As young girls we have dreams and aspire to become successful business, and career driven women. The days of becoming a “housewife” and catering to a man are forgotten and almost frowned upon. Imagine if you were never even considered for that CEO position at your job because of your gender. You were more qualified for the job than the male you were up against, but a woman as a boss? That could never happen. We as women tend to not recognize that going to college, getting jobs, and being successful was once not an option. I myself am even guilty of this. Are we wrong? Why should we think twice about these things when we live in a country where we have the freedom to do so? I am not insisting that we think of these things as privileges because now we can do the things that man were always aloud to. Maybe we should look at them as privileges because of the women that fought for us and took a stand for our freedom without even knowing us because they wanted their daughters to have a more privileged life than theirs.

When the Declaration of Independence was created it stated, “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and WOMEN are created equal”. Now although it was stated in what would be the most powerful document in history it was not played out that way. Women continued to be ignored and played a role that consisted of getting married, birthing children every 2 years, and taking care of her husband. Women were not allowed to claim property, vote, or have custody of their children even though they would act as the sole parent to the child, devoting all of their time and life to them. Any decision making that took place in the family did not include women, because they were “incapable of serious thought”.  Pardon my language but that is complete bullshit and one of the most ignorant things to ever be said. Not only were women fighting against the dominant white male, but also the fourth estate. The media would play a huge role in holding women’s rights back and mocking their efforts to see justice. When Elizabeth Cady Stanton ( the mother of the revolution) held a convention in Seneca Falls, which would later be seen as what unfolded the beginning of the Women’s Rights Movement, the media tore it down as being “toxic”, “a mixture of outrage”, or labeled it as “Women’s wrong convention”. The media took every shot they could to bash the movement and feminists simply because they were scared of their power. They took digs as far as saying “feminist were abandoning their responsibilities in the home” Everyone against this movement was scared to see a shift in spheres that consisted of the man being important to society and the woman just being an object.  Later on Susan B Anthony would join Stanton’s effort in the movement. They were responsible for hosting meetings. Petition drives, and public lectures. Every year the two hosted a national convention that brought awareness to the movement. The more awareness the more outraged the media got. Women were being compared to “clowns in a circus”. To get around the fourth estate that was holding these women back and bashing their efforts, Stanton and Anthony started their own for of media by founding a newspaper called The Revolution. The Revolution consisted of women’s views on topics such as abortion, prostitution, and divorce. Later on Newspapers, magazines, and associations started to show support in women’s rights.  They might have been less radical or abrasive than The Revolution but they were still showing support. Living in a time where it was hard for women to travel to these meetings the media and these papers were crucial in spreading the word and drawing awareness. The media continued to bash feminists by using Anthony as a prime target. They attacked her appearance and compared her to a man. They started to add pictures in of women smoking and drinking and viewing them in a negative light.

Despite the backlash these women were seeing from the media their efforts had finally saw justice in the twentieth century when they reached national spotlight. In 1919 mainstream journalists recognized the Women’s Right Movement as a “major revolution”.

So easily we view the media as just a way to receive gossip on current events and don’t recognize the power it has on us. Media is single handedly one of the most powerful resources we as individuals have.  It at times can control us, persuade us, and impact our thoughts and beliefs. There is no doubt that if Stanton and Anthony had the support of the media women would have seen their rights much earlier in history. So why is all this important to me? It’s important to me because it allows me to have a voice. It reminds me that something we take for granted everyday was once something that was fought for every day. As a young woman with RIGHTS I have now can do anything I put my mind to with the RESOURCES I have now.

"One Woman Can Change Anything. Many Women Can Change Everything"

Courtesy of the Library of Congress.
Modifications © 2003 Jone Johnson Lewis. Licensed to About.com.

Previous citing's : Streitmatter, Rodger. Mightier Than The Sword. Philidelphia, PA: Westview Press, 1997. Print