We often see men in leadership roles, but what about women? In American History, there have been several women who were seen as leaders, yet they do not receive a whole lot of credit as men do. Figures like Harriet Tubman, Rosa Parks, Susan B. Anthony, and Eleanor Roosevelt, immediately come to mind for their works in civil rights, women’s rights and human right’s respectively. While every year we celebrate “Black History month”, and celebrate the lives of Martin Luther King Jr. Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington throughout the year, we never truly pay homage to the dominant female figures throughout the year.
The above mentioned female leaders all have had significant impacts on our society and American History. Eleanor Roosevelt, “as a champion of human rights, she strove to further women’s causes as well as the causes of black people, poor people, and the unemployed” (Scholastic Inc., 2014). “When Rosa Parks refused to give her seat to a white person on a crowded bus, she set in motion the Montgomery Bus Boycott, a cornerstone of the civil rights movement. She has since been a strong advocate for human rights issues” (Scholastic Inc., 2014). Susan B. Anthony, the 19th century women’s movement’s most powerful organizer. Together with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony fought for women’s right to vote. She was also very involved in the fight against slavery and the temperance campaign to limit the use of alcohol” (Scholastic Inc., 2014). These women have all made strides towards the equality of not only women’s rights but also African Americans, poor people and unemployed. Yet, growing up, I was never fully introduced to the high impacts that these women have had on American history. In school, while we did cover these women, we had not completely indulged in all they had accomplished. I believe that we should pay more attention to the impact women had on American history because by doing so it will teach future generations how women have become dominant leaders in our society and the different styles that women have towards leadership as opposed to men.
References:
Scholastic Inc. (2014). Scholastic. Retrieved from Women Who Changed History: http://teacher.scholastic.com/activities/women/notable.htm
ads292 says
Hi
I think you raise and mention and good point about appreciating female leaders, and I agree that we should show more support and homage to them. As part of the movie review I was able to analyze the leadership qualities of Margaret Thatcher, which I found very beneficial and interesting.
It can be argued that on the whole female leaders have to face more challenges than their male predecessors. Studies from Pennsylvania State University World Campus Lesson 13 (2014) have determined that both men and women have the potential to be leaders; however the majority of people holding leadership positions in large corporations are males. This is disappointing fact for diversity however when a good female leader comes along we should as you mention show our support.
References
Pennsylvania State University World Campus. (2014). PSYCH485 Lesson 13. University Park, PA, USA. Retrieved July 18th, 2014 from
https://courses.worldcampus.psu.edu/su14/psych485/002/content/13_lesson/01_page.html