A Woman’s Growth in Society
Regina Weaver
HIS 204 American History Since 1865
Pro. Mohamed Khan
September 27, 2012

Many women in today’s society believe that they have problems with equality. History tells the story of the isolation that women faced was far more restrictive. The activists who lobbied for women’s rights give today’s women the privilege to participate and be a counterpart to society. Research shows the details of their endeavors to fight the suffrage and separation boundaries that domesticity had placed upon the women of the world and their triumphs that would lead future generations to liberty victories. In 1787, when the Framers wrote the Constitution, democracy was only affiliated with white, free men. At that time, only white men were allowed to own property. Officials felt that just landowners could be trusted to uphold decisions to further the progress for the public good. Therefore, since women and minorities did not possess property, they could be considered citizens, just could not vote (Levin-Waldman, 2012). However, as time passed, many of the basic principles regarding rights began to change. Jane Addams can be considered the founding mother for women’s liberation. As she was born in 1860 to wealthy parents, she inherited the finances to tour Europe with a friend. There she visited a home for wayward boys. This experience prompted her to dedicate her life to social justice and charity (Bowles, 2011). Once home, she built a township in Chicago known as the Hull House. Her commitment opened the doors for her opportunity to establish the U.S. Settlement House Movement (Bowles, 2011). She believed that many girls left their home unprepared to walk the streets of the new cities and work in unknown factories. The Hull House eventually expanded to help immigrant families. They provided these new citizens with assistance to understand the American language and culture, which would promote incorporation into their new national home. This colony also allowed motivated women to have the chance at a career. During this time, many options were not available to society’s females other than marriage. First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt was a worker at the Hull House. Her growth, participation, and expansion to end isolation for women came to inspire more women to fight for their rights (Bowles, 2011). Jane Addams’s social justice is known today as social work. She deemed the work to society was just as important as managing the care for one’s own family (Jane Addams, 2012). As the nation was growing, women took advantage of technological development. They did not sit idly by waiting for actions to happen. They used the transatlantic cable to make advancements with other vital associates who were fighting for women’s rights. They also proved their value with the expansion west. Their abilities were displayed through their competence to mesh men’s chores with their tradition home chores. A frontier woman was able to run the large farming equipment, care for the animals, prepare wild game for meals, clean, sew, and hold a job to provide extra income for the family (Bowles, 2011). Still, women did not have any rights and faced isolation from society’s rights and freedoms.
Pay rates and work opportunities also displayed the lack of equality for women. They continued to be separated by partiality, as their labor was considered unskilled. Many factories used this to their benefit and profited from their lack of aptitudes by compensating a decreased pay, unsafe work environments, and unsanitary facilities. Many women remained in the fields of domestic labor. Here they continued to receive a pay rate that was deemed well below poverty. Race and ethicality also determined which female would get the job. Women were surrounded by bias opinions and select openings (Bowles, 2011).
However, other than gender, ethicality and culture also placed many restrictions upon a woman during this