Abolition and Women
The mid 19th century is called "the Age of Jackson" because it was as revolutionary as its namesake, Andrew Jackson, seventh United States president and developer of the Democratic Party. The Jacksonian Period was an era of change. The Industrial Revolution of the century began taking its toll on the US. Since the average man was a laborer, people began to move to cities. These growing cities became centers of filth and poverty while small agricultural regions began to decline. The Transportation Revolution connected the continent with a web of railroads, allowing the migration westward and boosting the economy. The invention of the cotton gin impacted southern agriculture by speeding up the harvest of cotton and, in turn, revamped slavery in the south. People began distrusting industry and the capitalist way of life. Some people turned to religion for the answers, others to reform movements. Reformers fought for causes, spanning from improved conditions and wages for laborers to temperance. Throughout this period, however, two social reforms stood out among the rest. Since the beginning of the United States, the abolition of slavery had been an issue. Although slavery was not directly discussed in it, the Constitut
To achieve their goal, Suffragettes used the "bond of sisterhood." Associations of women teamed together to hold conventions, provide charity and back other reforms. Conventions, like the Seneca Falls Women's Rights Convention, allowed women to speak out, something that was considered unwomanly by the day's standards. Speeches, like "Ain't I a Woman?" by Sojourner Truth, a female ex-slave, and those of Sarah Grimke, were compelling and thought provoking. Providing charity to the needy and backing other reforms such as temperance and abolition were also effective outlets because women could help the causes they supported while advancing their own cause. Suffragettes also used literature, namely satires and personal accounts. The Declaration of Sentiments, presented at the Seneca Falls Convention, was written by Elizabeth Stanton as a satire of the Declaration of Independence. By stating "all men and women are created equal," Stanton laid out the foundation of the movement and gave justification to the suffragettes' cause. Women's suffrage and the abolitionist movements were much the same, though still very different. Both were fighting for emancipation, but abolition was a battle for the actual freedom of a people thought of as property while suffrage was fought for political and social freedom. This fact, in turn, leads to the differences in the two movement's actions. Since slavery was an actual physical enslavement and was seen as more of a threat, abolitionists turned to more drastic measures, such as using scare tactics in writing and promoting violence. Suffrage was a movement for reform of social enslavement, so activists used less aggressive tactics and applyied their forces to other causes
Some common words found in the essay are:
Civil War, Transportation Revolution, Declaration Independence, Nat Turner, Previously America, Sarah Grimke, Colonization Society, Industrial Revolution, Women's Suffrage, Nineteenth Amendment, 19th century, seneca falls, equal rights, civil war, nat turner, abolitionist movement, women's rights, falls women's rights, falls women's, black people, rights convention, seneca falls women's, movement 19th century, women's rights convention,
Approximate Word count = 1168
Approximate Pages = 5 (250 words per page double spaced)
|
