The_1964_Civil_Rights_Act

The 1964 Civil Rights Act "We hold these truths to be self-evident; that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness" (Eisenberg, B. & Ruthsdotter, M). You may recognize the words from the Declaration of Independence; these words were also used by Elizabeth Cady Stanton as she drafted the Declaration of Sentiments that further outlined how women were downgraded and discriminated against. Imagine yourself, a woman living in the 1950’s before the second wave of the Women’s Rights Movement. According to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, a famous Women’s Rights leader: Married women were legally dead in the eyes of the law Women were not allowed to vote Women had to submit to laws when they had no voice in their formation Married women had no property rights Husbands had legal power over and responsibility for their wives to the extent that they could imprison or beat them with impunity Divorce and child custody laws favored men, giving no rights to women Women had to pay property taxes although they had no representation in the levying of these taxes Most occupations were closed to women and when women did work they were paid only a fraction of what men earned Women were not allowed to enter professions such as medicine or law Women had no means to gain an education since no college or university would accept women students With only a few exceptions, women were not allowed to participate in the affairs of the church Women were robbed of their self-confidence and self-respect, and were made totally dependent on men -Eisenberg, B. & Ruthsdotter, M In the 1950’s women were expected to be homemakers and those who chose to work were considered to be selfish. You were expected to marry young, have multiple children, wait on your husband hand and foot, cook, clean, and sit quietly and allow your husband to make all the decisions within the marriage (PBS Online). Although this may seem glamorous to some people, there was little to no encouragement for women to further their education, to obtain rewarding careers, or to pursue their personal dreams; it was all about family. This slowly came to pass as more and more women began to feel that life had more to offer other than dirty dishes, diapers, and laundry. They began to see that they too should not be looked down upon for furthering their education and for becoming part of the working world. Although “the Women’s Rights Movement marks July 13, 1848 as it’s beginning”, one of its biggest victories was that of the 1964 Civil Rights Act (Eisenberg, B. & Ruthsdotter, M). The original bill that was introduced was to prevent employment discrimination “against any individual with respect to his compensation, terms, conditions or privileges or employment, because of such individual's race, color, religion, or national origin" (National Archives and Records Administration ). In an effort to try to keep the bill from passing with a majority vote, Virginias Democratic Representative Howard W. Smith decided to add the word “sex” (National Archives and Records Administration). He was hoping to be able to sway the vote, but his efforts did not prevail. And the Civil Rights Act was signed into law. This was a large stepping stone for the Women’s Rights Movement. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 opened the career world for women. For the first time they were accepted in the workforce and they did not have to sit at home and live life without the hopes of ever making their own dreams come true. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 also contained provisions to create the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to implement the Civil Rights Act. The EEOC will look into any accusations made against a company for discrimination on the grounds of race, color, religion, sex, or natural origin making businesses and employers accountable for their actions (National Archives and Records Administration). If the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would have been thrown out after Howard W. Smith decided to add the word “sex” to the bill the work place would look much different today. Men would still be the dominate “sex” in the work place. Women would not hold executive positions such as a Chief Executive Officer (CEO), Chief Operations Officer (COO), Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Chief Technology Officer (CTO), or a Chief Information Officer (CIO). Today these positions are filled with men and women because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. Another thing that would be different in the world would be politics. Because of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, women are allowed to dream as big as they want. They can be housewives if they choose, but they can also attend the best colleges and empower their brains to become well known and admired political leaders in their cities, their states, their regions, in their country, and even around the world. Without the Civil Rights Act there would not be the Age Discrimination in Employment Act of 1967, the Equal Pay Act of 1963, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990, the Civil Rights Act of 1991, the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, the Education Act of 1972, and the Pregnancy Discrimination Act (National Archives and Records Administration). All of these bills that spanned from the Civil Rights Act of 1964 to help eliminate discrimination in the work place. On the contrary to the list above, today: Married women are allowed to make decisions, on their own Women are allowed to vote Married women can have property rights Husbands will be held accountable to the law for domestic violence Divorce and child custody laws favorer women Women have to pay property taxes and have representation in the levying of these taxes All occupations are open to women and when women work their pay is almost completely equal to that of a man Women are allowed to enter professions such as medicine and law Women currently hold 49.85% of the jobs today (Rampell, C. 2009) this is almost a 50% increase than it was in the 50’s. Women have every opportunity to gain an education and colleges and universities welcome women students Women are allowed to participate in the affairs of the church Women have gained self-confidence and self-respect, and have become independent It is amazing how passing this one bill changed our world so dramatically and how loud of a voice it gave to women to pursue their own dreams. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 actually allowed me to pursue my dream of a business degree and eventually business ownership; one day. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 has opened many doors and has given me a strong platform to stand on as a woman in the business world; that I would have not had without it. This law has opened the eyes and minds of others who otherwise may have not given me a chance; making them open to the idea of having a woman in charge. I am able to pursue my dreams without the fear of being turned down because I am not a man; I am treated equally. If Howard W. Smith would have been successful and the Civil Rights Act of 1964 would have been thrown out, my life would most likely be very different. I would not, as a woman, be respected in a position of authority in the work place. If I chose to work I would not have any rights to keep my job if I became pregnant and my pay would be dramatically lower than that of my male colleges. I would also be a single voice if I were discriminated against since there would be no Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to help protect my rights. I would probably resort to being that 1050’s style house wife with a house full of kids that pursed my own dreams aside to make sure my husband was happy and I would wait on him hand and foot and never complain even though my heart desired to make my own dreams come true. I am thankful for strong women who had a dream and the courage to follow their dreams. Because of them 163 years later, I am able to follow my dreams and make them come true. References Eisenberg, B. & Ruthsdotter, M. (1998). The National Women's History Project: The History of the Movement. Living the Legacy: The Women's Rights Movement 1848 – 1998. Document viewed on May 20, 2011 at http://www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html National Archives and Records Administration. (2011).General Records of the U.S. Government; Record Group 11; ARC Identifier: 299891. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 and the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. This article was viewed on May 21, 2011 at http://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/civil-rights-act/ PBS Online. (2001). PBS Online: American Experience. People & Events: Mrs. America: Women's Roles in the 1950s. This article was viewed on May 21, 2011 at http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/pill/peopleevents/p_mrs.html Rampell, C. (Nov. 6, 2009). New York Times: Women Still Not Quite Half of Work Force. This article was viewed on May 22, 2011 at http://economix.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/11/06/women-still-not-quite-half-of-work-force/