Introduction
Women in early 19th century were divided into two groups, leisure-class suffragists and the working-class strikers who appeared in the streets, picketing and marching to create new avenue for women. They were either demonstrating for the voting and economic rights through public visibility which developed a significant cultural and political impact (Visual sources 490).
Women fought for their voting rights through occupying public spaces, conducting strikes through demonstrations, suffrage parading, picketing to the white house and silent vigils and hunger strikes. In general appearance contributed a significant assist in gaining their public rights. They public appearances could bring to mind the Shirtwaist strike and the deadly Triangle Shirtwaist Company tragedy, which claimed the lives of many workers, which was accelerated by women demonstration (video). Therefore, whenever women appeared in the street could portray a potential threat to the government. Consequently the political officials could respond quickly to there need with fear of more trouble by the suffragist women (Visual sources 495).
Unlike other tactics, women used the public appearance tactic to provide peaceful spectacle and entertainment to the public (Visual sources 493). This could attract a huge crowd of people illustrating a massive support from the public that favored their gaining of public write. They carried out events such as parading which were impressive to the public without loss of lives unlike the case of strikes. The attractiveness of the parades conducted by the suffrages women indicated that the femininity and the suffrage were compatible (Visual sources 495). The public appearance technique could also help them to bring to attention to the issues of styles, role of mother, workers and citizen.
However the public appearance approach was hindered by the group of drunken men who disrupted women parades. The police carried the blame because they failed to protect the matchers from the rowdy crowds. However, the situation resulted to congressional hearing which assisted suffragists to enhance their publicity (Visual sources 496).
Work cited
Visual sources: Parades, picketing and power: women in public space
Lecture notes on The Triangle Shirtwaste Fire, 1911
Notes on Progressivism about 1890s – 1920
Upton Sinclair, video; The Jungle, 1906
