The Way to Equality of Women

Mingrui+Yang

Women best gained greater equality by uniting for greater strength. Women used that unity in religious congregation to build events. Their ideology allowed women to unite， and they finally pursued pragmatic goals like win their property rights to gain greater equality. Women must unite in order to reach their ultimate goal， suffrage.

Churches and religious affairs help women to unite and construct significant events to gain greater equality and higher social status. More and more women involved in religious organization because they were excluded from other jobs. As a result， New England Congregational churches consisted 70 percent women （Henretta 276）. The religious institution gave women a place to socialize， share spirits， and spread their thoughts with one another， and that was crucial for making social changes and direct action. In 1873， women crusaded for the close of saloon and liquor traffic because their sons， husbands either died or addicted to alcohol. Large crowds of people chanting “Praise God from whom all blessings flow.” After the saloon closed， people said things like bless the lord. The crusade supported by the spirit of god proved to be efficient：twenty nine saloons closed， twelve remain （Stewart 29）. Religious activists also helped women education. Religious institution funded schools for women and gave them moral and intellectual instruction much like those convent in the Middle Ages. Emma Willard started the Middlebury Female Seminary in 1814 for the middle class women. Those graduates became school teachers and they accepted lower payment than man. Consequently， more women replaced man in teaching position （becoming a history trend）， and the Christian republicanism put greater authority on women by this way. After women become educated， they were more aware of their situation， and more women converted to feminists to pursuit their same goals （Henretta 276）.

Feminist ideology stressed the equality of women with men， and women united to argue this in compelling ways. Judith Sargent Murray contended that men and women were born equal. Even though men were better in judgement and reasoning than women， that did not mean women were less intelligent， only because women lacked education. Men and women memory capacities were the same， and it proved that women were even better in imagination （Henretta 199）. Scientifically speaking， there was no way to judge women were inferior to men. However， feminists believed that man had injured and assaulted womens right through history.

Women did a lot of pragmatic programs even if they faced great obstacles from family and society. Anti-feminist （including both man and woman） feared that if a woman gains suffrage， she would no longer be a good mother or wife in home. She would get a job outside， refuse to do housework， spend less time to take care of child， and finally breakdown the family（Marshall 31）. The social changes were too radical. Jobs would be competed， wages would be lower， and life would be harder for man. Facing prejudice from public and opposing from father and husbands， women had to do pragmatic things together to change their status. Women determined to achieve their equality by two ways：gained the right to own property， and ultimately， won the suffrage. Even though women gained suffrage years later， they did take small steps of reforms instead of radical utopians. To win the right for suffrage was the ultimate goal because only in that way could women protect themselves；they could vote laws fair for themselves. Men would no longer own the power to control women， and thus men and women were equal. In the Seneca Falls Convention， Stanton said that the government should give the holy right of franchise to women and that issue would be resolved finally. The speed of the success to suffrage depends on the passion for all women （Stanton 26）.

References：

[1]“Declaration of Sentiments.” In Retrieving the American Past.Ed.Susan Hartmann.New York：Pearson，2009.

[2]DuBois，Ellen Carol.“Womens Rights Before the Civil War.” In Retrieving the American Past.Ed.Susan Hartmann.New York：Pearson，2009.

[3]Hartmann，Susan M.，ed.The First Womens Rights Movement.In Retrieving the American Past.New York：Pearson，2009.

[4]Henretta，James A.et al.Americas History.7th ed.Boston： Bedford，2011.

[5]Marshall，Edward.“Our Suffrage Movement is Flirtation on a Big Scale.” In Retrieving the American Past.Ed.Susan Hartmann.New York：Pearson，2009.

[6]Stewart，Maria.“Religion and the Pure Principles of Morality…”In Retrieving the American Past.Ed.Susan Hartmann.New York：Pearson，2009.

[7]Stewart，Mother.Memories of the Crusade：A Thrilling Account… In Retrieving the American Past.Ed.Susan Hartmann.New York：Pearson，2009.