Textbook: Chapter 9
1. Once the Cold War began, changes in the American peoples lives also began. By this time it was not uncommon that many mothers, including women without children, to be working. Many of these hard working and respected women lost their jobs during the Cold War. These women returned to their domesticated lifestyles and raised their children at home. Many women in politically positions lost their jobs as well. During the Cold War the government was fearful of communists and accused many non-communists men and women in power of being so. Once they were accused they lost their careers and lost respect.
2. Historians believed that Betty Friedan over generalized her interpretation of the “feminine mystique”. In Betty's studies she shows only data and thoughts about the wealthy white women of America. She believed that women were put in their domestic roles by a generalized feeling toward women. What Betty Failed to do, as historian's believe, was mention the underclass women and colored women. Many women Betty did not mention worked very hard and still raised their children and same with colored women as well. All though not many, women did work successful jobs in politics and business.
3.Many of the activist women in the 1950s were working women. They wanted to fight for their rights and new labor laws that would protect them from losing their jobs and for safer conditions. Many of these working class females were African American as well as Latinos. Their race posed a problem to them. Since they were not white they were very often discriminated against or were paid lower wages than the whites. White women faced difficulties as well. In 1950 a requirement to work was an education, which up until recent centuries was almost illegal for women to have. So women that had little to no education were discriminated in the work force as well. Because of all this discrimination working women in the 1950s became activists.
4. The concept of a “bridge” leader helps underline the discrimination women endured during the civil rights movement. Women fought very hard for civil rights and as we know, even started their own women's clubs and groups to help the cause. But women still would not be able to climb higher in the ranks because of their gender. “Bridge” leaders were women who were very active in helping the civil rights movement along, but would never actually become a leader. They were the glue that kept it together, but their contributions were recognized as the mens'. If women were able to stand in a leadership role it was only temporary until a man was found to suit the spot. While women were lobbying for the civil rights of minorities, they as women were still kept down.
1 comment:
Elias-R#1
Of course you did a great job on your blog, as always. The answers that you gave used a lot of detail and explanation which made it easy for your point to be proven. It was very interesting to read about the many Americans who were accused of being communists during the Cold War just because they had different views regarding certain ideas. These people had been looked down upon for many years because of these accusations. When I first learned about the United States citizens who were accused of being communists, it made me think about how history tends to repeat itself, since the accusation of these people reminded me of the Salem Witch Trials in which people in the colonies were accused of being witches. Even though hundreds of years passed and so much change in the world had taken place between the two, it really shows how the human mind tends to stay the same. There is always a moment in which a group, such as a government, uses a scapegoat. The scapegoat is usually used to scare off the rest of society from going against the group. Communism was a belief system that was considered to be deviant for our society and it became easy for the American citizens to get rid of people they did not like just by accusing them of being Communists
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