The Wild Teen Years
The nineteen teens was a decade that consisted of justice for the working citizens of America, well deserved recognition for women everywhere, and an attempt for peace. In 1910, women were beginning to gain acknowledgement for voting rights. 
By 1917, the United States had been forced to enter World War 1 due to its outbreak. Justice was finally served in the United States once many strict health and safety codes had been passed. Thanks to the support and intelligence of Carrie Chapman Catt, the Women’s Suffrage movement had reached new levels of achievement and progress. The United States was as peaceful and graceful as possible t8hroughout World War 1 because of President Woodrow Wilson’s good intentions for the United States. Finally, although only one of Wilson’s fourteen points were accepted, he still managed to make a huge difference in the issues that World War 1 had presented our nation with.
The Women’s Suffrage movement in 1910 brought a time of turmoil and madness for the conservative and old-fashioned thinkers, but a breath of fresh air to women and its movement’s supporters. The Women’s Suffrage movement began with women feeling the n
eed for independence, and they decided to begin with the right to vote. Although women were not nationally given the right to vote until 1920, the Women’s Suffrage movement gained acknowledgement and respect throughout the nineteen teens decade. The nineteen teens was a very difficult decade for women because most of society felt that women should feel content being wives and mothers, and that women had no need for higher education, which was not what women had in mind.
Carrie Chapman Catt was a woman of intelligence, strength, and leadership and our nation would be a much different place if it weren’t for her role in the Women’s Suffrage movement. Catt was a peace advocate whom had become the National American Women Suffrage Association’s leader soon after, in 1916, Catt had been intelligent enough to support Wilson’s election, which led to Wilson supporting the Democrat’s party in giving women the right to vote. Catt’s strength had resulted in the NAWSA defeating two anti-suffrage senators in 1918 with the help of NAWSA’s recourses, With such nobility, i
t is difficult for women today to muse over what women’s rights would be now if it hadn’t been for Carrie Chapman Catt.
At the beginning of World War 1, America had made a strong attempt in being neutral; it ended up taking center-stage of the war. Although the United States did not enter the war until 1917, the outbreak of war began to affect the United States by 1914. The booming of war economy had led to women and African Americans being offered jobs that had been strictly denied to him before. Once the homeland countries of the immigrants of the United States had begun to fight against the United States in World War 1, immigrants were being strongly discriminated against. Throughout the years of World War 1, many socialists and radicals had opposed the war, which led to them being considered traitors and were jailed. The unfair behavior among the Americans throughout World War 1 should be looked with shameful eyes and today America’s political leaders know better.
Woodrow Wilson was a man of inspiration because of what he stood or, peace, and how he thought of himself, Wilson thought of himself not as being superior-but a regular citizen. When the Women’s Suffrage movement had thrown support behind Wilson’s election, Wilson had become President in 1913, and from the beginning, he had lived up to his reputation as a strong progressor. In 1914, Congress demand of action against big business led to Congress creating the Federal Trade Act at Wilson’s request. Judging from his motives, Wilson should only be looked at as an inspiration to the President today and the President’s to come.
The 14 points are one example of Wilson’s good intentions and motives; th14 points were purely based on an idea and goal for unity. In January 1918, Wilson had presented his 14 points to the leader of the Treaty of Versailles that was based on “the principal of justice to all people and nationalities.” Although only the 14th amendment had been passed, all of the points that Wilson had presented contained many important ideas to end World War 1, and perfect the United States Points one through five proposed to eliminate free trade, descriminant freedom of the seas, impartial judgment of colonial claims, and open diplomacy rather than secret agreement. Other wise known as the general causes of the war. Points five through thirteen had addressed the right of self determination and had required central powers to evacuate all of the countries invaded during World War 1: France, Belgium, and Russia. Finally, the 14th point called for a creation of a general association of Leagues meant to have the League of Nations members to help preserve peace and prevent future wars. Judging from Wilson’s points for peace, Wilson believed that the first necessity when striving for peace is to eliminate war.
Justice was finally served, and citizens were finally granted the safety they deserved when strict health and safety codes were passed. In 1911, fires swept through the Triangle Shirtwaist Company in New York City. Because of the trapping of doors locked from the outside, 150 women workers had died. The outrage over the many lives lost in New York City had caused the city to pass strict building codes when dealing with machinery and other dangerous working conditions. It may have been a high price to pay for the correction of safety hazards, but either way, justice was finally served.
Finally, the nineteen teens consisted of justice, happiness and security for the rational citizens of America; however, it consisted of audacity and shameful behavior for the irrational citizens of America. Women gained the rights and goals they had hoped for. The United States had a goal n finally being a peaceful nation, and although it was not met, it did indeed take our nation far. Discrimination had filled the nation once World War 1 hit, but doesn’t every decade have its downfalls?
Bibliography:http://library.duke.edu/digitalcollections/adaccess/1915.html
http://www.seattlepi.com/century/hist.shtml