The role of women has been discussed a lot during different periods. Women had to follow the prejudices defined within a society, mind the expectations of other people around, and demonstrate their abilities to listen, obey, and complete all their family and social functions on a necessary level.
Still, not all of them were ready to follow the order. Some women were ready to resist, demonstrate their points of view, and share their experiences. The current paper shows how different women of the 19th century treated their social statuses and what attempts they were ready to make to change the situation.
An Address by Maria Steward is one of the first attempts to evaluate the situations under which women had to live in the 19th century. She explained that the position the women had during that period was not perfect because black women had to stand in fear of the whites and work until they had the efforts to walk (“Maria Steward, An Address” 116).
Her letter was not the propaganda of some actions. It was a cry about the situation of black women. She addressed God to ask for justice. She underlined unreasonable anger that fulfilled the white men in regard to the black women. She was not satisfied with the existing prejudice. By the way, she was not the only one who was eager to resist the already stated style of life.
Harriet Hanson Robinson described the conditions under which factory girls had to live. In her letter, the question of color was not raised. It was the question of the attitude to different kinds of work. In the 19th century, even white women and girls could suffer from injustice working at plants and factories. The level of a factory girl was the lowest even among female society at the beginning of the 19th century (“Harriet Hanson Robinson, Characteristics” 121). However, with time, the situation was changed.
New England women working at factories created a new class of people, naturally intelligent and successful. Women demonstrated their powers to develop a new community and create their own rules. Many women came to the community from other regions to find protection, understanding, and opportunities.
Unfortunately, with time, the community turned out to be a threat to other people, and the factories were closed. Women could not stand this solution and went on strike to support their rights and choices. It was another example of how women could protest and declare their intentions to live in a fair world.
Finally, the legal and open declaration of women’s rights was offered by Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1848. It was the Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions that were based on the idea that all women and men were created equal, and no one had the right to differ from the others (“Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments” 126).
Women were abused for a long time. Men had already proved their powers and abilities in regards to women, both black and white. Now, it was time to define the female and male roles accordingly. The history repeated for a number of times, and Stanton wanted to try to put an end to numerous injustices.
In general, three letters discussed in this paper help to understand that women did suffer from injustices, unfair attitudes, and inabilities to demonstrate their wishes and demands. Women were ready to fight for their interests. Sometimes, their attempts were successful and changed history considerably.
Works Cited
“Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls Convention (July 19, 1848).” Voices of a People’s History of the United States. Ed. Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2009. 126-128 Print.
“Harriet Hanson Robinson, Characteristics of the Early Factory Girls (1898).” Voices of a People’s History of the United States. Ed. Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2009. 121-123. Print.
“Maria Steward, An Address Delivered at the African Masonic Hall, Boston (February 27, 1833).” Voices of a People’s History of the United States. Ed. Howard Zinn and Anthony Arnove. New York: Seven Stories Press, 2009. 116-117. Print.