History 132 Discussion Questions
January 27, 2016

1. According to Abbott, why don 't  women want the vote?
   
2. From Abbott, what do we learn about the middle class perception of women?  What are the perceived differences between the sexes?
   
3. How do you think women would have reacted to the arguments by Abbott?  Why?
   
4. What is the argument by Addams?  What are the differences between the sexes according to her, and how does her interpretation of the sexes differ from that of Abbott?
   
5. What were the general arguments made against the advancement of women?  Is there a single debate or issue around which it seems to form? 
   
6. Are even those who promote women's rights able to remove themselves from the arguments based on spheres of activity and womanly virtues?  If not, why not?  How might that be evident in the readings?
   
7. Overall how do you reconcile these views of women with the realities of industrialization at the time?  For whom do these women speak and do they really grasp the true nature of their society?
   
8. What does the article on bicycling tell us about middle class women at the turn of the century?
   
9. Why was Susan McSween seen as an outsider when she arrived in Lincoln County?
   
10. According to the author, McSween had violated "codes" of behaviour for women?  How did McSween do that?
    
11. What does this article tell us about the realities of frontier life in the Gilded Age?  What surprised you the most?
    
12. Why was McSween unsuccessful when seeking legal redress after her husband was killed?
    
13. According to the author, why does McSween change to being a "proper Victorian lady"?  What did being a "proper Victorian lady" mean at that time?
    
14. What is meant when the author refers to "the cult of true womanhood" ?