PROJECT PAPER 1
Conversation between 2 women fromthe 18thand 19thcenturies
Conversation between 2 women fromthe 18thand 19thcenturies
Biographicalinformation
EmpressElizabeth Petrovna of Russia:
Born in December 1709, Elizabethwas the second surviving daughter of Peter the Great and Catherinethe First (Duffy, 2015). She was recognizes as a brilliant child fromher early years, which made her father trust her with leadershippositions. She later became the Empress of Russia from 1741 up to herdeath in 1762. She was known for empowering local administrators, andprotecting Russia against foreign enemies in combat. After a steadydecline of health in the late 1750s, she succumbed due to inadequatehealth attention. She left a legacy as one of the most principledwomen rules of the 18thcentury.
ElizabethCady Stanton:
ElizabethCady Stanton was an American political and civil rights personalityborn in 1815 (Kent, 2010). Her father was a renowned Federalistattorney, who historians regard as the motivation for Cady’s laterlife as a lawyer and activist. She is credited with organizing thefirst ever women rights’ movement in the United States, which inlater years culminated to the recognition and upholding of womenrights in the country. She played a key role in the American CivilWar by conceptualizing national pride and inspiring women and menalike to defend their country. Moreover, she fought for religiousfreedom and female employment, among many other women rights’issues. She died following a heart attack in 1902.
Conversation
Historicalstatus of the women
Empress Elizabeth Petrovna ofRussia: During my time(18thCentury), patriarchal order was still widespread. This means that themen held higher and more powerful positions in the society, makingthe women the subordinates in the society. There was little space forwomen in leadership positions, making the few privileged women likeme in this social sphere quite phenomenal. As such, the women’seconomic, social and political status was weak, as compared to theirmale counterparts. At the individual level, the women were prone toviolence and aggression, which affected their emotional and physicalstatus. However, there were few women with exemplary perceivedvirtues, who were instrumental in shaping the age of enlightenment.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton:Perhaps the biggest thing that ailed the status of the women withinthe American society was White superiority. While the fight againstthis social ill concentrated on abolishing slavery and empowering theAfrican American men, the women’s positions were largely ignored.For instance, the American women had no say in the wider socialsphere, such as political organization and individual recognition.The women’s social status was thus weakened, which affected theirinterests such as education, economic and political growth.
Opinionson women’s roles during their lifetimes
Empress Elizabeth Petrovna ofRussia: During my time,I strongly hold the opinion that women should have been given moreleadership positions. This opinion is based on my leadership style,which many countrymen and fellow leaders praised. Moreover, the womenshould have been given more opportunities to take control of theirfamilies’ economic and social wellbeing. This assertion means thatthe society should have empowered women by improving their levels ofeducation and opening up more opportunities for them to explore, suchas in the industrial sector and politics as well. As well, the womenshould have been given more opportunities to represent their nationin foreign affairs, an element of international relationships that Ipursued with passion during my reign.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton:The women in my society should have been given equal rights as themen. Specifically, they were supposed to be given equal attentionthat the Black Americans were given during the struggle forliberalization from slavery. This way, they would have moreeconomical and political responsibility. As well, the women shouldhave been given more position in the civil society, so that theycould lead fellow women towards more economical and politicalliberalization. In terms of representation, the women should havebeen given equal voting and vying rights, so that they could take upmore leadership positions in the American society. As I foughtagainst the ratification of the 14thand 15thAmendments, I strongly believe that women should have been empoweredby the law to lead like all other citizens.
Whatthey think about women’s current roles
Empress Elizabeth Petrovna ofRussia: I applaud theimprovements of the women’s roles and positions in the currentRussian society. The society has given the women more opportunitiesto lead the society, as well, represent their country in foreignmatters (Sayre, 2014). However, I do not think that the women’sroles have equaled those of the men is some areas. For instance, inthe economic and political spheres, men still dominate. Thisoccurrence stipulates that most of the economic and politicaldecisions are made by the men, which may thwart the general interestsof the women. Regardless, there is a significant positive improvementof the women’s position from the 18thcentury.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Theroles of the women in the American society are looking good. Whilecomparing against the 19thcentury, today’s women have more civil liberties, which means thatthe society has enabled them to empower themselves. Today’s womenhave a commendable share in the leadership roles, economicdevelopment and also in the civil society (Sayre, 2014). There is agood number of women in politics and wealth creation, which is a signof the success of feminism and suffrage.
References:
Duffy, C. (2015). Russia’s military way to the West: Origins andnature of Russian military power 1700-1800. New York, NY:Routledge.
Kent, D. (2010). Elizabeth Cady Stanton: Woman knows the cost oflife. Berkley Heights, NJ: Enslow Publishers Inc.
Sayre, H. M. (2014). The humanities: Culture, continuity andchange, 3rd ed. New York, NY: PearsonPublishers.