Can't Count on Men

The first feminist wave occurred between 1835 - 1920. This was around the time where women were fighting for basic rights and to be equal with men. They were sick of not being able to voice their opinions and not being taken seriously. They started to join abolitionist movements and to fight for their rights by collecting signatures on petitions to Congress. One women who believed in these equal rights was Elizabeth Candy Stanton. When she and Lucretia Mott were invited to the Anti-Slavery Convention in 1840 they were not allowed to be considered delegates like the men but observers, so they refused and walked out. Stanton devoted the rest of her life to achieving women's rights. She fought for married and the single women around the world. She did not believe that once you were married that you belonged to your husband and that what he says is what goes. If she was single and owned land then the government taxed her so she couldn't make a profit. These are just a few things that she fought for and believed in.

Another women who spoke out and joined the abolitionist movement was Sojourner Truth. She not only fought for women's rights but for colored rights as well. We discussed in class how hard it must have been to chose which side to fight for because she was not welcome with the white women but also not able to speak among the colored men. She gave to speeches that were epic for women's rights. One line that I find important is "you need not be afraid to give us our rights for fear we will take too much, for we can't take more than our pint'll hold" (64). This to me says that the men were using excuses that if women were given too much power then they will take over everything. Sojourner was assuring them that we will only have as much power that you give us, no more. Being equal is fine but one sex more powerful then the other is what the problem is.

Finally, Dubois concludes that you cannot not count on men's help in the fight for women's rights. Even abolitionist men like Douglas would speak out for women but not very strongly and it never did anything. Phillips said that "there time would come", but 2 years later the Amendment based on race was passed but women were once again ignored. They spent the next 40 years fighting for their rights without the help of men. If you want something done right, do it yourself.