Surprises

Women's suffrage
1. After 1920 women were voting as the men did
  1. Yet their subordinate condition hardly changed
Late twenties
1. Importance of good looks and dress in the assessment of women
  1. Men likely to speak of women as creatures purer and morally better than men
    1. But says women are not capable like them of finding facts and thinking
      1. This is extremely offensive
Beauty Business
1. Started off a magazine article
  1. States "average American woman has sixteen square feet of skin"
    1. Then says 2 billion is spent a year on cosmetics
      1. This contributes to all of us, as women, our insecurities
      2. Says beauty needs of women
      3. 12 hot oil treatments, 52 facials, 26 eyebrow plucks, etc.
      4. This demonstrates women need to play the part and groom themselves
      5. Pretty much against natural beauty
World War II
1. Brought more women out of the home and into work
  1. By 1940- 36% of all women 16 and older worked for paid wages
    1. But out of the rest, only 2% had nursery schools for their children to go to
      1. What is a formidable solution?
  2. Women were 50% of the voters
    1. But medium income of working women were 1/3 of men
      1. This shows attitude towards women have not changed that much
Civil Rights Movement of the '60s
1. Signs of collective stirring began to appear
  1. Women took the place they customarily took in social movement
    1. Ruby Doris Smith- jailed during sit ins at Spelman College
      1. She was angry at the way women were regulated to routine of office work
    2. In Mississippi, Freedom House- civil rights headquarter- women went on strike against the men
      1. These men wants them to cook and make beds
      2. I'm happy to hear women protested against this
  2. Women played a crucial role in those early dangerous years of organizing in the South
    1. Women like Ella Baker and Amelia Boynton
      1. Women of all ages demonstrated and some did go to jail
  3. Around same time, white middle-class, professional women began to speak up
    1. Betty Friedan's The Feminine Mystique
      1. The mystique was this idea of being a mother or wife
      2. Living through her husband, through her children and giving up all her own dreams for that
      3. We see this ideal changing in our age
Capitalist society
1. The "catch 22" of women staying at home
  1. Ideally supposed to stay home and raise kids, but not earn money
    1. Therefore someone who doesn't earn money is worthless
      1. This makes me angry that our society has this stigma
      2. It's a huge double standard
    2. Margaret Benston thought about this
      1. Wrote- women treated like peasants because doing housework were outside of the modern economic system
      2. Women at these office jobs faced struggle of harassment
      3. Sexual jokes- mental processing- aggression
      4. This still happens today
New movements
1. 1967- women involved in various movements
  1. Civil rights
    1. Students for democratic society
  2. Anti war movements
    1. Paraded Arlington national cemetery
  3. Feminism
    1. Some disagreement among women about issues like abortion, racism, war , etc
      1. Good that they have opinions
  4. Radical Women group
    1. Attracted attention when protested selection of Miss America
      1. Called an image that oppressed women
      2. They threw items like bras, false eyelashes, etc
      3. They began speaking about "liberation"
  5. WITCH- Women's International Terrorist Conspiracy from Hell
    1. Members- appeared as witches
      1. Went to NY Stock Exchange
      2. Subtopic 1
      3. In DC they protested a fruit company for its treatment of its women workers/ corporations in 3rd world countries
      4. Protesting is a great alternative
  6. Poor and black women
    1. Expressed universal problem of women in their own way
      1. Quietly organized neighborhood people to right injustices to get needed services
    2. 10000 black people in Atlanta joined together to help one another
      1. Set up a thrift shop, nursery, medical clinc, etc
      2. Great to see unity
    3. Patricia Robinson- pamphlet Poor Black Women
      1. Connected problems of women with need for basic social change
      2. There clearly is a link between the two
    4. Dorothy Bolden
      1. Laundry worker- began organizing women doing housweork into National Domestic Workers union
      2. Women should have voice when it comes to making decisions
  7. Women tennis players organized
    1. Fight against sex discrimination
      1. Sports should not deal with these stereotypes
  8. Magazines/ newspapers
    1. Regarding women's history
      1. Certain commercials that women felt humiliated by were eliminated after the protest
Result of new movements
1. President Johnson signed an executive order banning sex discrimination in federally connected employment
  1. Women's groups demanded that this be enforced
    1. Now whole flood of lawsuits
2. Push for child care centers
  1. Women did not succeed in getting help from government
    1. However, thousands of cooperative child care centers were set up
      1. This is a positive step in the right direction
3. Women openly speaking about rape
  1. 50000 rapes reported and many go unreported
    1. Women began to take self defense courses
  2. Many women were active in trying to get a Constitutional amendment
    1. Equal rights amendment
      1. Would not be enough because it probably wouldnt be enforced
4. Consciousness raising
  1. Rethinking of roles, rejection of inferiority, confidence of self, bond of sisterhood, solidarity of mother and daughter
    1. Esta Seaton wrote a poem on this
  2. Women and biological uniqueness discussed
    1. Liberating to talk openly and freely about this
      1. Topics like menstruation, masturbation, menopause, abortion, and lesbianism
      2. Boston Women's Health book- Our bodies, ourselves
      3. Practical information on anatomy, sexuality, nutrition, rape, birth control, etc
      4. There were candid picture
    2. Male doctors used instruments to bring out children, replacing sensitive hands of midwives
      1. New era of anesthetized childbirth
      2. Childbirth should depend on the woman having the baby
      3. I don't think any form of birth is better, it's up to that individual
    3. Some women were not intellectuals like this
      1. So they wanted more immediate answers to questions like hunger, suffering, subordination
5. Welfare according to Johnnie Tillmon
  1. like a supersexist marriage
    1. trade in a man for the man, controls your life and money
      1. No woman can be liberated until all women get off their knees
      2. Interesting concept
Abortion
1. Became a major issue
  1. Before 1970 1 million were done every year
    1. Only about 10000 were legal
      1. The illegal ones had many complications
  2. Lucinda Cisler
    1. Said abortion is a woman's right
      1. It is a very controversial topic
  3. Roe v. Wade
    1. 1973- Supreme Court decided state could prohibit abortions only in the last three months of pregnancy
      1. Could regulate abortions for health purposes , during first three months woman and doctor had right to decide
      2. But in reality why should someone have the power to decide how I treat MY body
Time of Uprisings
1. Prisons had arisen in the US as an attempt at Quaker reform
  1. Prison was intended to produce repetence and salvation
    1. But by 19th century prisoners went crazy through isolation and there was too much punishment
      1. The approach to reform a criminal was breaking his or her spirit
  2. Prison riots
    1. Clinton, NY
      1. Prisoners killed
      2. This of course caused anger and uprisings
      3. Prisons merely became a reflection of the American system itself
      4. Differences between rich, poor, racism, victims, violence, endless "reforms"
      5. Degree of civilization in a society can be judged by entering its prisons
      6. This quote sums it all up
    2. All over the country prisoners united to take over
      1. This set the tone
  3. Prison culture
    1. So many end up in jail
      1. Communication with the outside world is difficult
      2. Created this idea of politically awakened people
      3. Soledad- George Jackson
      4. "created a monster"
      5. Shot down by guards
      6. Started rebellions around the country
      7. People up for parole at attica were not given time to review for parole
      8. Inmates break through
      9. Organization of prisoners
      10. Caring and brotherhood of prisoners- attempt to take the hatred and anger of individual rebellion and take it to a collective effort to change
      11. Development of prison support groups and literature about prisons
    2. Condition of prisoners would not be changed by law but by protest, organization, resistance
      1. Created their own culture
2. "White collar crimes"
  1. Involve people with a lot of money who committed crimes of fraud, tax fraud
    1. "The rich crime"
3. Discretion of judges
  1. Giving more years to people they disliked
    1. With power hungry judges, poor, black, odd, homosexual, hippie, radical not likely to get equal treatment
      1. There must be consistency and objective rulings
Attempt to restore tribal life
1. Many Indians stayed on impoverished reservations
  1. They still didn't want to be associated with white man culture
    1. Then came university-educated Indians
      1. Formed National Indian Youth Council
      2. Good to see this form
2. Government had signed more than 400 treaties with Indians
  1. They violated every single one
    1. Indians fought back not only with physical resistance but with artifacts of white culture
      1. Use concrete evidence
3. Creation of Native American Studies for Ecology center
  1. Government tries to control this by cutting off telephones, electricity, and water
    1. This is a very sad attempt
      1. But eventually they invaded the island and physically removed the indians there
4. Navajo and Hopi Indians impacted
  1. Declared the mining strip would not be tolerated
    1. It's ridiculous how many times we put our nose into something that is not our business
5. Federal statue cited saying land dispute btw indians and whites
  1. 150 Marshals came with machine guns and rifles
    1. Small children brutally killed
      1. This is so sad
6. First Convocation of American Indian Scholars
  1. Indians spoke indignantly of either ignoring or insulting of Indians
    1. Indian history press founded
      1. Found not one textbook gave accurate depiction of the indian
      2. This is still a major problem today
      3. Counter attack at schools
      4. Indian students at Copper Valley school wrote letters
7. 1890 massacre site- several hundred returned to village to occupy it as a symbol of demand for Indian land/rights
  1. New militant organization- American Indian Movement
    1. Declared the village of Wounded Knee as liberated territory
      1. Gun abttles, deaths
      2. Negotiated peace-
      3. Subtopic 1
New behaviors
1. Sexual behavior went through startling changes
  1. Premarital sex was no longer a matter of silence
    1. Men and women lived together, masturbation openly talked about, homsexuality not concealed
      1. This is a step in the right direction
      2. Reflected in media and literature
      3. Movies showing nudity
      4. Books about how to fulfill sexual desires
2. Women dressing differently
  1. Stopped wearing bras, girdles
    1. Men stopped wearing neckties
3. Songs
  1. Songs about war and culture
    1. Bob Dylan sang protest songs
      1. Became idols for people
4. Some left catholic church to get marries and have sex
  1. Small swift currents against mainstream values
    1. Change can be a good thing
5. Education
  1. Began to be reexamined
    1. Needed to change for the jobs developing