Within the women’s suffrage movement of the early twentieth century among the United States, there was an incredible amount of strife taking place. What was normally considered a weak minority was gaining strength, both politically and culturally. In 1921, Margaret Sanger formed the American Birth Control League, creating the foundation for what would become Planned Parenthood.
Even sexism and racism among black women would be curtailed due to the 1935 edict created by Mary Mcleod Bethune regarding the National Council of Negro Women. This group provided organization for black women’s groups, lobbying against sexism, racism and the like. (Imbornoni, 2007) Until this point, women in general were not afforded a tremendous amount of power in government, even while voting.
One of the biggest political movements that took place for women was in 1936 – the federal law that prevented contraceptive information from being disseminated to the public was born, and attitudes changed regarding the consensus for birth control for women. No longer was it considered an unholy decision by a woman who chose not to carry the baby to full term; it was thought to be a politically, socially and economically sound way to deal with a child. (Ibrononi, 2007).
The economic drain on a government by a child is tremendous, especially when considering complete education for a child. The Nineteenth Amendment was ratified in 1920, allowing many women to vote, but there was not much of a choice on who to vote for - women’s rights were still being infringed upon even in the early twentieth century.
The Internet
The advent of the Internet has created a new information age in America. The amount of information that has been provided for people from all walks of life has been tremendous. Search engines allow people to look up nearly every subject that is available, from every facet of United States history to each piece of legislature that has been presented within it. In this way, a person is provided a more complete picture of how the United States government is allowed to work.
Politically, the Internet has opened people up to a more broad set of circumstances and viewpoints than has ever been possible before. Things such as Facebook, Twitter and the like allow the ordinary citizen to learn more about what is happening halfway around the world. Socially, Facebook and other types of Internet usage allow people to reconnect with others, creating social netwoks that allow for more immediate social change.
Economically, the Internet has changed the way many companies do business. Some businesses no longer need a storefront to provide goods and services to its customers; it can provide those same services online. As long as they have a supply and an inventory of their own, a business can sustain itself through online orders alone. Sites such as eBay can supply people with the goods they need, and as a result, they can significantly reduce the price for those goods in order to meet the demand that is presented to them, if need be.
26th Amendment
The 26th Amendment of the United States of America has affected it in many ways. The primary change that it affected was that it changed the voting age from 21 to18, the legal age to be legally considered an adult. (US Constitution, 2011) This edict was created in response to those who were oppose to the Vietnam War, allowing those adults who were against the war to vote their own way. It paved the way for other 18 year old voters to carry significant political influence over future elections.
Socially, it allowed other young adults to be considered part of the voting public, and as such were able to make up their own minds about who to vote for. As a result, substantial resistance to adjustment and shock was to be expected, the voting public voting more on their minds and hearts than the facts and positions that were presented to the voter at large. (US Constitution, 2011).
Economically, a voting citizen is regarded as more of a legitimately operating citizen than most, and as a result, their ability to vote carries great favor among those who are creating such laws. (US Constitution, 2011) No person who is over the age of 18 shall be prohibited to vote for any reason, according to the laws of the Constitution.
References
Imbornoni, A. (n.d.). Women's Rights Movement in the U.S.: Timeline of Events (1921-1979) — Infoplease.com. Infoplease: Encyclopedia, Almanac, Atlas, Biographies, Dictionary, Thesaurus. Free online reference, research & homework help. — Infoplease.com. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from http://www.infoplease.com/spot/womenstimeline2.html
Keen, A. (2007, May 16). Does the Internet Undermine Culture? : NPR. NPR : National Public Radio : News & Analysis, World, US, Music & Arts : NPR. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=11131872
U.S. Constitution - Amendment 26 - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. (n.d.). Index Page - The U.S. Constitution Online - USConstitution.net. Retrieved April 30, 2011, from http://www.usconstitution.net/xconst_Am26.html
