First Wave Feminism

            During the First Wave of Feminism, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, called the first woman’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, NY.  The approach that these women followed to achieve equality, which truly stands out to me, is the notion that they travelled for 40 years after this convention as a method of consciousness raising.  They lectured to men and women about the facts, and over the course of their travels gained many supporters, and provoked many other conventions on the subject of women’s rights.  I feel that this method would be successful in any time period, especially for feminist activists present in today’s society.

             We live in a society of mass media, and widespread technology where it is easy to let others know what you think.  Although I feel that our predecessor’s method would be slightly modified in some ways to reach more people, I feel that their basic goal to spread their ideas on woman’s rights was very effective.  I would be willing to bet, that if I started a facebook group with a feminist agenda, and scheduled a meeting for everyone to come together, it would be highly effective.  Our society’s ways of communicating have changed (not necessarily for the best) and we can reach people from all areas of the world with a click of a button.  Although our society has changed and we have many new obstacles, there is no way to diminish their commitment to the cause of woman’s rights.

            I acknowledge the fact that racism and classism are still issues that divide feminists today, but I also believe that issues of sexuality, politics, etc., divide them further.  Until our society has grown past the remnant “otherness” that our history has impressed upon peoples of color, gender outlaws (coined by Kate Bornstein a prominent gender theorist, to describe bi-, gay, lesbian, trans-, etc.), or people of lower economic status, these issues will remain prevalent.

            Although I am saddened by the way suffragists handled the issue of Black suffrage, I can somewhat understand where they were coming from.  Angela Davis, in her article “Racism in the Woman Suffrage Movement” states,  “She [Elizabeth Cady Stanton] was determined, it seems, to prevent further progress for Black people—for “Sambo” no less—if it meant that white women might not enjoy the immediate benefits of that progress” (71).  As we learned from our lectures, not all black men felt the same way that Frederick Douglass did about women’s suffrage; some felt the idea ridiculous.  When seeing both sides of the coin, it is easy to understand why Stanton and other women would not want even MORE men denying them suffrage.  I feel that Blacks and women should not have resulted to insults and pettiness.  They were fighting for the same thing and they should have remained together in their process of gaining suffrage; it may have gone a bit faster.

            The greatest characteristics of First Wave Feminists were determination and their ability to remain outspoken in all areas of society, regardless of persecution.  These characteristics are much less common in our contemporary society because many young people feel that equality is present.  I personally know many people that feel politics do not apply to them, or that other people will do it for them.  These beliefs are both false; our state governs everyone even if it is not visible, and our representatives do not always fight for what we want.  I hate to say it, but I feel that a lot of our generation does not care because we have not suffered like the First Wavers.  It is like the old saying, “You don’t realize how good you have it, until it is gone.”