The Birth Control Movement Essay example - 1442 Words

The Progressive Era was a period of social and political reform beginning in the post Gilded Age 19th century and lasting through WWI. Industrial and urban growth of early 19th century America while representative of opportunity and future advancement simultaneously posed many difficulties for working class citizens. Prior concerns over the conditions of working class citizens were multiplied and magnified by overpopulated and impoverished urban communities. During this era many new Progressive agendas were introduced with the goal of reforming dated and unregulated policies, the most prominent of these, the birth control movement. The documents from chapter six of Constructing the American Past show that at its core, the birth control†¦show more content†¦In document three from The Case for Birth Control Sanger’s rhetoric changes, relying on facts, statistics, and knowledge based reasoning. Document three proves to be a much more reliable and comprehensive argum ent than document one. Sanger advocates small families for the working class as a means to eliminate poverty (due to large families), illegal abortions, child labor, and to protect the health of women â€Å"from overwork and the strain of too frequent child bearing† (6, 3,124) The argument shifts from a pseudo-socialist agenda to simply the right of a woman to control her own body and choose her own destiny. Following the release of The Woman Rebel, Anthony Comstock spearheaded an anti-birth control campaign with the aid of the Society for the Suppression of Vice, â€Å"vice† as Comstock described it â€Å"intemperance, gambling, and evil reading†(6,1,122). Document 2 is an interview with Comstock by Mary Alden Hopkins of Harper’s Weekly on the issue of birth control and the laws against its distribution and publication. Comstock approaches the birth control issue as a religious zealot, arguing that it is the moral and spiritual obligation of the peopl e to stray from â€Å"vice† and practice abstinence as the only means of family planning. Comstock’s conservative rhetoric appealed to the â€Å"Victorian† era principles of â€Å"self-control† and moral fortitude. Moreover, Comstock employs the ideology of â€Å"rule by fear,† byShow MoreRelatedBirth Control Movement : Margaret Sanger1980 Words   |  8 PagesThe birth control movement was created in early 20th century by Progressive and Socialist reformers like Margaret Sanger. She and other birth control activists would fight for women’s access to birth control through the 20th century which has gone on to affect American women today. In order to analyze the affect that birth control has had on America, it is necessary to look at the works of Margaret Sanger and the birth control movement of the progressive era. A good primary source with informationRead MoreMargaret Sanger And The Birth Control Movement Highlighted1187 Words   |   5 PagesMargaret Sanger and the Birth Control Movement highlighted a variety of important issues. These issues include women’s right to make decisions privately versus the right of a community to regulate moral behavior; the ethnic demographics of the American people; the ability of women to control their own physical destinies by limiting family size; and the idea that small families were the way to keep the American dream alive. The debate over birth control spoke to personal and political issues, whichRead MoreThe African American Community and the Birth Control Movement921 Words   |  4 Pagesï » ¿The African American Community and the Birth Control Movement (Order #A2087166) Racism has been a part of America for a very long time and one that has seeped into almost every part of American society. In fact, scientific studies and beliefs have, for a large part of the 20th century, been infused with an underlying racism that has tainted them. For instance, in the years from the 1880s to the mid 1940s, the African American fertility rate, or the rate at which African Americans were producingRead MoreMargaret Sanger s The First Birth Control Movement1288 Words   |  6 Pagesin a important way. Margaret Sanger was known for leading the birth control movement. She financed the research needed to develop â€Å"the pill†, an easy form of birth control that women could take themselves. She also founded the Planned Parenthood Federation Of America continuing her legacy of authoritative work to allow parenthood and birth control to be much easier. Margaret Sanger left a legacy of leading the birth control movement. Margaret Sanger was born on September 14th, 1879 to Anne PurcellRead MoreA Political Factor That Influenced Sanger s Birth Control Movement1223 Words   |  5 PagesA political factor that influenced Sanger during her birth control movement was the Comstock Laws. Comstock Laws were put in place by Anthony Comstock, a congressman who wanted to put a ban on spreading pornography through the U.S mail (Wardell, 1980, pg. 738). He soon broadened what the Comstock laws covered, to make it illegal to ship anything through the mail that had to do with contraceptives, even information. This was a constant battle for Sanger and she was arrested many times throughout herRead MoreMargaret Sanger, An American Nurse, Pioneered The Modern Birth Control Movement1159 Words   |  5 PagesMargaret Sanger, an American nurse, pioneered the modern birth control movement in the United States. She began her movement in 1912, with the publication of information about women s reproductive concerns through magazine articles, pamphlets, and several books. In 1914, Margaret Sanger was charged with violating the Comstock Law, a federal legislation prohibiting the mailing of obscene material including information about birth control and contraceptive devices. Despite being imprisoned for herRead MoreMandated Coverage For Birth Control On Health Insurance Plans957 Words   |  4 Pages2014 there was a heated debate on whether there should be a mandated coverage for birth control on health insurance plans. According to a survey by the University of Michigan Health System, 69% of adults in the United States support this requirement in health insurance plans and the people who oppose this requirement is less than 10%. There have been other laws made by states recently that are affecting birth control and abortions. For example, a regulation implemented by the Iowa Board of MedicineRead MorePros And Cons Of Birth Control1442 Words   |  6 PagesEven though birth control issues remain as a controversial topic from the early 18th century to now, the debate between Margaret Sanger and Winter Russel on the pros and cons of providing information about birth control strategies for the public was a foundation stone for today’s family planning policies and regulation of transmission of venereal disease in the United States of America. It is important to note that although in 1920 information about birth control strategies were banned from reachingRead MoreEugenics and Planned Parenthood Essay1405 Words   |  6 PagesMargaret Sanger’s feminist, contraceptive movement was not originally founded with this purpose. It was marketed as a way to control the population and be merciful to those yet to be born, again determined also by race and intelligence. The similarities in purpose actually brought the two organizations together to form a â€Å"liberating movement† to â€Å"aid women† known today as Planned Parenthood (Schweikart and Allen 529-532). The name may sound harmless, but the movement hid a darker purpose, to wean out theRead MoreAnalysis Of The Right To Ones Body By Margaret Sanger911 Words   |  4 Pagesdescribed by biography.com, was â€Å"†¦ an early feminist and women’s rights activist who coined the term ‘birth control’ and worked towards its legalization† (â€Å"Margaret Sanger†). Margret was also responsible for the creation of the first planned parenthood center, and later was a founding member of the International Planned Parenthood Federation. Margret most notably belonged to the birth control movement, as she was a nurse working with women who were directly affected by the lack of child care options