Feminism: A History Lesson
Feminists often trace the roots of their movement back as far as they can. They want to identify with the women's movements of the past even though the term feminism is relatively recent. Let's look at the history they want to identify with.
1848 - Blame
The Declaration of Sentiments was drafted at the Seneca Falls Convention. Every one of the 16 sentiments blames men for the problems facing women. One sentiment accuses men of usurping the Christian god.[1] Only 1/3 of the convention attendees signed the declaration.
The right for white women to vote was advocated. Full enfranchisement of white men in the US did not occur until 1860. Black men and women were not enfranchised for a century or more after that.
1903 - Violence
Formation of the Women's Social and Political Union in the UK by Emmeline Pankhurst. Members of this organisation became known as Suffragettes and explicitly advocated violence to achieve their aims. This included burning down churches, and mass vandalism[2].
By 1914 suffragette violence included the wanton destruction of artwork.[3]
These women were advocating for women's sufferage before men were fully enfranchised. It is clear from this that they were not interested in working with men for universal sufferage. These were not people who believed in, or fought for, gender equality.
1914 - Shame
Feminist women hand out white feathers for the entirety of World War I (1914-18) to shame men in to volunteering to go to war.
References
<references>
- ↑ http://legacy.fordham.edu/halsall/mod/senecafalls.asp
- ↑ ttp://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10995143/Dr-Helen-Pankhurst-The-suffragettes-were-violent-freedom-fighters.-Dont-sanitise-them.html
- ↑ http://www.telegraph.co.uk/women/womens-life/10995143/Dr-Helen-Pankhurst-The-suffragettes-were-violent-freedom-fighters.-Dont-sanitise-them.html