Women in American History

1. Women in American History Pioneers and Reformers

2. Some of the Ladies • Annie Oakley: was known as the “Best Shot of the West,” and embodied the spirit of women’s independence • Calamity Jane: noted for her bravery as a scout and involvement in a number of military campaigns against the Indians

3. More Famous Ladies • Laura Ingalls Wilder: Pioneer, teacher, journalist, & more importantly, author. • Her best known book is Little House on the Prairie • In her books, she described life on the frontier and about how America had changed and was an inspiration for women all over America • Where she lived as a child

4. Freed from Slavery • Bridget “Biddy” Mason: declared free from slavery in California, 1856, she purchased a home, bought and sold property in Los Angeles, and devoted her life to helping others. She visited inmates, and provided food and shelter to the poor

5. Women’s Suffrage • Women who worked for the freedom of slaves, now fought for suffrage and women's rights • Lucretia Mott, a Quaker reformer, called for temperance (the outlawing of alcohol), peace, workers’ rights, and abolition (the freeing of slaves) • Elizabeth Cady Stanton, another abolitionist teamed up with Mott and organized the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. • The Seneca Falls Convention: modeled after the Declaration of Independence, a convention of over 200 prominent women met to argue for and win gender equality or equal rights with men. They demanded to be given the same opportunities as men, especially suffrage, or, the right to vote

6. Women’s Rights • Susan B. Anthony called for equal pay for women, college training for girls, and temperance. Along with Stanton, Anthony led the women’s rights movement for over 50 years • Margaret Fuller , a very influential transcendental writer, brought women’s issues to the forefront of American society during this time

7. The Second Great Awakening • In revivals, preachers urged their followers to renew their religious convictions • Church membership increased and many were inspired to do missionary work and take part in reform movements

8. The Temperance Movement • Religious leaders called for temperance, which called for the elimination of alcohol. They blamed alcohol for the break up of families and crime

9. Reform through Literature • Transcendentalists placed importance on the connections between humans and nature. They protested social evils, such as slavery • Important authors: Ralph Waldo Emerson, Henry David Thoreau, and Margaret Fuller • Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote poetry that exemplified the transcendentalist movement • Harriet Beecher Stowe wrote the best selling book of the 1800s, Uncle Tom’s Cabin, which is about the wrongs of the practice of slavery.