Women+Changing+Roles+(DBQ+4)

It is very difficult to believe, but at one time in America's history, women were thought to be lower then man in social standings. For a long time, they weren't even allowed to vote! During the early to mid 1800's, women's place in society changed drastically. Women used to always be at the home to cook, clean, and teach the family. They move from their fathers house to their husbands house and are never their own person. An editorial from //Godey's Lady's Book// magazine in 1845 (Document C) states that if women are smart enough to teach and make sure the home is nice, why can't they be trusted to teach other people and have more difficult jobs? This is a platform that many women stood upon during their major reformation time. Also, they started to have more freedom of thought. In Charles G. Finney's comments on a convert (Document A), a minister goes to speak with a young woman about all of her plans for the winter. They weren't all very good ideas and she assumed the minster would put down her ideas. The amazing part about the whole thing was that the girl had actually thought about doing these unholy things. At one time, it would have never even been thought about. One of the first major steps to equality between the sex's was Lowell's Mill allowing women into the workplace. Even though women could now work, it was still a lot like living with parents. The girls lived in dorms with strict rules, and their boss was like their new father. In fact, the working girls never got paid. Their paychecks went directly to their fathers. Still, they had a bit of freedom, as stated in a letter from a Lowell Mill girl in 1844. (Document B) The girls got done with work at seven and they had the rest of the night to do as they pleased. One visible change in women was their clothing. Their skirts and dresses got shorter and they started to wear bloomers. In a cartoon labeled "Bloomer Costume" (Document E) there are two women smoking and wearing big hats, short skirts, and bloomers. Everyone is staring at them. Women were also more compassionate to people without rights like themselves. They were a major component in the abolition cause. One woman, Dorthea Dix, was an important person in getting all of the mentally challenged people to live in good places and be treated better. At one point she reported to the Massachusetts legislature. (Document D)  Basically, women just wanted to be considered equal to men. In a petition to the Massachusetts legislature (Document F) it is said that everything that Americans believe is equality and yet our country is filled with inequality. And thanks to those women who worked for women's rights, everyone in America is now considered equal.