♀️Feminist Political Thought Unit 2 – Early Feminist Thinkers: 18th-19th Century

Key Concepts and Terminology

• Patriarchy: system of society or government in which men hold the power and women are largely excluded from it
• Suffrage: the right to vote in political elections
• Enlightenment: intellectual and philosophical movement that dominated Europe during the 18th century, emphasizing reason, individualism, and skepticism
• Seneca Falls Convention: the first women's rights convention held in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848
• Declaration of Sentiments: document signed in 1848 by 68 women and 32 men, outlining grievances and demands for equality (modeled after the Declaration of Independence)
• Coverture: legal doctrine whereby, upon marriage, a woman's legal rights and obligations were subsumed by those of her husband
• Separate spheres ideology: the idea that men and women have different roles in society, with women's sphere being the home and men's sphere being public life and politics
• Republican Motherhood: the idea that women had an important civic duty to raise virtuous, patriotic citizens

Historical Context

• The Age of Enlightenment (18th century) provided a foundation for questioning traditional gender roles and advocating for women's rights
• The French Revolution (1789-1799) and its ideals of liberty, equality, and fraternity inspired feminist thought and activism
• The Industrial Revolution (late 18th to 19th century) led to changes in women's work and family roles, as well as new opportunities for women's education and political participation
• The abolitionist movement in the United States (19th century) provided a platform for women to develop organizational and leadership skills, as well as to draw parallels between the oppression of enslaved people and the oppression of women
• The Seneca Falls Convention (1848) marked a pivotal moment in the early women's rights movement, with the signing of the Declaration of Sentiments
• The Civil War (1861-1865) and Reconstruction era in the United States saw a temporary expansion of women's roles and opportunities, followed by a backlash and the reinforcement of traditional gender norms

Pioneering Feminist Thinkers

• Mary Wollstonecraft (1759-1797): British writer, philosopher, and advocate for women's rights
  • Argued for women's education and political participation in her groundbreaking work, "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" (1792)
• Olympe de Gouges (1748-1793): French playwright, political activist, and feminist
  • Wrote the "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen" (1791), challenging the exclusion of women from the French Revolution's ideals of equality
• Sojourner Truth (1797-1883): African American abolitionist and women's rights activist
  • Delivered her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?" (1851), highlighting the intersection of race and gender in the struggle for equality
• Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902): American suffragist, social activist, and leading figure of the early women's rights movement
  • Co-organized the Seneca Falls Convention (1848) and co-authored the Declaration of Sentiments
• Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906): American suffragist and civil rights activist
  • Collaborated with Elizabeth Cady Stanton in the women's suffrage movement and co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (1869)

Major Works and Publications

• "A Vindication of the Rights of Woman" (1792) by Mary Wollstonecraft: argued for women's education and political participation, challenging the prevailing view of women as inferior to men
• "Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen" (1791) by Olympe de Gouges: modeled after the French Revolution's "Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen," asserting that women should have equal rights to men
• "The Revolution" (1868-1872): weekly women's rights newspaper published by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
  • Served as a platform for discussing and promoting women's suffrage, education, and legal rights
• "The Woman's Bible" (1895-1898) by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and a committee of women: a feminist critique of the Bible, challenging traditional religious justifications for women's subordination
• "The History of Woman Suffrage" (1881-1922) edited by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, and Matilda Joslyn Gage: a six-volume work documenting the history of the women's suffrage movement in the United States

Key Arguments and Theories

• Women are rational beings and should have access to education and political participation
  • Wollstonecraft argued that women's lack of education was the root cause of their subordinate status in society
• The doctrine of separate spheres and the cult of domesticity limit women's opportunities and perpetuate gender inequality
  • Feminist thinkers challenged the idea that women's proper place was in the home, arguing for women's right to participate in public life and politics
• Women's suffrage is a fundamental right and necessary for achieving gender equality
  • Stanton, Anthony, and other suffragists argued that women's right to vote was essential for securing their legal, social, and economic rights
• The intersection of gender, race, and class creates unique forms of oppression for women
  • Sojourner Truth and other Black feminist thinkers highlighted the ways in which Black women faced discrimination and marginalization on multiple fronts
• Traditional religious interpretations of gender roles have been used to justify women's subordination
  • "The Woman's Bible" and other feminist critiques of religion sought to challenge patriarchal interpretations of scripture and assert women's spiritual equality

Challenges and Opposition

• Prevailing gender norms and the doctrine of separate spheres: the belief that women's proper place was in the home and that their participation in public life would lead to social upheaval
• Legal and institutional barriers: women's lack of legal rights (e.g., property ownership, divorce, custody) and exclusion from educational and professional opportunities
• Religious opposition: traditional religious teachings and interpretations of scripture that reinforced women's subordinate status
• Resistance from men: many men, including some abolitionists and progressive reformers, were reluctant to support women's rights, viewing it as a threat to male privilege and social stability
• Divisions within the women's movement: disagreements over strategies, priorities, and the intersection of gender with other forms of oppression (e.g., race, class)
  • The split between the National Woman Suffrage Association (focused on a federal suffrage amendment) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (focused on state-level suffrage) in 1869

Impact on Society and Politics

• Increased public awareness and debate about women's rights and gender equality
  • The Seneca Falls Convention and other early feminist gatherings sparked national conversations about women's status and roles in society
• Gradual expansion of women's legal rights and opportunities
  • Feminist activism led to reforms in property rights, divorce laws, and access to education and professional opportunities
• The women's suffrage movement and the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment (1920) in the United States
  • The tireless efforts of suffragists like Stanton, Anthony, and others paved the way for women's right to vote, a critical milestone in the struggle for gender equality
• The development of feminist theory and the growth of women's studies as an academic discipline
  • The work of early feminist thinkers laid the foundation for the development of feminist theory and the establishment of women's studies programs in universities
• Inspiration for future generations of feminist activists and movements
  • The ideas and strategies of early feminist thinkers have continued to inspire and inform feminist movements throughout the 20th and 21st centuries

Legacy and Influence

• The ongoing struggle for women's rights and gender equality
  • The work of early feminist thinkers remains relevant today, as women continue to face discrimination, violence, and unequal opportunities in many areas of life
• The development of intersectional feminism
  • The ideas of early Black feminist thinkers like Sojourner Truth have informed the development of intersectional feminism, which recognizes the interconnected nature of social categorizations such as race, class, and gender
• The expansion of women's political participation and leadership
  • The efforts of early suffragists paved the way for women's increasing involvement in politics and the election of women to high office (e.g., Kamala Harris as the first woman Vice President of the United States)
• The mainstreaming of feminist ideas and the ongoing debate about gender roles and expectations
  • Many of the ideas advocated by early feminist thinkers, such as women's right to education and political participation, have become widely accepted in contemporary society
• The recognition of women's history and contributions
  • The work of early feminist thinkers has contributed to a growing recognition of women's historical experiences and contributions, as well as the importance of studying and teaching women's history