Physical education for every girl &“athletics for all” were strongly endorsed in this era. Also during this era, there was an increase in popularity of clubs. Camp Fire Girls &Girl Scouting had become very popular, it had seemed that the aspects of females joining together was a useful way to provide services for girls and women within communities, as well as to encourage participation and cooperation. (Henderson)
Section 1. of the proposed equal rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution stated that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” (Schultz and van Assendelft 275) The Equal Rights Amendment was written in 1921 by suffragist Alice Paul. It had been introduced in Congress every session since 1923; passed in 1972, but failed to be ratified by the necessary 38 states by the July 1982 deadline. It was ratified by 35 states. (Schultz and van Assendelft 275)
Passage of the 19th Amendment, caused young women to challenge the moral order Victorianism. (Langley 213) These women were called flappers or "New Women" &could be identified by the way they dressed, danced, & did their hair. They altered what some considered the feminine crown by bobbing their hair, and rejected the traditional dress code that consisted of the ankle-length skirt, high collar, corseted waist. Instead, flappers wore skirts to mid-calf, lowered necklines, &cast off the corset. (Langley 213) Some flappers played sports, drank, smoked, &danced the fox trot. (Langley 213) Women’s lives in the 1920’s were greatly changed by the gain of new social equalities. (Langley 213)
Word Count: 500
Evaluation of Source
No Small Courage: A History of Women in the United States, is a secondary source written by Nancy F. Cott, published by Oxford University Press, 2000. Cott created this collection of scholars’ works to collectively provide a single volume text that informs the readers about the social, political, and economical changes in the history of women in the United States. “Few issues would have more prominence or significance than the feminist revolution and the changes taking place in the everyday lives of countless women.” (Cott 530) This source reveals that during this time period there were many social changes that benefited women. Also, Cott doesn’t just mention middle-class and white women, she refers to women of all races. “Development’s in women’s history prove the maxim that what one finds in the past depend on what we look for.” (Cott vi) Cott left out information relative to her argument, such as the 1902 Gentleman’s Agreement with Japan, the Immigration Quota Act of 1924 and its 1960s revision. According to Lyde Cullen Sizer, she could have also included more about Watergate and the McCarthy era. A potential bias is that the author is a woman from the U.S., which may cause her to have a biased for woman’s point of view of history. “Author of Womanhood: Woman’s Sphere in New England, 1780-1835; The grounding of Modern Feminism; and Public Vows: A History of Marriage and the Nation; editor of Root of Bitterness Documents of the Social History of American Women.” (Cott 613)
Word Count: 250
Evaluation of Source
Posing a Threat: Flappers, Chorus Girls, and Other Brazen Performers of the American 1920’s, is a secondary source written by Angela J. Latham, published by Press of New England in 2000. Latham displays a view of the changes of women’s social, political, and economical changes during the 1920s. “Latham turns a scholar’s eye to an age when women courted outrage with each new fashion and creates a revealing, entertaining cultural history that reminds us that every age finds something scandalous in the behavior of the young.” (Mike Tribby) Part of the title, “Posing a Threat,” shows that the author most likely has a negative view of the changes achieved by women. This source reveals that during this time period, women were scandalous in their change of attitude and style. Latham writes about social changes that women made in fashion and overall attitude. “The book is seriously, not luridly, written and appeals primarily to serious interest in the portrayal of women.” (Mike Tribby) A potential bias is that the author thought flappers were scandalous and bad. She describes young women with the flapper image, as having a negative public image. “Latham’s analysis, casting the seemingly superficial phenomena of fashion and advertising as agents of cultural change, explains the effects of the risqué public image of young defined my the flapper image.” (Mike Tribby)
Word Count: 221
Analysis
Through the 1920’s, women gained social equality to a great extent. Women’s lives were greatly changed by the gain of the new social equalities. “American women would not gain the constitutional right to vote until 1920, when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution granted female enfranchisement.” (Cott 314) With the gained right to vote, women felt empowered. Passage of the 19th Amendment, caused young women to challenge the current moral order. These women, called flappers, could be identified by the way they dressed, danced, &did their hair. They bobbed their hair and rejected the traditional dress code that consisted of the ankle-length skirt, high collar, corseted waist. Flappers wore skirts to mid-calf, lowered necklines, &cast off the corset. Some flappers played sports, drank, smoked, or danced the fox trot. (Langley 213) Previous to the 1920’s, these style changes and new activities were unheard of for women. Along with new rights, women started to receive new jobs. “As men of all races were called up to fight, companies that had previously hired only white men for well-paying jobs found themselves short of labor. For the first time they began to hire white women and black men. Such jobs as streetcar conducting and railroad work paid more than these women had earned before.” (Cott 415) Women were able to receive higher paying jobs due to the absence of able men at war. Not only were grown women benefiting during the 1920’s, but children were as well. Physical education for every girl &“athletics for all” were strongly endorsed throughout this era. There was an increase in popularity of clubs such as Camp Fire Girls &Girl Scouting. The aspect of females joining together was a useful way to provide services for girls and women within communities, as well as to encourage participation and cooperation. (Henderson) The encouraging of women to join together was beneficial, because women needed to join together to gain more social equality.
Although women achieved many advances in social equality between men and women, these advancements were mostly only made within laws. Women were given new rights, although these rights weren’t always carried out in everyday life. For example the right for women to vote was extended to all women, but many could not afford it due to expensive poll taxes. Also, many new rights were given to women through out the 1920’s, but women did still not have complete equal rights with men. The proposed equal rights Amendment to the U.S. Constitution stated that “equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex.” (Schultz and van Assendelft 275) Written in 1921 by Alice Paul, the Equal Rights Amendment had been introduced to Congress every session since 1923. After 50 years, in 1972, it was finally ratified by 35 states. (Schultz and van Assendelft 275) Certain rights seemed to be truer on paper than in the real everyday lives of women of the 1920’s. Although, the rights gained by women in the 1920’s have progressively had more effect in everyday life from the 1920’s to present day 21st century.
Word Count: 522
Conclusion
Through the 1920’s, women’s lives were greatly changed by the gain of social equalities. Women gained the right to vote, sparking a desire for more equal rights and going against current accepted ways. Women rapidly changed styles of dress, dance, and hair. Women received new rights and new high paying jobs. Physical education for girls was greatly improved. Females were joining together to gain more social equality. Women achieved many advances in social equality between men and women. These advancements were sometimes only created within laws. Certain rights were equal for men and women by law, but not actually carried out for women. The rights gained by women in the 1920’s have progressively had greater effect in everyday life since the 1920’s. Although women living in the 1920’s could not always use the newly given rights, the rights were given during the 1920’s and were increasingly enforced in years following this era. Through the 1920’s, women gained social equality to a great extent.
Word Count: 163
Works Cited
Latham, Angela J. Posing a Threat: Flapper, Chorus Girls, and Other Brazen Performers of the American 1920s. Hanover, NH: Wesleyan/University Press of New England, April 2000
by
sr225 (student)
