In 1997, Madeleine Albright, United States Secretary of State, presented a commencement speech to the attendees of a graduation ceremony at Mount Holyoke College. Albright presents her points through a political lens, uses repetition, and appeals to emotion to motivate the graduates of the women’s college, the next generation of women who can make an impact on society. Albright utilized American, political achievements in order to motivate the graduating class. In paragraph 6, Albright says that they have built a growing world economy and instead of stopping at that, they are pushing for broader prosperity. This sets this example to be a story of perseverance.…
The First Lady was notorious for her involvement in government scandals. Women at the time were expected to be submissive and they generally were not involved in politics. Mary Todd, having spent her life surrounded by politicians involved herself in government affairs in order to benefit herself as well as her friends and family. She attempted to influence her husband’s work, specifically when it came to distributing patronage and appointing a cabinet. She managed to convince Mr. Lincoln to appoint various family members from her side of the family, despite how poorly this reflected on the administration. (Burlingame 270) The First Lady openly voiced her opinion of Lincoln’s cabinet members, which she claimed was solely based on her instinct…
In the years 1890-1925, the role of women in American society had changed politically, economically, and socially. Women were no longer considered the servant of men. She was considered an important part of society, but wasn’t able to lead in areas dominated by men. In this time period this is when things started to change for the women.…
The Introduction part of the book Born for Liberty by Sara M. Evans is the written path of being informed of the History of Women in America. As it is mentioned in the first few pages of this book, there is a lack of information that we need to fill in ourselves. We have all heard from many historians specially, that our World cannot take the right direction if it finds its past obscured and hard to be seen! I believe a lot of things are connected to each other, and history is one of the most relevant part of our globe and the reason being is because we depend on what our ancestors had been through! The fact that I am using the word depend might confuse you by giving you the wrong idea! In the past, there have been a lot of wonderful, but without forgetting to mention the "not so pretty" moments that people have lived years ago!…
Abigail Adams was known as the “Queen of the First Ladies”, supporting her husband (John Adams) through every phase of his rise to power; as first lady she maintained a mostly conservative stance, vigorously supporting the Alien and Sedition acts even though they proved extremely unpopular with the public. Adams made her strongest appeal for women’s rights in 1776 when John was serving in Philadelphia in Congress; she wrote to John begging him to remember that women also needed to be given the right to independence. (This was her “Remember the Ladies” letter written to her husband in 1778.)…
This book is about a woman who forever changed the course of women's role in American history. Eleanor Roosevelt was an extremely important figure in the history of the United States, especially during the twentieth century. The way the author uses the book to help the reader to feel included in Eleanor's life, makes the reader feel as if he knows Mrs. Roosevelt.…
Despite the absence of any legal job description and election for the role, First Ladies are expected to balance being a model of American womanhood whilst performing one of the most publicly visible and influential positions in American culture. From the moment Martha Washington assumed the role, the presidents’ wives have reflected the societal expectations paralleling the status of American women, changing the role from hostess to public activist and confidante to the President of the United…
In modern America, women are commonly expected and encouraged to explore career paths that were virtually unthinkable for women in relatively recent history. Much progress has been made in the past 40-50 years toward gender equality, and at the time of this writing, it appears that the first female presidential candidate will run in the 2016 primary election. However, these are relatively recent changes in American culture and sadly, vestiges of old social norms still have a toehold in some parts of the country and the unilluminated parts of many people's psyches. In this story, Dubus reminds us of what it might have been like for a young female in what is likely the 1950's to 1960's era (not that long ago), where the high standards of female…
In the 1800’s women’s work exhausting, difficult the society was unappreciative. Women who couldn’t afford slaves to help were put permanently on household duties. Women would cook, clean, make clothing, take care of domestic animals, hunt, fish, and protect their family. There was a lot of work to be done as a colonial woman, especially since most had more than 8 kids to take care of. The wife of a family was an essential component. Without a strong and productive wife a family would struggle just to survive. Yet even though women had worked extremely hard day in and day out to ensure care of their family they were not allowed to speak among men, could not vote, and could not take part in government decisions.…
The economic “market revolution” and the religious “Second Great Awakening” shaped American society after 1815. Both of these developments affected women significantly, and contributed to their changing status both inside and outside the home. Throughout time, women’s roles and opportunities in the family, workplace, and society have greatly evolved.…
Before Eleanor Roosevelt, the role of the first lady was not a political role; it was merely just a formal title of the president's wife. Eleanor Roosevelt paved the way for all presidents' wives to come by being active in politics during and after her husband's presidency. Of course, she did not have instant success; she had many trials which helped her become an important and influential role model. Eleanor Roosevelt's dedication to her husband, her activeness in politics, and her volunteer work enabled her to change the role of the First Lady.…
As a member of the NAACP, the First Lady fought relentlessly alongside Thurgood Marshall and championed equal housing opportunities for blacks. She was also a strong promoter for Congress of Racial Equality (CORE) and anti-segregation in the school system. She was so passionate about civil rights that John F. Kennedy sought her support for the African American vote. As John F. Kennedy was part of the Democrats that were not zealous about civil rights, when he became president, Mrs. Roosevelt was unhappy because he lacked interest in the civil rights movement…
Frost-Knappman, Elizabeth. The ABC-CLIO Companion to Women 's Progress in America. 1st ed. 1. Santa Barbara: ABC-CLIO, 1994. 1-339. Print.…
The first wave of feminism and the Antebellum reforms were greatly intertwined. In the early stages of feminism, the goal was not to make women equal to men. Instead, women often tried to fix the ills of society by preaching temperance, creating schools for urban immigrants, creating mental asylums, and developing orphanages. In fact, many women feared that too much equality would make women seem too “mannish.”…
The Manuscript Collection of the First Lady Allison Cogdill History 202 November 6, 2008 Prof. Fairey Allison Cogdill First Ladies of the United States of America First Ladies have played both a private and public part in shaping this unique country. Many people tend to forget what vital role these women play in helping to run this country. There is a lack of resources dedicated to these women that helped change America from not only helping their husbands address speeches but to setting fashion trends. FirstLadies.org provides information on all the First Ladies. There is so much information that allows researchers to peruse through and gather information on each lady. The site provides not only their biography but also all their manuscripts and where to find them. Each First Lady contributed to society with a special touch. Many of them found ways to help. Betty Ford spoke out on important issues of abortion, E.R.A, and the importance of women in politics. She once worked as a professional dancer with the Martha Graham Company. Because of experiences in her own life, she shed new light upon others. Her openness on breast cancer gave women a new awareness of the need for breast exams and early treatment. She was a First Lady who was in touch with the times. By admitting her own weaknesses, she made her messages even more valuable. She also founded an alcohol and drug treatment center in California that bears her name. Laura Bush is actively involved with issues of national and global concern. She listens to the concerns of young people, parents, and community leaders throughout the country and draws attention to programs that help children avoid risky behaviors like drug and alcohol use, early sexual activity, and violence. She also supports education campaigns for breast cancer and heart disease. Mrs. Bush educated women about their risks and emphasizes the importance of healthy eating, exercising, and health screenings. She strives hard to create…