DBQ Women's Rights Ever since the beginning of time women have battled to be equal with men in all areas of life. Men have always created the atmosphere of being superior to women and it's been carried over for generations upon generations. This changed however as people became more intelligent and developed a deeper sense of reason and wisdom. This gave women the chance to slowly step in and prove they were equal and take steps toward being seen as equals. A huge turn of women's roles and stature occurred in the 1800s due to many factors and events. Charles G. Finney notes that women are inviting and bringing other women to church with them. This shows us that women have climbed the ladder a little bit in the church. A person wouldn't bring other people to church unless they felt like they were apart of the church and were members. This shows us that the church and women in particular have come along way from puritan days here women have gained a lot more respect from men in the church. Women also started enjoying going to church and professing their faith. This all showed women were moving up the rungs of the church society ladder. A letter from a Lowell mill girl describes her work schedule at the mill and her lifestyle because of it. This type of life gives her free time at the end of the day that is hers to do with however she wants, which is a freedom women have not been able to have in the past because they couldn’t work in factories, mills, etc. She also is making her own money and is independent. She doesn't have to depend on anybody else especially a man. Being independent certainly is a huge step for women in society. Having free time and making their own money while supporting themselves on their own gives women an empowering mindset motivating them for more equality An editorial from Godey's Lady's Book discusses equality between men and women. It relates mothers as the first teacher a person will have and how important that is. It expresses the feelings behind men degrading the woman who has to teach and raise a child, giving it the tools to succeed in life. Why would we starve women of education and rights when they are the first people that form our children's delicate minds, our own minds. The editorial explains that if half the resources that were spent on men's education were spent on women's education, it would be a very different world. This shows women are ready and willing to fight for their rights and have harbored a great resentment for men because they feel that men have held them back all these years. Women feel that life would be very different if education was divided evenly between men and women. A statement from Dorothea Dix to the Massachusetts legislature declares the state in which mentally insane are treated. That they are confined in cages, closets, cellars, stalls and pens. That they are chained naked and beaten with rods and lashed. This shows a woman speaking to the state government, an trying to reform how the insane are kept for, which is very uncommon. This not only shows a woman trying to change the way the government goes about its business directly, but also shows a woman defending other people's rights, not only women's. It shows women are thinking everybody is equal, and