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DS, Male, Age 24




Exhibit: Domestic Life at Fort Smith


When observing the exhibits at the National Historic Site, they show how most of the political establishments and arrangements where created by men with little involvement from women. The exhibits in regards to politics where mostly pictures and summaries of men, with a very few exceptions like Florence Hammersly being a deputy clerk. When it comes to the focus of women in the exhibits, I feel like it was mainly based of domestication. A good example of this is the exhibit "Domestic Life at Fort Smith", where it focuses on the lives of the wife's of political leaders in Fort Smith.

Exhibit:  Music Class


I think this photo is relevant to the idea of women being seen in more of a domesticated role during this time. In my opinion, this photo of Chickasaw girls at Bloomfield Academy in a music class shows how women were even educated in more domesticated roles like the arts, instead of politics.

Exhibit:  Women Behind Bars


I feel like this exhibit shows the effects of the persecution of women. By denying women the same rights of men like voting, throwing them into a more domesticated role, and not allowing their involvement in politics, it seems to have caused a rise in criminal activity by women. Women like Mary Kettenring, who killed her husband, and Pearl Starr, who ran a prostitution house perhaps as a way to control men, are great examples of this criminality

Comments

  1. AnonymousNovember 8, 2019 at 2:12 PM

    Hello! Women had fewer rights in general during this time - fewer (to nonexistent) property rights, no voting rights, etc. There were actually far less women in jail than men during this time, likely because of their lack of mobility, rights, etc. During our guided tours, I talk about how due to the lack of rights, women often did fill a more "domestic" or "traditional" role of staying at home raising children, cooking, and cleaning. Our exhibits about the criminals highlight a few women who did commit crimes, because of course there were both men and women who committed crimes. This is a very interesting topic to discuss, please let me know if you have any questions!

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