Woman Suffrage And The Origins Of Liberal Feminism In The United States, 1820-1920
by Suzanne Marilley /
1997 / English / PDF
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In demanding equal rights and the vote for women, woman
suffragists introduced liberal feminist dissent into an emerging
national movement against absolute power in the forms of
patriarchy, church administrations, slavery, and false dogmas.
In demanding equal rights and the vote for women, woman
suffragists introduced liberal feminist dissent into an emerging
national movement against absolute power in the forms of
patriarchy, church administrations, slavery, and false dogmas.
In their struggle, these women developed three types of liberal
arguments, each predominant during a different phase of the
movement. The feminism of equal rights, which called for freedom
through equality, emerged during the Jacksonian era to counter
those opposed to women's public participation in antislavery
reform. The feminism of fear, the defense of women's right to
live free from fear of violent injury or death perpetrated
particularly by drunken men, flourished after the Civil War. And
in the early 1900s, the feminism of personal development called
for women's freedom through opportunities to become full persons.
In their struggle, these women developed three types of liberal
arguments, each predominant during a different phase of the
movement. The feminism of equal rights, which called for freedom
through equality, emerged during the Jacksonian era to counter
those opposed to women's public participation in antislavery
reform. The feminism of fear, the defense of women's right to
live free from fear of violent injury or death perpetrated
particularly by drunken men, flourished after the Civil War. And
in the early 1900s, the feminism of personal development called
for women's freedom through opportunities to become full persons.
The practical need to blend concepts in order to justify and
achieve goals created many contradictions in the suffragists'
ideologies. By putting suffrage first, these women introduced
radical goals, but as a politically powerless group, they could
not win the vote without appeals and bargains that men considered
acceptable. Ironically, American woman suffragists used illiberal
ideals and arguments to sustain the quest for the most
fundamental liberal feminist citizenship goal: the vote.
The practical need to blend concepts in order to justify and
achieve goals created many contradictions in the suffragists'
ideologies. By putting suffrage first, these women introduced
radical goals, but as a politically powerless group, they could
not win the vote without appeals and bargains that men considered
acceptable. Ironically, American woman suffragists used illiberal
ideals and arguments to sustain the quest for the most
fundamental liberal feminist citizenship goal: the vote.
In this book, Suzanne Marilley reframes the debate on this
important topic in a fresh, provocative, and persuasive style.
In this book, Suzanne Marilley reframes the debate on this
important topic in a fresh, provocative, and persuasive style.