Political Activity of Women Hilary Clinton

Political Activity of Women

Hillary Clinton

The impact of women on our society has been more and more strongly felt since the women's revolution in the 1960's in the United States. However, there are some women that history cannot pass by, that must be remembered for their intelligence and political or economic prowess. Such a woman is found in our current secretary of state: Hillary Clinton. Mrs. Clinton has been at the forefront of American politics for decades now, and this paper will discuss the beginnings of her career, as well as the hurdles and accomplishments of this remarkable woman, in the context of the political activity of women in the United States.

The history of women in American society is very complex, and this gender's history in the political arena is even more so. It is a widely known fact that for most of history, women have had fewer rights and opportunities than men have had. However, things began to change in the beginning of the 20th century, when women in most nations won the right to vote, thereby increasing their educational and career opportunities. However, until the 1960's women were still expected to be found mostly in the home: cooking cleaning and rearing children. This decade and the one following it, however, changed everything as women became more and more aware of their capabilities and eventually became involved not only in women's rights movements, but also in important political issues. [1: Albrektsen, Beatrice and Vale, Michel. "Women's Political Activity." International Journal of SociologyVol. 8, No. 3. Fall, 1978. 08 May 2011. ]

Women's political participation began in the 1920's when they campaigned for the right to vote. Thus, women became involved in the political arena little by little from the 1930's onwards. They began in such positions as governors and members of the House of Representatives though this was only due to the fact that their husbands had preceded them in these posts. It was only in 1974 that a woman actually obtained such a position on her own. Then, in 1984, with Geraldine Ferraro's nomination for vice-president, women received a major role in American politics that has since continued. Hillary Clinton could not have ran for president without the history and the fight of such women, for example, and American may not have been able to have envisioned such a historic event as the 2008 campaign. Thus, it is important both to recognize the past, but also Mrs. Clinton's extremely well honed political abilities. [2: "Women's History in America: Women's Rights." Compton's Interactive Encyclopedia. Web. 08 May 2011. . ]

According to the United States Department of State, Hillary Clinton was born in 1947 in Chicago and went to public schools and to Wellesley College and Yale Law School for her higher education. It was in 1974 that Secretary Clinton moved to Arkansas, and she married Bill Clinton a year later. She was able to further her career and raise her daughter at the same time whilst in Arkansas. Furthermore, she was assistant professor at Arkansas School of Law and served as the chair of the Legal Services Corporation, after having been appointed by Jimmy Carter. According to her biography on the United States government website,

"During her 12 years as First Lady of the State of Arkansas, she was Chairwoman of the Arkansas Education Standards Committee, co-founded the Arkansas Advocates for Children and Families, and served on the boards of the Arkansas Children's Hospital, and the Children's Defense Fund." [3: "Clinton, Hillary R." U.S. Department of State. Web. 08 May 2011. . ]

In 1992, Bill Clinton was elected President of the United States and Mrs. Clinton became First Lady. This gave her the opportunity to pursue her love of politics from another standpoint and champion many issues with which she was concerned, especially health reform and children and family issues. During her first time in the White House, Mrs. Clinton fought to bridge the political gap and improve adoption and foster care systems, as well as reduce teen pregnancy and provide health for millions through the Children's Health Insurance Program. As First Lady, she also traveled to many countries, championing human rights wherever she went. Furthermore, Mrs. Clinton became famous for her speech in Beijing in 1995 according to the U.S. State Department website, which also advocated women's rights. This speech galvanized an entire generation of women worldwide. [4: "Clinton, Hillary R." U.S. Department of State. Web. 08 May 2011. . ]

In 2000, Hillary Clinton "made history as the first Lady elected to the United States Senate, and the first woman elected statewide in New York." During her stay in the Senate, Secretary Clinton served on numerous committees and worked across party lines to build support for important causes. According to the State Department, Mrs. Clinton was one of the strongest advocates for the rebuilding of New York after the September 11 attacks. Furthermore, due to her commendable efforts she won reelection to the Senate in 2006, while at the same time prepared and began her historic campaign for President. After President Obama and John McCain were elected as the two candidates, Mrs. Clinton campaigned for the Obama side, and eventually was nominated by President-elect Obama to be Secretary of State. [5: "Clinton, Hillary R." U.S. Department of State. Web. 08 May 2011. . ] [6: "Clinton, Hillary R." U.S. Department of State. Web. 08 May 2011. . ]

The position of Secretary of State allowed Mrs. Clinton to further pursue her political passion, and she has continued to do so admirably with remarkable wit and talent. Mrs. Clinton was part of a team that has travelled to many of the nations in need in this world, especially to Afghanistan and Iraq, to offer justice, guidance and a helping hand. Furthermore, she is part of an integral team that is leading our country today, which is a very high position. In the past few days, great news broke in the United States that Osama Bin Laden had been killed. It was seen that Mrs. Clinton was among the handful of people who actually watched this action and her strength was also shown in the speech which she gave after this momentous event.