![]() ![]() Feminists parodied what they held to be a degrading "cattle parade" that reduced women to objects of beauty dominated by a patriarchy that sought to keep them in the home or in dull, low-paying jobs. This phase began with protests against the Miss America pageant in Atlantic City in 19. In this phase, sexuality and reproductive rights were dominant issues, and much of the movement's energy was focused on passing the Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing social equality regardless of sex. The New Left was on the rise, and the voice of the second wave was increasingly radical. This wave unfolded in the context of the anti-war and civil rights movements and the growing self-consciousness of a variety of minority groups around the world. The second wave began in the 1960s and continued into the 90s. ![]() Some claimed that women were morally superior to men, and so their presence in the civic sphere would improve public behavior and the political process. 1883), who demanded: "Ain't I a woman?" Victorian America saw women acting in very "un-ladylike" ways (public speaking, demonstrating, stints in jail), which challenged the "cult of domesticity." Discussions about the vote and women's participation in politics led to an examination of the differences between men and women as they were then viewed. In its early stages, feminism was interrelated with the temperance and abolitionist movements and gave voice to now-famous activists like the African-American Sojourner Truth (d. Elizabeth Cady Stanton (d.1902) drafted the Seneca Falls Declaration outlining the new movement's ideology and political strategies. The wave formally began at the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 when three hundred men and women rallied to the cause of equality for women. The goal of this wave was to open up opportunities for women, with a focus on suffrage. The first wave of feminism took place in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries, emerging out of an environment of urban industrialism and liberal, socialist politics. However, it was not until the late nineteenth century that the efforts for women's equal rights coalesced into a clearly identifiable and self-conscious movement, or rather a series of movements. All of these people advocated for the dignity, intelligence, and basic human potential of the female sex. ![]() 1817) are foremothers of the modern women's movement. 570 BCE), or the medieval world with Hildegard of Bingen (d. Some thinkers have sought to locate the roots of feminism in ancient Greece with Sappho (d. Making the landscape even harder to navigate, a new silhouette is emerging on the horizon and taking the shape of a fourth wave of feminism. It is common to speak of three phases of modern feminism however, there is little consensus as to how to characterize these three waves or what to do with women's movements before the late nineteenth century. She holds an MA in medieval history from the University of Utah and a doctorate in medieval history from the University of Virginia. Her specialty is the early medieval period with an emphasis on social history and the activities and roles of women. Martha Rampton is a professor of history and director of the Center for Gender Equity at Pacific University. This piece was originally published online in conjunction with the Fall 2008 issue of Pacific magazine. ![]()
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