Together We Stand: The Links Between Major Racial and Feminist Movements in History

Without the abolition of slavery, would women’s suffrage have occurred?

Ellen DuBois addresses this question in her article, Feminism Old Wave and New Wave. Perhaps the most striking aspect of DuBois’ review of the major feminist upsurge in America from 1835-1920 is that it grew out of another national movement, or that against slavery. I found this historical fact to be highly intriguing and filled with irony. DuBois explains that even in the face of the abolitionist movement, which strove to promote equality for all, women were still thrown under the bus. Women were unpaid for their work within this movement, and they were seemingly brushed off as lesser than those who had been placed at the lowest rung of the social hierarchy at the time: slaves.

While black men were being freed through the words of the fourteenth amendment, white and black women were still asked to obey their masters, thus maintaining their role as objects, or property. Therefore, in the act of freeing one group of oppressed persons, another was left to takeover the rank of slaves. However, it was, in fact, this extreme injustice that sparked the female uproar at this time. Thus, without the abolition movement, perhaps women would not have been driven to fight for their rights until later in history.

DuBois also mentions the uprising of feminism in the 1960’s paralleling the civil rights movement against racial oppression. This relates to Echols article, The Re-Emergence of the Woman Question. Women seemed to be fueled to fight hand-in-hand with civil rights activists, suggesting that the linkage between minority groups is strong and beneficial for eventual social outcomes. However, one difference between both of these highly revolutionary eras is the relationship that existed between black and white women at these times.

It is interesting to note that in the first wave of feminism, both black and white women had the same general agenda: to eliminate female oppression. This is evidenced in both Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Sojourner Truth’s excerpts from The Essential Feminist Reader in which both of these women call for female power and equality. However, Echols points out that black and white women were not necessarily on the same wavelength during the second feminist upsurge. Echols states that black women were often indifferent or opposed to feminism since black and white women lacked the, “trust necessary for a common cause.”

As we have discussed in class, there are countless different feminist groups today that exist, all of which are aiming toward the same general goal (as was sought in the 19^th century): female equality. During the first wave, black and white women realized that men would not help them with their struggles, and that if they wanted to witness change, they would have to bring it on themselves. Thus, perhaps the most important message to take away from these readings is to revert back in history to a time where all females (no matter what background, culture, race, generation, or sexual orientation) were united for a cause.