Critical Analysis Paper- Chisholm’s speech before Congress on the ERA

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Essay: Critical Analysis Paper- Chisholm’s speech before Congress on the ERA
As the issue of civil rights continued gaining attention, the emergence of women's liberation movement in the 1960s and 1970s ushered in conversation on demand for gender equality in the United States. As with African American civil rights, the movement for women's rights was also part of American politics since the era of revolution. These movements advocated for equal opportunities and rights for women across the U.S. (Styer 175). Women's rights movements were advocating for the involvement of feminine gender in politics, work, and family across the third and fourth waves. Some exceptional women activists were at the forefront to fight for equal rights for women. In 1969, Shirley Chisholm delivered an inspirational speech in which she pleaded for the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) for women (Styer 175). The purpose of this assignment is to critically analyze the efforts of equal rights for women in the United States based on Shirley's speech to Congress on ERA.
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm became the first black woman ever to be elected in the U.S. House of Representatives. Her win made the entire election season to be nicknamed 'The Year of the Women' because apart from her, other women had won seats in federal and state races. Shirley's address to the U.S. House of Representatives on ERA became a landmark effort in the fight for women's rights in the U.S. She opened her statement by addressing how hard it was for a woman to graduate to secure a job. Her report shows that even with enough qualifications, women could not achieve good jobs compared to their men counterparts. Women could not hold a managerial position because they were believed to be incapable of issuing instructions. Therefore, according to Shirley, jobs that were available for women were lesser ones like secretaries and librarians who were under the supervision of men. Shirley did not only address ERA issues but also racial discrimination, where blacks were not given opportunities in managerial positions. Her position allowed her to address both women's and blacks' issues because she belonged in both categories.
Although Shirley mixed the issue of black with that of women's rights, her intension was clear because the most and worst affected were black women. African-Americans had gone through a stressful era of slavery and advocacy for civil rights for decades. Shirley believed that her victory would help her fight for the rights of the blacks and women (Styer 176). Shirley developed her emotional attachment with blacks when she pointed out that she was more discriminated against as a black more than a woman. The statement indicated that her fight for ERA would not be successful if she never fought for black rights. Her confidence while delivering the speech showed that she clearly understood the position of the blacks in the U.S. political environment. She clearly understood that the whites had finally started admitting the existence of blacks as elites in the U.S. She that, 'prejudice against blacks is becoming unacceptable although...