History of the U.S. Feminist Movement
The feminist movement in the United States developed in the context of three separate "waves" of feminism, each of which had its own leaders, rights and issues, techniques, and gains. This paper will discuss each wave and end with concluding thoughts.
First-wave feminism began in the late 19th century and extended to the early 20th century in response to the new industrial society and liberal politics (Georgetown College, 2005, p. 1). The leaders of the movement included such prominent feminists as Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a suffragist and abolitionist; Lucy Stone, an abolitionist and women's suffragist; and Susan B. Anthony, who supported temperance in addition to women's suffrage (DeFonza, 2011). Head (2011), however, points out that it was actually the book A Vindication of the Rights of Women published by English philosopher Mary Wollstonecraft that really started first-wave American feminism. As is indicated by the fact that most feminists were also suffragists, the key issue that first-wave feminists were fighting for was women's right to vote (Georgetown College, 2005, p. 2). The techniques used to gain that right included a variety of types of demonstration, such as picketing, parades, and marches (Georgetown College, 2005, p. 3). Women gained the right to vote, and this paved the way for second-wave feminism, but the first wave ended when women obtained the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution in 1920 (Haslanger & Tuana, 2011).
The second wave encompassed the radical feminism of the late 1960s and early 1970s, and the key issue was women's liberation (Georgetown College, 2005, p. 8). The most prominent leaders of the movement were Gloria Steinem, Betty Friedan, and Angela Davis (Georgetown College, 2005, pp. 8, 10). During this phase, feminists attempted to change women's place in society by relieving oppression as...