Rise of the American Women
Rise of the American WomenThe rise of the “American” women
There are many things that were impacted after the World War I and World War II. For instance, there was the “great migration” that changed the lives of an estimate of a half of a million African-Americans, which were given the opportunity to migrate from the South to the North. They were given the opportunity to find new jobs in the south as well as the north; they could now purchase their own homes. They began to have more and more political power and they were also finding more cultural authority, resulting in the rise from slavery to American middle class, (Firsthand, 169). But in this short paper, the issue is focused on the impact that these wars had on American women, not just the white American woman, but the black American woman as well.
One example of how the woman was taking advantage of her rights can be found in the article, Memories of College Days, which is about a woman by the name of Zora Neale Hurston. Zora was from a poor, black family and wanted to attend Howard University to further her education. In order for her to attend Howard, she had to get a summer job as a waitress at a downtown club and then as a manicurist to pull together enough money to pay for her tuition. She kept her job as a manicurist throughout the year and arranged to work from 3:30 to 8:30 every afternoon, and averaged anywhere from twelve dollars to fifteen dollars a week, (Firsthand, 181). Not only did she hold down a job, she managed to perform very well in her overload of courses. One main point mentioned here is that Zora was a woman working outside of the house to get her through schooling. Not only was Zora a woman who was working, but she was a woman who was getting an education. Considering the fact that it was not too many years before when it would have been unheard of to have a woman in an institute of higher learning. And, keep in mind that Zora was an African-American who was seeking to extend her knowledge at a University.
Another example of how a woman’s life was affected due to the war is about a woman by the name of Fanny Christina Hill. It is said that in 1940, some 11.5 women were employed outside of the home. These women ranged from single African American, to wives from poor families, to widows. Most women would be working in domestic type jobs such as cleaning other people’s homes or working with laundry and things such as these. But one of the affects of the Second World War was the lack of men in the work force. As a result, women were replacing these men....
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