. The first liberal feminists were able to fight for and win the right to vote, the right to own property, as well as rights achieved through changes in marriage and divorce laws. In more recent years liberal feminists have worked towards equal pay for women; but this has been a goal with much improvement though not fully realized.
The Term Paper on Important Women. Rosa Parks, M.Thatcher (Feminist? Hero? + Quotes with Comments H.Clinton
Rosa Parks: The “mother of the Civil Rights Movement,” Rosa Parks’ refusal to give up her bus seat triggered important change in the United States and became a major moment in American history! “People always say that I didn't give up my seat because I was tired, but that isn't true. I was not tired physically, or no more tired than I usually was at the end of a working day. I was not old, ...
The radical feminist’s cause is more ideological then legal that has focused on being different from men then having the same opportunities. The radical feminists have focused on sexism in society. The have filed suits against pornographers for example to show that is something that is demeaning to women. The focus of the radical feminists is more of a fight against attitudes and so they have achieved some success, but have many issues unfulfilled. Another example they give of male sexism in society the practice of trophy wife marriage, where a successful older man marries a much younger woman. Radical feminists would say a trophy wife is a sexual object and a product of a male dominated society.
In conclusion, I would say that women are liberated today, but a radical feminist would say that they are not. There are women today achieving great things. The Secretary of State is a woman. The Speaker of the House is a woman. The front-runner for the Democratic nomination for President is a woman. There are great women who have achieved much in business and entertainment as well. One of the examples of a male dominated society from the radical feminists was men having trophy wives. Today it is almost as common for a woman to have a trophy husband, like Demi Moore married a man half her age for example. Women are free and have opportunity to choose to be who they want today.
References
1.Ball, T. & Dagger, R. (2006-sixth edition) Political Ideologies and the Democratic Ideal, Pearson Education, Inc.
2.Ball, T. & Dagger, R. (2006-sixth edition) Ideals and Ideologies, Pearson Education, Inc.