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Assignment 01

In the third chapter of Angela Davis’ Women, Race & Class, much is revealed about the origins and beginning stages of the women’s rights movement. As Davis revisits the history of the women’s rights movement, she discusses the Seneca Falls Convention. What instantly becomes ironic is that although the convention was organized with the intent to give women a platform to express their need for liberation, there was an astonishing lack of female presence. Instead, men who had little concern for the issues that brought about the convention were largely in attendance, proving that male superiority still reigned over the female population.

At the Seneca Falls Convention it became evident that a large disconnect existed between women of different races. There was an enormous lack of inclusion of the heavily oppressed Black female community. Black women were completely disregarded in the conversations that took place regarding the liberation of women, despite the fact that they faced the same and often greater hardships than their white female counterparts. Black women faced oppression not only due to their womanhood, but were also subject to racism. It was only after Angelina Grimke criticized the insufficient inclusion of Black women that there became greater advocation for the Black female population.

Female workers were mostly limited to industrial fields, where they experienced gruesome work hours and conditions. The poorer a woman was, the more grueling her work would be. Those that were able to work within their homes usually were not in control of the types of work they performed or the flow of their wages. There were even times at which women were not paid for their work at all. This was due to the belief that women were expected to cater to the needs of their husbands, by ensuring that they tended to home and to their children.

Overall, Davis shows that race, sex, and class are all elements used to make women appear more inferior both to one another and in the eyes of a man.