Feminist Movement and the anti-war movement in the 20th Century

Feminist Movement and the anti-war movement in the 20^th Century

Feminism movement was in its first stages in the 1960s Feminism resurgence all over the United States during this period presented a series of changes to the status of women, which has an impact up to date. Feminists brought inspiration to extraordinary changes in society’s fabrics, which had extensive cultural, economic, and political consequences. Feminists would conduct their protests at rallies, sit-ins, hearings, and in the streets, which gave them a voice and presence with the media, which was what mattered most (Call, 2017). America joined the Vietnam War from 1964 to 1973 and believed that by defending South Vietnam, they were also able to combat the threat of communism. An Anti-War Movement is a movement by the public made to oppose decisions made by the government to get involved in a cause. The Anti-War Movement developed in the United States, due to America’s involvement in the Vietnam War. The protests that upset Americans protested in, further developed the Anti-War Movement. The scope of this essay focuses on the U.S. in the late 1960s to early 1970s. This paper focuses on the aspects of women’s lives as it existed in the 20^th Century, before and after the emergence of the feminist movement, and discuss the ways and reasons for an Anti-War Movement develop in the United States, through the historical concept significance.

In the early days before the 20^th Century, the feminist movement was characterized by the right-to-vote movement, which helped women get their voting rights. Over time, coming into the 20^th Century, the women’s movements focused mainly on social ills, societal inequalities, etc.  Below are aspects of the lives of women that existed before and after the feminist movement and the similarities and differences they had with the Anti-war movement.

Education. In the early 20^th Century, women were given a right to education; however, their higher education was not seen to be of much importance. Women, therefore, were expected to acquire primary education, but their movement to further their education was still seen to be of little value. Nonetheless, with the emergence of the feminist movement, more women were pushing for equal rights in the studying opportunity as they felt they equally needed education as much as the men. Gaining the essential knowledge enabled them to understand their rights, thus increasing protests for an equal education opportunity. The anti-war movement helped erode support for the Vietnam War primarily amongst the student protest movement and counterculture; additionally, the movement led to a significant split in American society amongst those who believed in traditional values and those who wanted to move on to more liberal ways. A semi-socialist student body, formed in 1959 called the Students for a Democratic Society, was founded, and many universities had “teach-in” rallies, which developed into protest marches in the anti-war movement.

The role of women in society has changed significantly over time, and women have therefore increased in the workforce. In the early 20^th Century, the role of women was mainly at home, focusing on raising children, cooking, and washing (Brewer, 2016). Most women would do manual jobs around their homes, which brings out the r place in society at the time. With their increase in the involvement in the education sector where they gained knowledge, the women began securing jobs and thus being a part of the workforce, playing a significant role in providing for their families. Over time, towards the mid-20^th Century, the women began accessing more involved in the workforce, with their efforts and successes being evident in their ways of management and delivery of services. Numbers alone made the women and youth play an essential role in the anti-war movement, as more than 76 million babies were born during the post- World War II “baby boom.” After the Gulf Tonkin Resolution, the SDS began to protest the Vietnam draft, some burning their drafts and many fleeing to other countries, mainly Canada, which made a significant improvement in the workforce favoring the women.

Before the feminist movement intensified in the early 20^th Century, women were not allowed to participate in most sports, and therefore, men would dominate more. The society could not embrace women’s involvement in particular sports, which was another primary concern. With the intensifying feminist movement across the United States with them fighting for equal rights and opportunities, more women were involved in sports where they acquired medals. After the anti-war movement Barbara Jo Rubin, who turned out to be the first female jockey to win a United States race, is an example of the change that came in the anti-war movement mainly by the college students. With time, women grew in popularity in the field of sports, with more women engaging in and winning several medals.

Homelife has changed significantly across the United States, with the role of women changing with time in families.  In the early 20^th Century, most women focused on bringing up their children. Also, families would get up to 5 children, although several families preferred fewer children. Over time, society found it more convenient to have fewer children and thus give them a better life (Zajacova & Montez, 2017). Women’s education also helped them get engaged more and therefore learn the need to raise their children in an affordable environment rather than bear more children and bring them up in poverty. Women overtime also found it easier to leave marriages that they are unhappy in as compared to in the earlier days where women were expected to bear challenges in their marriages.

The Women’s Health Movement came up in the 1960s and 1970s in the second wave of Feminism in the United States Brewer, 2016). Feminists demanded healthcare changes with the women rights activists demanding equal rights for all the women in the United States. Towards the end of the 20^th Century, women received equal rights in the healthcare sector, equally receiving health services.

Politics have been male-dominated for many years, and the input of women towards an effort to promote their involvement has been useful. In the late 19^th Century and early 20^th Century, women were outside the political life formal structures in activities such as the holding of the elective office, voting and serving on juries. Over time, in the 20th Century, women in the United States moved in all the public life aspects such as in mass media, popular culture, labor-force participation, and professions. Women started being allocated sits in the government, which has enabled them to make positive changes in the government and also attempt to fight for gender equality in all aspects of life. Amongst the student antiwar movement was growing disillusionment among young Americans about politics and society as a whole.   Voices in this new counterculture of the 1960s questioned conventional social norms and embraced sex, drugs, and rock-and-roll music. So-called flower-children won the support of several academics, including the sociologist Alfred Kinsey, particularly interested in the “sexual revolution.” The counterculture movement reached the height of its movement at the 1969 Woodstock Music and Art Festival when about 400,000 people attended.

Throughout the 1960s, an anti-war movement arises in the United States, primarily based around the Vietnam War.  At this moment, the civil rights movement had thrived under Martin Luther King Jr. along with other African American leaders.  Furthermore, the post–World War II “baby boom” had resulted in a large youth generation, and due to postwar prosperity, many attended college.

Richard Nixon’s speech “Silent Majority” referred to those Americans who did not join in the massive protests against the Vietnam War at the time and did not participate in the counterculture.  This “silent majority” is primarily the older generation and, in often cases, supporters of conservative policies of politicians.  These Americans were those who resented the protests they saw and viewed them as disrespect for American institutions.  As the anti-war movement progressed, so did the split between the “silent majority” and the so-called “vocal minority,” those who believed in traditional ideas of patriotism and those who wanted to move to increasingly liberal ways.

The anti-war movement had two main effects on American society; the movement helped to erode support for the war; also, the movement helped lead to a significant split in American society amongst Americans who believed in traditional values and traditional ideas of patriotism and Americans who wanted to move on to more liberal ways. These changes led to a decrease in American involvement, such as in 1968, when President Johnson decided not to seek reelection, serious negotiations to end the war began.  Then in 1973, there was the withdrawal of U.S. forces.  The split amongst American society continues to affect the U.S. in the modern-day. Over the years, the feminist movement has expanded its efforts towards fighting for the equality of women.  Women have struggled to have their way up towards achieving balance in all aspects of life. There have been notable differences between the beginning of the 20^th Century and the end of the Century, with women managing to increase their presence in politics, homes, workforce, among others. There is a need to increase the involvement of women in society as their role has brought significant results all over the world.

References

Brewer, R. M. (2016). Theorizing Race, Class, and Gender: The New Scholarship of Black Feminist Intellectuals and Black Women’s Labor. Taylor & Francis, 58–64. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315662978-10

History.com Editors. (2018, August 21). Vietnam War Protests. Retrieved from HISTORY website: https://www.history.com/topics/vietnam-war/vietnam-war-protests

McKinney, C. (2015). Newsletter networks in the feminist history and archives movement. Feminist Theory, 16(3), 309–328. https://doi.org/10.1177/1464700115604135

Schaller, M., Janette Thomas Greenwood, Kirk, A. G., Purcell, S. J., Aaron Charles Sheehan-Dean, Snyder, C., … Bezís-Selfa, J. (2018). American horizons : U.S. history in a global context. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.