The woman’s Hour précis
It is hard for women to make it in democratic processes because of the many antis that perceive women and inferior in society. Elaine Weiss, in her book “The Woman’s Hour,” uncovers the bare truth of how women undergo in those circumstances. The author lends us the outcome of woman suffrage by highlighting various examples or case studies that would help the reader to understand (Hewer 22). The author’s summary of the struggle to give a precise understanding of the 19th amendment focuses on the final frontier. The author brings to an understanding of the battle between the suffs and the antis when trying to implement the federal amendment. When a reader is impatient when reading this book, it might be challenging to understand it because Weiss takes time to build on the main context. The author builds a background by preparing the reader for the main actions in this segment. The author explains how the characters stunningly defend their ideas. They fight for their ideas to be heard because they consider it as relevant and best based on the context of the arguments. The author, in this case, builds the storyline among three women. One of the women is Carrie Chapman Cart, who is a 30-year-old leader of the suffrages (Hewer 22. The author describes this leader as someone who had a pleasant smile as well as her beauty characters, depending on the attitude. The second woman where the narrative of the book is centered is Josephine Pearson, who is the opposition president of the Tennessee State Association who was against women’s suffrage.
The author describes this woman as the one who knew she was doing God’s will and in understanding the dangers of women suffrage; she knew she was fulfilling a sacred vow to her mother. The other woman is Feisty Sue White, who was the deputy party militant, and the author describes the woman as a lady warier. The author describes the woman respected and was widely respected because of her intelligence (Sittenfeld 23). In using these women and their titles, the author tries to communicate to the community and the reader that women should take responsibility to earn them a title in every circumstance of their life. They should use whatever they have to realize their potential in fighting for their rights. The author builds around the three women her storyline on motivating and making decisions in the democratic world. The author describes that the male legislators who decide the fate of women are flexible, meaning that they can easily be manipulated to change their decisions. In one of the instances described by the author, it is seen that male legislators make and break decisions based on their latest conversation with the associated parties. The author also describes times of desperation among women when they need assistance based on their circumstances (Sittenfeld 23). The author states that the gubernatorial primaries were approaching too fast, and whoever was to win the primaries had the power to either address the women’s issues or not. So, these women have to rush to get as many legislators as possible. In explaining desperation under this circumstance, the author pays attention to small things, which pays off to make the reader understand. The author describes these activities using wry humor in the way the women sway male legislators to be on their side. The author brings out the essence of the reader’s understanding and helping to keep track of the roles of the main characters and their related storyline. This understanding of the main characters is to help women in society understand activism and advocacy. Also, the author tries to explain the need to know the changing climate in legislative and political aspects. The author argues that if women fail to make it in the political part, then it is not their end. They should try every means possible to make sure that they are as their male counterparts. The author verifies this by giving an example when she says that the antis and suffs crisscross when trying to gunner supporters in due gubernatorial primaries (Briley 122). The author continues by saying that in the process of gaining supporters from the legislative side, fear and furor is developed.
A critical analysis from the author’s narrative shows that the storyline is intended to explain how women got the right to vote. The author gives a clear understanding and explanation of how the right to vote became federal law in the 19th century. The author highlights that during the process of making the right to vote among women to be a federal law, some opposed the move (antis) and those who supported it (suffs). Weiss describes the juicy procedural part of the proceedings and the general view of the amendments that the suffs demand. Weiss, in her explanations in the storyline, she provides the national and international view concerning the context (Phillips 235). According to Weiss, World War 1 had just ended the past two years, and there were discriminatory practices that women were going through. Women were subjected to discrimination in employment, and the most rampant was racial discrimination. The author says that in the US, the then incumbent president Woodrow Wilson was ailing, and Warren Harding and James Cox were in a hurry to be the next white house heads. This rush to replace the ailing president engineered the passage of the 19th amendment.
The author claims that although some women could vote, it was not clear how the 27 million American women could change the face of American politics. In explanation of this, Weiss goes back to relate to the roots of woman movement and how their strategies and efforts led to persistence in fighting for their rights (Phillips 235). The author praises their courage in facing reality but does not live behind explaining how racism was conducted. In explaining the history of woman movement, the author states that the then women united with abolitionists to fight for gender equality. Weiss explains that the woman movement was sometimes filled with tribalism due to their proactive leaders. The antis, as stated by the author, believed that they were opposing the amendment because they perceived they were according to God’s will. The author shows interesting details by highlighting the rivalry that existed between the antis and the suffs. One of the examples that the author uses is the rivalry between the New York two sisters (Annie Nathan Meyer and Maud Nathan), who rarely had a conversation except at public clashes on the 19th amendments. The author uses samples of the characters to maintain the image of the main players in her narrative.
Works cited
Briley, Ron. “Review Of Elaine Weiss’S “The Woman’S Hour: The Great Fight To Win The Vote” | History News Network.” Historynewsnetwork.Org, 2018, https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/168384.
Hewer, Mariko. “The Woman’S Hour: The Great Fight To Win The Vote | Washington Independent Review Of Books.” Washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.Com, 2018, http://www.washingtonindependentreviewofbooks.com/index.php/bookreview/the-womans-hour-the-great-fight-to-win-the-vote.
Phillips, Lyda. “On Account Of Sex.” Chapter16.Org, 2018, https://chapter16.org/on-account-of-sex/.
Sittenfeld, Curtis. “In ‘The Woman’S Hour,’ The Battle Over The 19Th Amendment Comes To Life”. Nytimes.Com, 2018, https://www.nytimes.com/2018/04/18/books/review/womans-hour-elaine-weiss.html.