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...
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…
