Question 1 (Document-Based Question): 55 minutes Suggested Reading period: 15 minutes Suggested writing period: 40 minutes

Directions: Question 1 is based on the accompanying documents. The documents have been edited for the purpose of this exercise. You are advised to spend 15 minutes reading and planning and 45 minutes writing your answer.

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  State a relevant thesis that directly addresses all parts of the question.
  

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  Support the thesis or a relevant argument with evidence from all, or all but one, of the documents.
  

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  Incorporate analysis of all, or all but one, of the documents into your argument.
  

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  Focus your analysis of each document on at least one of the following: intended audience, purpose, historical context, and/or point of view.
  

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  Support your argument with analysis of historical examples outside the documents
  

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  Connect historical phenomena relevant to your argument to broader events or processes.
  

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  Synthesize the elements above into a persuasive essay that extends your argument, connects it to a different historical context, or accounts for contradictory evidence on the topic.
  

1. 
   Compare and contrast the roles of American women in the 1920s with those of women in the 1950s.
   

Document 1

Source: Johnstone, Will B. ; 1920s cartoon; exact date unknown

Source: 1950 Tide Detergent Magazine Advertisement; Artist Unknown

Isabella Browning

Katelyn Ke

Natasha Collier

Justin Interiano

DBQ SCORING NOTES

Possible thesis statements could include the following:

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  Although both the 1920s and 1950s saw increased job opportunities for women, the '20s became an era of liberation from tradition while the '50s emphasized the family unit and the idea of women as family caretakers.
  
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  The feminist movement most visibly took a stronghold in the 1920s, as women were given the right to vote, while the ideal woman in the 1950s was viewed as inept without her husband.
  
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  The 1920’s and 1950’s were both decades of change for how the world viewed women; however, the 20’s focused on a more radical liberation and the 50’s put more emphasis on the woman being the homemaker.
  
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  In the 1920s and the 1950s, women saw increased job opportunities and involvement in politics; however, the ‘20s saw more radical defiance of gender stereotypes among young women with the popularity of the flapper image, while ‘50s women were expected to learn home skills and to only to work until marriage.
  

As explained in the scoring notes, to earn full credit for analyzing documents, responses must include at least one of the following for all or all but one of the documents: intended audience, purpose, historical context, author’s point of view. Although examples of these elements are listed below, these examples of analysis must explicitly be used in support of a stated thesis or a relevant argument.

Source: Welles Page, Ellen; “A Flapper’s Appeal to Parents”; The Outlook; magazine article; 1922

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  Intended audience: American adults during the 1920
  
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  Purpose: to explain flapper culture and how the younger generations in the 1920s differ from the older ones
  
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  Historical context: Written during the Golden Age and during Prohibition, flapper culture greatly influenced what women were expected to become, with many flapper women having day jobs and wearing more revealing clothing.
  
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  The author’s point of view: written by a young flapper woman who presents the idea that the women of her generation are not to be looked down upon by older age groups, but rather, should be admired and accepted.
  

Source: Johnstone, Will B. ; 1920s cartoon; exact date unknown

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  Intended audience: General American public
  
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  Purpose: to demonstrate the liberation of women during the 1920s
  
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  Historical context: The fashion and urban culture of the 1920s encouraged freedom that led to women becoming flappers, wearing revealing clothing and turning against what was initially viewed as acceptable for women to do in public.
  
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  The author’s point of view: created by a man who critiqued the change in women’s image in the 1920s with the advent of flapper culture.
  

Source:

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  Intended audience: Women in the 50’s
  
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  Purpose: To sell Tide soap to women by targeting the stereotypical 1950s housewife
  
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  Historical context: Women were viewed as the homemakers of the household, and therefore products which catered to that image, such as Tide soap, were marketed towards women and depicted wives and mothers in their advertisements.
  
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  The author’s point of view: Women are happy being the cleaners of the home and find joy in doing household chores.
  

Source: Henderson, Harry; “The Mass-Produced Suburbs: How People Live in America’s Newest Towns.” Harper’s Weekly, November 1953.

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  Intended audience: Readers of Harper’s Weekly, People not living in the suburbs
  
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  Purpose: To reveal the patterns of daily life for women in 1950s suburbia
  
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  Historical context: Following World War II, many white families moved to the suburbs, resulting in women being expected to become housewives in new suburban homes.
  
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  The author’s point of view: written by an observer of suburban life who viewed women’s daily routines as housewives in the 1950s as boring, repetitive, and unfortunate.
  

Source: Goldin, Claudia;”Marriage Bars:Discrimination Against Married Women Works, 1920’s to 1950’s.” National Bureau of Economic Research, October 1988.

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  Intended audience: Historians, students
  
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  Purpose:To contrast the extent of discrimination to married women in a social and economic aspect from the 1920’s to the 1950’s.  
  
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  Historical context:The changing problems faced by women workers throughout the time span of 30 years, focusing on the start and rise of the push for women equality.   
  
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  The author’s point of view: Written by a professor of economics at Harvard University, Ms. Goldin is one to advocate the discrimination of unequal pay between the genders.
  

Source: Chafe, William H.; "Women in the Early to Mid-20th Century (1900-1960): Social and Economic Conditions"; essay; 1990

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  Intended Audience: historians, students
  
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  Purpose: to inform his audience on the changing roles of women in the 20th century
  
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  Historical context: Employment rates for women were rising during the 1950s and many more women were married because it was generally more accepted in society to be married and have a family.
  
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  The author’s point of view: written by a man who researched the expansion of the role of women in the workforce in the 1950s.
  

Source: Meyerowitz, Joanne; “Beyond the Feminine Mystique: A Reassessment of Postwar Mass Culture, 1946-1958.” The Journal of American History, Vol. 79, No. 4 (Mar., 1993), pp. 1455-1482.

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  Intended Audience: historians, students
  
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  Purpose: To reveal how women of the 1950s had interest in politics, despite stereotypes.
  
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  Historical context: 1950s women’s interest in politics and women in politics exemplifies similarities with women of other post-women’s voting rights generations,despite the expectations of society discouraging them.
  
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  The author’s point of view: written by woman who examined magazines in the 1950s and created conclusions on the interests of women at the time.
  

Possible examples of information not found in the documents that could be used to support the stated thesis or a relevant argument could include the following:

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  I Love Lucy/The Honeymooners (1950s)
  
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  The idea of the "New Woman"
  
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  Flapper culture
  
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  Changes in fashion in the 1920s
  
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  The increased popularity of home economics classes in the 1950s
  
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  American conformity in the 1950s as a result of the Cold War
  
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  First woman to be elected to congress-Jeanette Rankin (1916)
  
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  The number of women and men voting is approximately equal for the first time. -1957
  
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  19th Amendment ratified- 1920
  
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  “White Flight” phenomenon
  

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  The causes of the feminist movement
  
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  Women's influence on American history
  
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  Women’s push for suffrage
  
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  Right to birth control/own property
  
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  The effects of WWI/WWII on women gender roles
  
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  The Cold War and its tensions
  
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  The Women’s Suffrage Movement
  
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  18th Amendment- Prohibition
  
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  First Red Scare
  
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  Second Red Scare
  
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  Introduction of household television and advertisements
  
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  The Atomic Bomb and the fear that came as a result
  

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  Linking to women's fight for the right to vote and African Americans' fight for the right to vote
  
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  Linking to the notable feminist movements of the 1970’s
  
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  Linking to the increase of women entering the workforce and in the 1960s.
  
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  Linking to the 1960s spread of dissatisfaction among women regarding huge gender differences in pay and sexual harassment in the workplace.
  

Isabella Browning

Katelyn Ke

Natasha Collier

Justin Interiano
Women of the 1920s and 1950s: A Comparison and Contrast
Both the 1920s and the 1950s served as historically significant decades that altered American culture and society and changed the way people viewed the world around them. After World War I, an era of cultural transformation began, known as The Roaring Twenties. With the emergence of "modern" technologies such as automobiles and motion pictures, industrial growth and consumer demand increased. The 1950s, a period of fear from communism as an effect of the Cold War, saw increased conformity and, like the 1920s, growth of consumerism due to more wealth and competition with the Soviet Union.  Many changes in these decades occurred, some of the most significant of which involved the roles of women and the way they were viewed by society. Although both the 1920s and the 1950s women saw increased job opportunities and involvement in politics, the ‘20s saw more radical defiance of gender stereotypes among young women with the popularity of the flapper image, while ‘50s women were expected to learn home skills and to only to work until marriage.

The social standard for women before, and even during, the 1920s was to uphold their modesty, conformity, and obedience. Most notably during the Prohibition era, the advent of flapper culture sought to rebel against the traditional image of the average woman.  Contrastingly, 1950s culture popularized the return of more traditional roles for women, with many women’s monotonous daily routines including taking care of the home and caring for children (Doc. 4). The White Flight phenomenon and popularity of suburban life led to even more traditionalist roles for women. These roles, which promoted the idea of the classic 50’s housewife, were reinforced by television, advertisements and many other forms of media.  Unlike the 1920s, in which radio and movies played the main role in spreading mass trends, 1950s television was the most prominent media among the public. With shows such as The Honeymooners or I Love Lucy, as well as the growing prominence of advertisements depicting housewives and mothers, women’s roles were reduced to those of the home. In contrast to 1950s media, flapper and “vamp” styles transcended cinema, encouraging rebellion. Flappers smoke, drank alcohol and worked; showing contempt for  older generations and those who undermined their abilities (Doc. 1).  The fashion and urban culture of the 1920s encouraged freedom that led to women becoming flappers, wearing revealing clothing and turning against what was initially viewed as acceptable for women to do in public (Doc. 2). 1950s gender roles had a social regression of sorts with the return of “traditional” clothing and conformity. While the Golden Age and the passing of the 19th amendment in the 1920s encouraged the challenging of traditional views; the Cold War and the Second Red Scare in the 1950s resulted in mass conformity, which greatly affected women’s roles.

Both 1920s and 1950s women faced serious scrutiny from their peers due to negative opinions of nonconformity. The expectation of women in both periods was that they were to stay at home and do their jobs as wives or mothers. Although many 1920s urban women defied societal standards, the social majority--especially those of rural areas of the nation--had negative opinions of rebellious young women and considered them inferior. Women in both decades were generally still expected to fulfill domestic responsibilities, especially after the men returned home from both World Wars in the 1920s and early 1950s. Both eras were affected by the terrors of war, as well as by fears of communism, with the First and Second Red Scares occurring in both time periods, respectively. Consumerist culture during the 1950s made it easier for companies to target women and reinforce gender stereotypes, with advertisements of cleaning supplies or new machinery for the home (Doc. 3). In the 20’s, media also played a role in how women viewed themselves, with the flapper style quickly having become fashionable among actresses in movies, spreading popularity of the fashion. 1950s women also had an interest in politics and in female representation in government, just as women of the 1920s did following the ratification of the 19th amendment (Doc. 7). Both decades also saw increases in working women, with more young women being hired in the 1920s following the First World War, and more married, older women being hired in the 1950s with the abandonment of the marriage bar, which had previously prevented married women from working (Doc.5) Although women’s jobs rarely counteracted those of men,  employment rates  for women continually increased in the 1950s and most held jobs that had never been held by women before (Doc. 6). In both decades, despite traditional expectations, women saw increased employment, had interest in politics, and were affected by media representations of females.

The 1920s saw great change with the liberation of many women from expectations. Although the 1950s is often seen as a regression for the advancement of women’s rights, increased employment rates gave more opportunities to women wishing to work both before and after marriage. Marking history as two extremely important decades for the advancement of women’s rights, the 1950s and 1920s saw the increase of work for women and women’s involvement in politics. The normalization of women as workers and politicians would eventually lead to the ability of women in the following decades, notably the late 1960s and throughout the ‘70s, with the monumental growth of the feminist movement.