Megan+D.+-+RC+-+FA09

  With the help of other women of her day, including Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B Anthony, Amelia Bloomer spoke out for women’s rights. She spoke and wrote about unequal educational opportunities, discriminatory marriage and property laws, and suffrage. One of her interests was dress reform. She disliked the heavy long corset outfits of the 1850’s. She wanted women to be less restrictive and more comfortable for everyday regular activities. Her main goal was to achieve equality of men and women.
 * Amelia Bloomer **
 * 1818- 1894 **
 * Criticisms of American Society**

Amelia Bloomer witnessed the Seneca Falls Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions, the beginning of the suffrage movement that started the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The Seneca Falls meeting led her to the writing of her newspaper, //The Lily//. Which she voiced fashion, education suffrage, and temperance. When //the Lily// ended in 1854 she moved to west with her husband, there she worked to establish churches, Good Templar lodges, suffrage legislation, and the Soldiers' Aid Society. Later, she became President of the Iowa Woman Suffrage Society and ended the difference between male and female property rights. She ultimately believed in equality, and changing the government to understand women’s rights.  Bloomer’s earliest successes began when she was just 22 years old. She wrote for the New York newspaper, the Seneca Falls Country Courier. Later in 1849 she began putting her own views on temperance and other issues in //The Lily//. She put many different topics in such as marriage law reforms, better education for women, and even dress standards women had in the early 1850’s. She was successful in being the first women to own and operate her own newspaper for women.
 * Improving American Life**
 * Bloomer’s Success **

Amelia Bloomer got many women to rethink wearing dresses and corsets, and instead wearing tunics and trousers. Although she didn’t invent the look, she supported it in her newspaper and by wearing it. The look became known as “bloomers”. She felt women’s clothing wasn’t all about looking good, rather being practical.

She was a women’s rights and temperance advocate. She published her views on social issues and the disapproval of alcohol in her weekly publication of //the Lily//. The newspaper main goal was empowering women. Since the newspaper was one of the only ways to keep up to date, she was very successful with her readers up until 1853 when she abandoned the newspaper. But she inspired many young women because of her outstanding writing and support from over 4,000 readers.
 * Goals and Methods **


 * How could the Government Help **
 * The government could have assisted Bloomer by establishing laws that helped to make women more equal to men. The government jobs could have had a required number of women to work in higher public positions to create more equality. Also, to get women out if the normal housewives role, the government could also help fund women owned businesses. Like Amelia Bloomer, being the first to own, operate, and edit //the Lily.// Even sponsoring advertisements for Bloomer so her views can reach out even further would be helpful. **

Elizabeth Cady Stanton: She had many of the same views as Bloomer did on women’s rights. Bloomer attended the Convention at Seneca Falls where she first saw Stanton. Cady later contributed broad issues on the issues of women’s rights in //The Lily//. She too, also supported the idea of “bloomers”. Susan B. Anthony: She too had many similar goals and beliefs as Bloomer had. Amelia Bloomer had introduced Susan B. Anthony to Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851, as they all wore the “bloomers” that were greatly talked about in //the Lily//. Although she was not as close to Anthony, Bloomer was President of the Woman Suffrage Association in 1871, where she worked with Susan B. Anthony and many other influential women of the time.
 * References **

Works cited:

"Amelia J. Bloomer", //Ohio History Central//, July 1, 2005, []

Baker, Susan. “Biographical history of Pottawattamie Country, Iowa.” __Rootsweb__. 6 Oct 2009. <__[]>.__

Kerley, Jessica. “Amelia Bloomer.” __Women in the 19th century Ohio__. Kenyon University, May 2001. Web. 6 Oct. 2009. <http://www2.kenyon.edu/Khistory/frontier/ameliabloomer.htm>.