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Handbill for Feminist Mass Meeting, 1914. Courtesy Nancy Cott.
Background
Feminists believe that women are equal to men and should be treated as such. The term “feminist” came into popular usage after 1910. It was embraced by and used to describe women who saw suffrage as only a small part of the bigger “woman problem.” They argued that women needed to fight for equal treatment in every aspect of their lives. They demanded economic, social, political, and sexual equality. Debating politics and ideas is an important part of feminism. Although not all feminists agree, they share a common belief in liberating women from patriarchy.
About the Resources
Marie Jenney Howe was the founder of the radical feminist group Heterodoxy in New York City. This is an advertisement for two mass meetings she held in 1914. The meetings were intended to introduce the ideas of feminism to a wider audience. According to the New York Times, a large crowd nearly filled the auditorium to capacity on the first night. The list of speakers included some of New York City’s most notable radical activists, including future Secretary of Labor Frances Perkins, feminist writer Charlotte Perkins Gilman, teachers’ rights advocate Henrietta Rodman, lawyer Crystal Eastman, and labor activist Fola La Follette, among others.
Vocabulary
- feminism: The belief that men and women are equal.
- patriarchy: A society in which fathers are in charge of the family, men are in charge of wider society, and women and children are second-class citizens.
- radical: Extreme.
Discussion Questions
- What is a mass meeting? What was the point of this event and what do you think the organizers hoped to accomplish?
- Both men and women spoke at the first meeting. What does this tell us about this group and its understanding of feminism?
- What were some of the topics covered during the second meeting, and what does this tell us about how these individuals defined feminism?
Suggested Activities
- APUSH Connection: 7.4: The Progressives
- Review the list of topics addressed in the second meeting and ask students to think about how they connect to feminism and women’s rights today. What are current debates around fashion, working mothers, last names, and other aspects of feminism?
- Although suffrage was not officially listed on the agenda, most feminists favored suffrage. Compare this advertisement to the suffrage materials in Section 4 – Women’s Suffrage. How did feminists differ in their politics from the wider suffrage movement? Why might the suffrage movement have shied away from embracing a more radical view like feminism?
- Cooper Union held many mass meetings organized by a range of organizations and hosts. Read Clara Lemlich Shavelson’s life story and learn about a different meeting that was held in the same space. Why were mass meetings an important tool for activists in this era?
Themes
ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE
