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Mike Li assignment 2

Those in control of political voice, education and, economy recognized the threat and actively resisted the endeavor and struggle of legitimizing the opposing claims and, in the right mind of any logical person, the sound arguments that demonstrated the end of such absolute control.

Davis’ brief overview highlights major events in history, some more catalytic than others, but all contributing to the rise of equal rights. I believe the collection of these events serve to illustrate the relationship between gender, race, and class in respect to the state of the economy and, equally important, state of political and educational accessibility.

Male supremacy was supported by a system rooted in economic conditions, specifically industrialization and slavery. This institutionalized the behavior resulted in casting women as inferior to men. Inferiority is inflicted onto both genders and all races in all classes. Perhaps the only exception to this that Davis does not mention would be poor white men, but even so they would have an advantage in the bout of political and economic struggle. So powerful was the institutionalization of male supremacy that women on their own private lives would be presented by the men in their families who claimed the credit of anything productive the women would do (Davis, 1981,61).

The restricted access to political voice and education among white women and people of color was made apparent, when Sojourner Truth stepped into the arena (Davis, 1981,66). Perhaps it was the confidence in her speech and sound arguments against the logic that men had built their formalized dominance over women on. She showed that even with resistance to a basic education as well as a tremendous disadvantage in political combat, people of both genders and all races in any class could rise up against institutionalized male supremacy.

The correlation of the exploitation of white women in the birth of industrialization and slavery were not recognized as systematic parallels immediately (Davis: 1981,71).  The domination of one over the other crosses all races, classes, and genders due to economy.