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Kayla Carmenia Instructor: Malcolm Campbell English 1103 9/12/2012 Topic Proposal: Linking and Discovering the Parallelism between the Rights of American Women in the Present and the Past Introduction/Overview If one individual had to name one of the most prodigious subjects looming over the current presidential campaign, the significance of the womens rights crusade in America, specifically, would instantaneously appear in the minds of humans all around the globe. Well, isnt the fight for womens rights so yesterday? Why is there still discussion about the abuse against womens rights when the American womens suffrage is clearly discussed in history books? Shouldnt women still be considered equal counter parts to men? There are continuing hot debates circulating the world concerning the issue of womens rights in many areas of life, such as in their employment, health, and other government policies of interest. This leads to the question how similar the very popular social movement, interestingly named The War on Women was in comparison to the womens right suffrage. Some may call this dj vu, but I will be turning this phenomenon into a well-thought and detailed research report. The topic of the Extended Inquiry Project in which I will be reporting on throughout the duration of this semester will be probing the distinguishing characteristics that draw parallelism between the acclaimed and renowned womens suffrage and womens rights (feminist) movement in American history, and the popular, contemporary, and debated political issues affecting American women in the

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au courant time period. In transpiring this task, the analysis of each movement and the conversing of important past as well as present figures that shaped and continue to mold the movement will be performed and discussed in order to really understand the events that took place during these revolutionary times. The linking of these previous occurrences with the controversies pertaining to women in the 21st century as well as well-known presidential election will then follow suit. A great amount of the research primarily done before focusing on this topic today for a research report would very much be connected with knowledge obtained during my high school years in AP United States History, keeping a close watch on the events taking place during the current presidential election through watching distinct news channels, reading a number of scholarly articles from the Internet (Women's Rights as Human Rights: Toward a Re-Vision of Human Rights by Charlotte Bunch, for example) and observing a number of informative websites obtained from the Internet as well. The webpages specifically utilized to perform the preliminary research would be feminism.eserver.org, time.com, huffingtonpost.com, nytimes.com, ibiblio.org, wic.org, history.com, and spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk. Observing the national conventions that occurred between both political parties a few weeks ago expanded on my ongoing knowledge of the controversial rights battle occurring with present-day women, as well as the familiarity in which this battle has been existing ever since early American history. Speaking to the department of my major, Political Science and Public Administration, and well as my minor, Journalism, will be extremely useful in gathering knowledgeable information for my research report. I also have numerous family friends who have worked in the government, majored in Political Science, and who are serving in the military to gain more insight into this eventful issue, in both the past and the present. My interest in this advancing and evolving area

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of interest was sparked during the viewing of the Democratic National Convention, in which an Alabamian woman named Lilly Ledbetter spoke about modern sexism. She spent two decades of employment unknowingly being paid twenty-three cents less than her male counterparts. Ledbetter was equally trained alongside men, and yet her pay was still unequal. After being turned down by the Supreme Court and continuously fighting for fair wages for women, the Lilly Ledbetter Act was signed into law by President Barack Obama to ensure that all women will be paid equal to their male coworkers. Sound familiar? Lets take a journey into the past. The Fair Pay Act of 1963 was signed by John F. Kennedy to abolish discriminatory wages based on gender, in the same effort as the modern President Obama to end sexism in the workplace. As the modern womens rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton once quoted ironically in a spin-off of the Declaration of Independence, We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal. These two occurrences and quote are a number of the many familiar items that have been repeated in the womens crusade for rights. There are a tremendous range of viewpoints that exemplify the complexity of this essentially ancient and ongoing issue concerning the various rights of women in America. These opinions are based upon the topics that concern women in the twenty-first century. One of the most known controversial matters would indeed be the subjects of abortion and birth control. To let women do or to not let women do has unanimously been one of the front-running topics of the current American campaigns. Birth control has been and continues to be one of the previous hotly debated topics in the earlier years of the history of America. Employment and wages in work places, as previously examined, is another area of worry pertaining to the rights of women in the past as well as in contemporary American society. As there was then, there is a prominent source of opposition in the various rights of women. In fact, there was a list of reasons and

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arguments as to why women should not be able to vote, supported by both men and some women, released in March of 1912. According to this particular list, Because women are not capable of full citizenship, for the simple reason that they are not available for purposes of national and Imperial defence. All government rests ultimately on force, to which women, owing to physical, moral and social reasons, are not capable of contributing. In a modern sense and linkage to current social issues affecting women, an outpour of citizens and public officials are rallying for the outlaw of abortion, a right in which some women feel as if such a choice should be solely their decision. For instance, according to former president Ronald Reagan, Simple morality dictates that unless and until someone can prove the unborn human is not alive, we must give it the benefit of the doubt and assume it is (alive). And, thus, it should be entitled to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. As one can see, many of the conversations and debates that occur within the domain of womens rights and other social issues are between government officials, world leaders, public leaders, and other various organizations that relate in the field of politics.

Initial Inquiry Question Arrays of questions are roused when the intricate subject of the history and current situation of womens rights is conversed. What is the catalyst that constantly has women battling for rights? Will there ever be such an instance as a mens rights movement? When was the earliest account of the fight for womens rights? Will The War on Women become the most defining factor in the current presidential election? These questions are enthralling to one who has their attention on political and social issues whisking through America, such as I. The inquiry

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question which has caught my fascination the most, however, would be the connection that the past events of the womens rights movement and womens suffrage has to the present day womens fight for rights occurring at this very moment. What are the homogeneous correspondences between the womens suffrage and womens right movement and the The War on Women based on political figures, studies of the events that transpired, and the laws put into effect to maintain and monitor the ensured rights for women?

My Interest in this Topic Being a political science and public administration major indubitably showcases my love for learning about political issues and social concerns that could affect our country as a whole. Watching the Democratic National Convention and viewing Lilly Ledbetters powerful speech caused my interest in the new womens rights movement that Ive read about in my history books, and now its happening right before my eyes. This topic is directly correlated with not only me, since I am a young woman, but with my mother, sisters, cousins, and other various female family members. What I find beautiful about becoming involved in the government, becoming a public or government official, or running for a certain position in the state or country, is the ability to listen to the problems of the country and world and make the best possible decisions to help those live the best life possible. Studying the issues of the past can prevent the country from making those exact errors in the fast-approaching future. Next Steps In order to create the most successful Extended Inquiry Project that I can produce, I will need to take various steps. My first and foremost step would be to ask adults in the field of my topic questions about what they have knowledge of in the expanse of womens rights, in the past

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and in the present. It is essential to gain an enormous number of perspectives and opinions in the focus of this project in order to have enough information to discuss and draw comparisons and similarities. The following undertaking would be visiting the library in order to obtain reliable books that vastly relate and provide fantastic input into my report. I will also view a number of reliable websites and scholarly journals to gather more information as well as more viewpoints on the social crusade of women in earlier history and in the twenty-first century.