Crystal Eastman's Essay 'Now We Can Begin'

During the 1920s was a time of great change in America. The role as a woman was changing in a big way not only at home, but also in the workplace and society. On August 18, 1920 the congress ratified and passed the 19th amendment, which guarantees all women the right to vote. In Crystal Eastman’s essay “Now we can begin” she gives her view of feminism during this time period and how it was viewed as negative since all the feminist leaders at the time was associated with socialism or communism. This negative social view prevented progressive movement in feminism. In “Now we can Begin” Crystal Eastman effectively uses examples on how the women’s right to vote in the 1920s would lead to social changes, economic changes, and women’s freedom overall which were unpopular at the time.
The social changes that occurred after the voting change proved that women were more than just housewives to bare children and maintain the household. As Eastman showed as an example, at the time she stated “A growing number of men admire the woman who has a job, and, especially since the cost of living doubled, rather like the idea of their own wives contributing to the
Eastman spoke about breaking down barriers when she wrote “First, by breaking down all remaining barriers, actual as well as legal, which make it difficult for women to enter or succeed in the various professions, to go into and get on in business, to learn trades and practice them, to join trades unions” (Eastman 1) which was accomplished after the women’s right to vote was won and they were able to enter these higher lever positions that began to reshape the face of America. By being in these positions of authority and management they not only displayed they could perform competently in these positions but could then hire workers base on other criteria based of positive traits and qualifications and not solely on