By Rakeli Gichuki
When it all began
The
history of the women’s rights movements dates back to the year 1215 when the Magna
Carta was released. It embodied the rights of all human beings by virtue of
them being human under the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. However, the
year presiding 1800, that is from 1775 to 1783 was when the American
Revolutionary War took place. The war was between the Kingdom of Great Britain
and thirteen colonies situated in what we now call America. During this period,
men, women and children’s focus was survival and life was quite difficult. The
1800’s saw the end of the war and other issues about the society started to
occupy people minds. Women noticed that regardless of the Magna Carta they did
not enjoy the same rights as men.
However,
before and during the war women were also silently agitating for recognition.
This is because, women who were employed as nurses in the war held the
positions unofficially, as if just to coincidentally assist the male persons
who were doctors and nurses in the war. Women, who were teachers before and
during the war, and even in the years after the war, were not allowed to pursue
higher education.
Why human rights and women's rights
People
wonder why the dichotomy between women’s rights and human rights. The Human
rights framework comprehensively covers women rights by virtue of women being
human. However, the women rights movement was imperative because women did not
enjoy any of the political and socioeconomic rights contained in the
declaration of human rights. Thus, the women rights movement was formed to better
pronounce women rights, since women were systematically alienated from enjoying
such rights.
Celebrated women of the time
Initially,
the women rights movement’s groups demanded rights that were important for
women if they were to realize their full human capacity.
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| Elizabeth Cady Stanton |
Major steps in the women’s movements were achieved by women like Elizabeth Cady
Stanton who in July 1848 published the Declaration of sentiment that was
founded on the Declaration of independence and pronounced women’s equality and
the right of suffrage for women.
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| Elizabeth Blackwell |
In
1849 the women rights movement celebrated Elizabeth Blackwell as the first
woman to attain a degree in medicine after years of agitation that women should
be allowed to pursue higher education. This then saw the steady emergence of a
class of women groups in addition to the existing one’s that worked with the
poor, such as Christian groups devoted to the spread of the gospel and sort to
reduce the use of alcohol in America. The new class of women groups fought to
ensure that women enjoyed similar rights to those of men such as the right to
own property, right of employment, freedom of conscience and the right to vote
and run for office. January
1851 saw the first Women’s Rights Convention, organized successfully by Francis
Dana Barker Gage and Hannah Tracy, and addressed by Sojourner Truth, in Ohio an
African American women’s rights activist and an abolitionist. She gave the
speech famously known as “Ain’t I a woman?” in which she illustrated the
similarity between men and women, citing that she was of the same strength as
men and could even eat just as much as a man could, if not more.
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| Sojourner Truth |
The most
interesting part of the speech in my opinion, was when she compared the
intellect of a man and woman, and sent a message to the male counter-parts, stating
that if they feel women are not of the same intellectual capacity, then they
should not fear women would take too much of the entitled right. Reason being,
women can only take that which their intellect can handle. This to me is a very
significant challenge that exposes the patriarchal mentality of the time and
reveals the wisdom and intellect of women and just how grossly it had been
suppressed.
However, around this time as well, there was a slight
fracture the women’s right movements. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NASWA)
for instance, led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton championed for
equal employment and education as well as the right to vote. While the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA)
believed in a more conservative approach to the women rights discourse and thus
championed for a progressive and gradual implementation of women’s rights led
by Lucy Stone. The group advocated that women be allowed to vote at first in
small elections then gradually this right would include women voting in all
elections including the national election.
However, in 1890, the
two groups realized they were essentially fighting for the same rights and
merged to form NASWA; they campaigned and created awareness on the existence of
the organization as well as the women rights issues they were advocating for
through printing pamphlets, speeches and parades.
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| Uncle Tom's Cabin |
In 1852, Harriet Beecher Stowe novel; Uncle Tom’s Cabin
sold a total of one million copies in United Stated and the in Britain as well.
The book was mainly an anti-slavery book and was celebrated among the feminist
circles as an achievement for the African Americans and the women as well as it
was mainly written with a feminist undertone. In November 1858 the Young Women Christian Association (YWCA)
was formed in by 35 Christian women. The policy of the organization was
informed by both Anglo-Saxon ideals and the organization though formed in
London had an American secretariat. The organization’s main agenda is to promote
peace, women’s leadership, development, human rights and women rights and is to
date celebrated for providing sisterhood to young women who run for office as
well as support to domestic violence victims among other successes.
The rest of the
years leading up to the 1900 hundreds saw women emerging as leaders in the fore
front of championing for women rights as well as realizing several first for
women that were significant steps towards the full realization of women rights
based on the past agitation for recognition of women rights. In 1884, Rebecca
Lee became the the first African American woman to earn a medical degree and
later on in 1872 there was a bold attempt by Victoria Woodhull who ran for the
presidency of the United States of America. In the same year, in Rochester;
Susan B. Anthony was arrested for leading a group of women to register as
voters. In this time, women were still not allowed to vote and they felt and
indeed, the denial of women the right to vote greatly undermined the spirit of
democracy in America, because participation is essential to democracy.
1879 saw Belva Lockwood
become the first woman to argue in congress, as she was advocating for women
rights and 1884 saw Sarah Edmond receive pension for fighting in the civil war,
which she did dressed up as a man. 1887 welcomed Susanna Medora Salter as the
first woman to successfully run for office as a mayor in Argonia Kansas.
Presently
It
became apparent that women rights movements were making tremendous achievement
in securing the rights of women from the above successes mentioned. The
struggle for full realization of women rights continued and continues today
especially in the economic and political rights where patriarchy still sets the
pace in a more disguised manner and not as openly as before. This happens in
for instance, the wage bills that highlight
a significance gap in wages between men and women among others.
