It’s hard to believe, but did you know that women couldn’t get credit cards in their own name until 1974? (Thank you, Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg .. ) Despite the strides we’ve taken over the past several decades – and centuries – we still have a long way to go when it comes to true equality for women. In honor of Women’s History Month, this week we highlight two female professors whose popular lectures include some amazing stories about women in the Revolutionary Era and the Suffrage Movement.
Where Did the Term “Spinster” Come From?
In the Revolutionary Era, “feme covert” meant a woman protected by marriage, or “covered” by her husband. But in reality, married women had no individual rights at all. In “Women of the American Revolution: Remarkable Stories You’ve Never Heard,” Baruch College Professor Carol Berkin vividly explains what life was like for women in the late 1700s, and in this clip answers questions such as: Just how important was marriage? Did being a “housewife” back then mean the same thing it does today? Why were single women called spinsters?
How Mary Poppins Got It Wrong
In this fascinating lecture, historian Jennifer Keene explains how new tactics (like picketing the White House), a generation of daring female leaders, and World War I all contributed to the eventual passage of the 19th Amendment. But, as Professor Keene explains in the excerpt, there were conflicts along the way. For instance, not everyone was pro-suffrage. Plus, there were debates within the movement. And of course, we can’t forget that not all women were granted the right to vote in 1920. (She’ll also reveal which term is correct: “Suffragette” or “Suffragist.” Hint: Mary Poppins got it wrong.)
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