Women's Rights

by Hurley, Jennifer A.

• ISBN13: 9780737707731
• ISBN10: 0737707739
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-09-01
• Publisher: Greenhaven Pr

Summary

Offers speeches by leaders of the women's rights movement, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Emmeline Pankhurst, Betty Friedan, Bella S. Abzug, and Angela Y. Davis.

Table of Contents

Foreword	11	(2)
Introduction	13	(13)
Pioneers of the Women's Rights Movement
In Defense of Women's Rights	26	(13)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Women are intellectually, morally, and physically equal to men; therefore, women deserve the same rights as men, including the right to vote.
Discourse on Woman	39	(10)
Lucretia Mott
In contrast to popular arguments, the Bible does not support society's unequal treatment of women. A close examination of biblical texts reveals that Christianity upholds women's equality.
Remedying the Wrongs Done to Women	49	(13)
Ernestine Potowski Rose
As human beings, women merit the same rights as men. Society's restriction of women's rights, which is manifested in countless discriminatory laws, is a grave injustice. It is time to denounce this injustice and remedy the wrongs done to women.
Aren't I a Woman?	62	(5)
Sojourner Truth
Women are as strong and capable as men. They do as much for society as men and should receive as much in the way of rights.
Voices from the Suffrage Movement
On Being Arrested for Voting	67	(12)
Susan B. Anthony
As human beings, women are necessarily citizens; as citizens, women are owed the constitutional right of suffrage. A constitutional amendment granting women's suffrage is necessary because the government has a responsibility to clearly define and protect the rights of all of its citizens.
Why Women Need the Ballot	79	(7)
Frances D. Gage
The right to vote is an essential part of women's quest for equal status. Furthermore, women's suffrage would improve the morality of society by enabling the passage of temperance laws.
The Solitude of Self: An Argument for Women's Suffrage	86	(10)
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Because all individuals are ultimately left to their own devices for survival, they should all be accorded the same rights. Denying women the right to vote prevents them from attaining full development as human beings.
Militant Suffragists	96	(5)
Emmeline Pankhurst
Women must use whatever means are available to them-even the sacrifice of their own lives-in order to achieve suffrage. Society should be faces with only two alternatives: Either women will be killed, or they will have the right to vote.
The Fundamental Principle of a Republic	101	(16)
Anna Howard Shaw
Typical arguments opposing women's suffrage are simply absurd. A true republic, which the United States claims to be, cannot prohibit half of its citizens from voting.
Feminism's Second Wave
A Woman's Civil Right	117	(5)
Betty Friedan
Women cannot have equal status in society if they cannot control their reproductive choices. Motherhood will become a positive act only when women are accorded the freedom to decide when and if to become mothers.
Funeral Oration for the Burial of Traditional Womanhood	122	(5)
Kathie Amatniek
Traditional gender roles deprive women of their humanity. Women must reject such roles if they are to be effective demonstrators against the Vietnam War.
A Strategy to Strengthen Women's Political Power	127	(8)
Bella S. Abzug
Women are essentially invisible within the sphere of politics. In order to achieve equal representation in government, women must organize a unified fight for political power.
For the Equal Rights Amendment	135	(6)
Shirley Chrisholm
Legal distinctions between the sexes are founded on archaic views and therefore should be abolished. The Equal Rights Amendment, if passed, would eradicate such distinctions and mandate the equal treatment of women.
Women's Liberation Is Men's Liberation	141	(7)
Gloria Steinem
Contrary to what many believe, the women's liberation movement is not hostile to men. In fact, the movement's goal of eliminating traditional gender roles will liberate both men and women to live life according to their own desires.
The Argument that Won Roe v. Wade	148	(4)
Sarah Weddington
The right to liberty protected by the Fourteenth Amendment applies to the issue of abortion. To deprive women of the right to make crucial decisions prive women of the right to make crucial decisions about their futures-such as whether or not to have a child-is to deprive them of their right to liberty.
The Women's Movement Is Incompatible with Family Life	152	(9)
Phyllis Schlafly
By promoting the belief that women are victims of male oppression, the women's liberation movement fosters hostility between the sexes and causes divorce. The feminist tenet that women should seek self-fulfillment is completely incompatible with the demands of marriage and motherhood.
Contemporary Speeches on Women's Rights
Promoting the Human Rights of Women	161	(10)
Charlotte Bunch
Women's rights should be regarded as an issue of human rights. As human beings, women deserve fundamental human rights such as the freedom of religion and speech, as well as freedom from violence.
The Status of Women in Islamic Nations	171	(5)
Benazir Bhutto
Women face severe oppression within Muslim societies. These societies must restore the original tenets of Islam, which support democracy, tolerance, and women's equality.
Let Women All Rise Together	176	(11)
Angela Y. Davis
Contemporary feminists must ``lift as they climb''--that is, they must work to guarantee that all women, regardless of class or race, have equal rights and adequate protection of those rights under the law.
In Support of Roe v. Wade	187	(10)
Kate Michelman
Abortion rights are at risk due to pressures from the religious right. A woman's right to a legal abortion is a fundamental freedom that must be defended.
The Feminist Case Against Abortion	197	(7)
Serrin M. Foster
Many contemporary feminists oppose abortion because of their belief in the value of all human life--a position shared by prominent nineteenth-century feminists such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Consequently, many feminists are working to provide resources for women who unexpectedly become pregnant.
On the 150th Anniversary of the First Women's Rights Convention	204	(11)
Hillary Rodham Clinton
The women's rights movement has accomplished a great deal since its beginnings in 1848. However, if the movement is to achieve its goal of women's equality, it must strive to eliminate wage discrimination, provide affordable child care and health care, end domestic violence, and improve education.
Appendix of Biographies	215	(17)
For Further Research	232	(3)
Index	235