Women in the 1920s free essay sample

The Nineteenth Amendment, passed in 1919, guarantees all American women the right to vote. The struggle to achieve this milestone was a long and difficult one, beginning win the 1800s with petitioning and picketing (ourdocuments. gov). Although, once it was passed, women felt a sigh of relief, as their voices were finally heard, just in time for a new era that was the 1920s. The 1920s were a time of questioning and contradictions when people, especially women, questioned the ideals of society, leading to conflicts in areas such as religion and politics among others and conflicts between modernists and fundamentalists. Ever since the Nineteenth Amendment passed in 1919, so many doors opened for women. They felt that their voices could finally be heard. It boosted a newfound confidence that made women feel like they could take a part in this culture change. Also advancing in this time period was Science. New discoveries were made, such as methods for birth control. We will write a custom essay sample on Women in the 1920s or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since women did feel more freedom to express themselves and share their ideas, the modern woman’s pleas for relief from constant childbearing was heard and accepted by many women who faced the same problems. Margaret Sanger, a supporter of the Birth Control movement, writes, â€Å"Thousands of letters are sent to me every year by mothers†¦ All of them voice desperate appeals for deliverance from the bondage of enforced maternity† (Hoffman, 202). She then goes on to write a volume of letters from women, asking, or rather, begging for her advice and information about birth control. This newfound freedom of expression also felt more comfortable with the power of their sexuality. Women drank and smoked, as well as talk politics, with men, and â€Å"though few women became politicians, millions became flappers. In six years, hemlines went from ankle, where they had been for centuries, to the knee† (Hoffman, 193). Paula S. Fass writes in her essay, â€Å"Sex and Youth in the Jazz Age†, that â€Å"the new attention to sexuality colored a whole range of related behavior†¦ as the fact of freer association between the sexes was accompanied by a basic commitment to freedom of expression† (Hoffman, 210). This led to, as some saw it, major conflicts within social ideals and traditional teachings. For example, because birth control was such a radical idea and did not follow the traditional teachings, Margaret Sanger defends herself and the movement by saying, â€Å"At times I have been discouraged and disheartened by the deliberate misrepresentation of the Birth Control movement by the opponents, and by the crude tactics used to combat it. But at such moments invariably comes back into my mind the vision of the enslaved and supplicant mothers of America (Hoffman 202). Although there were forces repelling against the new era of the 1920s and all the new ideas that came with it, most people saw these changes as progressive. They saw the 1920s as an opportunity to take a step forward, which is why the modernist way of thinking prevailed and progressed to later decades. Women were clearly the defining aspect to the new era of the 1920s.