Equality in America

WOMEN

In the middle to late 1800s, diversity swept across the United States of America. What is diversity? Diversity implies a wide variety in gender, race, culture, ethnicity, age, and other characteristics of certain groups ("Diversity," 2006). Diversity is present in every possible aspect of life. It does not matter where one goes or what one does in America, no two people look or act exactly the same. America has been and still is known as a nation of freedom and diversity. Today, America is considered to be the "melting pot," a place where all cultures are supposedly accepted and come together as a whole. Diversity is an issue that Americans have dealt with in the past, are currently dealing with, and will deal with in the future. Simply because America is tolerant of such a wide variety of people, does that mean that all people living in America are treated equally? The Declaration of Independence states that all men are created equal (The National, 2006);however, certain groups do not find this to be accurate. For generations, women, African Americans, and Mexican Americans have not been equal and have struggled to keep up in an "equal" society; however, as time progresses, these groups are making an immense advancement.

Before and as well as during the nineteenth century, women were severely inferior to men. According to most males, women were spoken to and not heard. Women were supposed to be homemakers and baby-makers. Men were the ones educated and given the role of financial provider for the family. The women had jobs too: cooking food, washing clothes, and cleaning their homes. Education was merely not an item of importance for women. Women felt that they did need not need to think differently, and many did not even question the way of the world until the middle of the 1800s. It was then that feminism actually became an organized movement. Feminism is defined as "the theory of political, economic, and social equality of the sexes" ("Feminism," 2006). Feminism was created in hopes of putting to rest the pre-historic notions that most had concerning women and their duties. The creation of feminism did lead many to see that women were indeed equal to men and could do more than simply take care of the home. Even though the idea for equality between women and men in America was a gradual process that took a while for many to digest, most women were headstrong and determined to prove themselves. Two of the most influential women who contributed to feminism in the middle 1800s and changed the way for women in today's society were Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony (Hymowitz & Weissman, 1978).

At an early age, Elizabeth Cady Stanton understood that most thought women were inferior to men. In fact, she witnessed the idea first hand after her older brother passed away and her father, Judge Daniel Cady, repeatedly told her that it was a shame she was not born a boy. Furthermore, no matter how successful Stanton became, she was never good enough for her father. She studied at the Johnstown Academy where she received excellent grades and was an asset to the debate team. Stanton was passionate about everything she did and always gave one hundred percent. After high school, she attended Troy Female Seminary in New York City, New York. By attending this school, she was allowed the same opportunities as males because she was able to study the same subjects such as logics, physiology, and natural rights philosophy. This was a rare opportunity during this period of time. Once again, Stanton excelled at all of her classes; however, she still received the same negative words from her father. To show her hurt for not living up to her father's standards, Stanton stated,

I cannot tell you how deep the iron entered my soul. I never felt more keenly the

degradation of my sex. To think that all in me of which my father would have felt

proper pride had I been a man is deeply mortifying because I am a woman!

That thought has stung me to a fierce decision Ð'- to speak as soon as I can do

myself credit (Hymowitz & Weissman, 1978).

When faced with her father's hurtful words, Elizabeth Cady Stanton was determined to make a difference and help women gain equality (Hymowitz & Weissman, 1978).

It was obvious to her parents that Susan B. Anthony was going to make a difference in the world. Anthony was an extremely gifted child who had learned to read and write by the time she was three years old. Anthony's father, a Quaker Abolitionist, instilled a strong work-ethic in her at an early age. Anthony's parents treasured their girls and believed they should have unlimited opportunity at success even though they were females. He and his wife were appalled when one of Anthony's teachers refused to teach her mathematics because she was not a boy. Learning this, her father took her out of the school system and hired a female tutor, Mary Perkins, to instruct Anthony and her sisters. Many believe that it was Perkins who got Anthony first involved in women's equality. Not only did Perkins teach academics, she taught life's lessons and stressed to Anthony and her sisters that they could accomplish just as much as any male. She taught the girls self-motivation, self-discipline, and self-respect (Hymowitz & Weissman, 1978).

Together, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony worked to gain equality for women in hopes that one day all women would be treated equally in the so-called equal world in which they lived. In 1868, Stanton and Anthony helped create the American Equal Rights Association. The purpose of this association was to unite the cause of sexual equality with that of racial equality. Not only did these two females want to help women, but they also wanted to help African Americans. Even though the Emancipation Proclamation had already freed slaves a few years prior, both Stanton and Anthony could clearly see that African Americans were still in many cases treated as outcasts. The major issue at the time these two women created the American Equals Right Association was voting rights. Both Stanton and Anthony were furious that the fifteenth amendment which stated, "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude, " (Official Code of, 1926/1990) only allowed African American males to vote. They were not upset that African Americans could vote; they were dismayed that it did not