hIST 2

History 202B: Winter 2012

PSA #5: The “New” Woman

Women gained the vote just as World War I ended and entered into the 1920s with their legal rights expanding and their social role changing. Increasingly, women attended college and worked outside the home; divorce laws were liberalized. Most famously, the 1920s saw the advent of the so-called New Woman and the flapper—a liberated women who embraced sex, short skirts, and smoking. Yet simultaneously the 1920s saw a reemphasis of the importance of women’s fulfillment in the home and marriage—rather than in the workplace. Women were still clustered in “women’s jobs” and the number of women in professions dropped. Life in the 1920s offered women a chance to experiment and redefine gender expectations and their place within American society.

Completely answer the following questions after reading the assigned documents.

1) After reading the “Marriage and the Family” section, explain how the relationship of women to marriage and family is changing from Progressive views of just a few years earlier. Issues you might discuss: do women seem happy being housewives, what do they want, what are seen as the problems for women, how are these attitudes different from Progressivism. This should take more than three sentences. Directly reference (this can include quotation, are mention of the particular reading) the readings to support your assertions.

From reading this section I found out that women don’t seems to like being only housewives “A human being is not created like a bee which dies after accomplishing its only task.” in this sentence the author seems very unhappy with the tradition role for women of only being a wife and to take care of the children and making home a comfort zone for the husband which she express as a something she love but yet its not enough. they express unrest feeling for doing things and learn more and be engaged in society in a deeper level.

One of the reason why women even after getting a degree don’t end up working is actually a result of getting married, as Join Watson address they like the “lie back” life and the comfortable of it, and its hard after this lie back period to go back and work which lead to a bigger problem seen happen to mid age women after they lose their normal life because of a death or a divorce, they been left on their own unskilled in a industrial world having only little to offer and lots of suffering to face.

Therefor they want to be engaged in society to get degree to be hired and work, to have the skills they need to be able to support them selves which also help them getting over the restlessness the experience after living a comfy life of a housewife.

2) After reading the “Sex and Sexuality” section, you should get the impression that something significant has changed regarding single women and sexuality. What has changed? How is this “new” woman different than those of the Progressive era? What social forces are blamed for the change? What do you think (not something you see in the text) is causing this shift in female sexuality?

What changed is that during World War I women filled the jobs of men and worked in deferent fields that they didn’t work in before .But as the war ended women didn’t want to give up their jobs and with it their freedom. They didn’t want the old life of housewives as of those in the Progressive era therefore they found a places of their on and had a new life style where she can work and enjoy her time with her lover without the family or the work break into her personal life.

I think what changed them is the feeling of freedom and the financial security a job offer as well as they experience a more meaningful life that is more colorful than the traditional life style of progressive era.

3) After reading “The ‘New’ Woman” section, identify what makes these women “new” women compared to the Progressives? Explain why each individual woman is “new” (they all represent different types of the “new” woman). This should take at least four sentences.

Margaret Sanger is “new” in compare to Progressives due to the job she hold in birth control clinic which require high education and skills that only few women of progressives era had. Also she was new in her thinking, by looking at the macro level and being able to identify the problems married women faced such as dangerous abortions and for her challenging the norms of the society. To see the situation women are putting on and to consider it a form is slavery and trying to change it is a step i believe make her new in thinking and mark a great distinguish between women like her and the Progressives.

As for Clara Bow, she was new in compare to the Progressives because she freed her self from the society traditional role for women and she entered a new life style of stars that wasnt none for women.

As for Margaret Mead she object on the double stander of boys and girls the amount of standers and morality children face in the US and compared it to the Samoan children where in their culture the dont have to face such dilemma . She believe that sex is a natural pleasurable thing, and that there should be only one standard for both sex.

4) After reading “Feminist: New Style”, how does Bromley believe the “new” feminists differs from the women who fought and won the right to vote? Does she think the new style of feminism is better? How so?

They are different from the women who fought and won in their ideas of full life, new women believe that full life is a life where is married and having a career of her own not only to be a housewife or just to have a job and to only focus on that.

The Author do see this new life style for women is better for several reasons:

1- If she is economically dependent then her work will provide financial security to her that not children or love can provide.

2-In compare to the women who fought new women have wider range of interest.

3-They dont see men as enemy therefore they dont “abjure” men. and they care about there appearance.

4-New women dont let men and children take over her life even though it might take a large part of her life yet she sill self-conscious.

For this reasons and others, Dunbar think the new style feminism is better than the older form.

5) Considering all of the readings in this PSA, how would you define the “new” woman? How were women’s roles (sexual, economic, and as wives and mothers) reshaped by the 1920’s?

A Self conscious women who know how to hold the stick from the middle, who is able to balance her life between career and personal life in her home, who understand the duty of her as a mother and that her race depending on her at the same time she is aware of her rights and her rightful position in society and for this way of looking at life there was a change and new shape of the women role.

� Portions of this paragraph were taken from Bruce Borland, ed., America Through the Eyes of Its People (New York: Longman, 1997), 257.

History 202B: Spring 2013

Primary Source Assignment #7

Women in mid-century America

1. Examine the three images (Rosie the Riveter, 1942, Van Heusen Tie Ad, 1951, Life Magazine, 1971) and the Enjoli Perfume commercial, 1977 here:

. Using details you see, what do you think were social attitudes about women’s relationship to men at work and home in each of the images? Describe what you see as the change in the view of women over time, as it is represented in the images and video.

· In Rosie the Riveter image, the phrase “we can do it” present different kind of women who is skilled and able to work and replace men in factories. The attitude in this image is more of proving that women are strong enough and able to handle jobs that men only use to work in.

· In Van Heusen Tie Ad, the image promote the same old role for men and women. Men is the master of the house and the phrase “ man’s world” indicate that she lives in his world therefore and his role, and her place as presented here is to work in his servent and her job is to take care of his need.

· in the life magazine cover it present a different kind of women, a women that is more in touch with her feminist side, that dosent necessary wanna prove her ability to do hard work as in Rosie the Riveter nor a one that wanna be a housewife working in the comfort of her man.

· In the Enjoli Perfume commercial it promote for a women that have a multi life style. A one who still take care of her house but also have a decent job not a factory one as well as knowing how to have fun and enjoy her time. It is kinda smiller to what a man life looks like.

2. What does Friedan mean by the phrase “the problem that has no name”? What kinds of women seem to be excluded from her account of the problem?

The problem that many women across America had but where isolated from sharing it and thought for many years that this problem was a problem in them selves not a problem that so many other women had. The idea back then that the life they had is a dream life for women around the world, to have a house and a husband to care of them and to keep her house beautiful and clean is promoted to be the ideal life for women. Yet this life wasn’t satisfying enough and these women experienced a feeling of unhappiness and dissatisfaction with their lives and wanted to have more than to a husband, children and a beautiful house.

3. What does the Manifesto mean by its final sentence: “This time we are going all the way”? Why does Redstockings believe that all men are oppressors of women?

Meaning that they are determined about getting women liberation and willing to take it to the highest level. Redstockings believe all men are opressores because male supremacy is the oldest form of domination and the most basic one and all other form of domination are just a extension of the male supremacy thats why male hence men are oppressor because all form of stricture were male oriented and based on the idea of male supremacy.

4. Why does Schlafly believe that the Equal Rights Amendment would actually hurt women? How does Schlafly’s picture of the status of women differ from that of the Redstockings Manifesto?

· Because it will let men “off the hook” by denying their responsibilities to their wives. Also because Schlafly believes that equal right is a downgarde from their “special privilege.” Also because equal right will let women subject to the draft as well as women will ose the child support and alimony under the ERA therefore Schalfy believe it will hurt women.

· Redstockings are in the different side of the argument beleving that the whole system us built on the male supremacy and beleving that women are being superior and therefore the believe in the equality between male and female and to abolish all the layers of oppression in doing so. in the other hand Schalfy believe that equal right will result in hurting women and losing her special privilege.

History 202B: Spring 2013

Primary Source Assignment #9

The Rise of Conservatism

1) Why does Commoner feel that most explanations of environmental problems are inadequate? What kind of human actions does he feel endanger the ecosphere?

· This is because the people fail to understand why the environment is under threat by various factors such as population. People do not look into the complexity of the issues that affect the environment, for example, it is very difficult to discover how the damage is done, the elements that cause it, and who are to be held responsible. It is due to this misunderstanding that people do not learn from the environmental problems. There are also no solutions provided, in order to manage the environmental problems, since people have not yet understood the origin of the environmental crisis.

· They include; production technology, production of oil, release of toxic chemicals, sewage, and rubbish.

2) What does Falwell see as the major threats to moral standards in 1970s America?

The television is a major threat to moral standards. It has made the youth to lose respect to human life by disrespecting the family, rather than what “God” had planned it for. The education system also threatens the moral standards. Education makes people view the bible as a book, just like any other book. Education also introduces people to drugs, therefor failing to instill discipline and character building. The government also threatens the moral standards by introducing welfares and socialism, which makes the youth think that it is their right for a proper living, whether they work or not.

3) How does Falwell appear to understand the idea of freedom? How might his position negatively impact groups who do not fall under his definition of morality?

Freedom is built on integrity, faith in God, and hard work. It brings about patriotism, love, and ones will to sacrifice for their own country. Americans must also practice their freedom by leaders with strong moral values.

4) What does Watt see as the hidden motive of the environmentalist movement?

The hidden motive is to prevent the energy resources development in the West, therefore damaging the national economy as a whole. This is because the movement makes the government to intervene less in the economy, hence threatening projects such as irrigation, grazing, mining among others.

5) How does he argue that environmentalism actually threatens the natural environment of the west? What is your opinion of this argument? Explain

· Environmentalism has led to increase of demand for additional supplies of coals, oil, gas, uranium, forest products, food, and fiber, among others from the states. This makes it difficult for the states to protect the natural environment, while still meeting the increased demands. The environmentalists are only determined to achieve their objectives at whatever cost to the society, hence diminishing the quality of life for other people.

· in my opinion, the environmentalists should consider the effects and consequences of their decisions and objectives, natural environment, before putting them into practice. They first should consult with the other environment organizations as well as the government, before making any decisions, in order to evaluate the effects with the motives of their objectives. Also, other alternatives should be identified, in order to save the natural environment.