Monday, March 31

Discussed in class on Monday, March 31 was the sexual revolution part 1.  This particular chapter for the reading due for this day mainly focused on women and the immediate needs for women's birth control.  The lecture, however for that day went into great depth about men's birth control needs.  Condoms, a good form if not a popular form of birth control was something that was available to men during the late 19th-20th century, but it was not widely used, why because well for one if its not on your grocery store's shelves where they can easily walk by and grab a pack men won't get them.  One stigma that was also attached at this time was that condoms were used on prostitutes not your wife.  But honestly this was a rough time.  Women were essentially popping out babies at an alarming rate and when women have this many children it takes a toll on their mental and physical health why else would they write to Margaret Sanger, a leader in the fight for birth control. 
Sanger was very influential during the crusade for birth control she personally say what too many children will do to the health of the mother as she saw her own mother go through multiple births only to die of TB or some other disease of the time.  As a trained nurse Sanger went to the slums of the city and saw first-hand the helpless mothers of so many children.  A need was going on in America and it was a need to have greater understanding and through historical narrative we now understand that Margaret Sanger sought to give help to the thousands of under-educated women by opening clinics, handing out pamphlets, distributing information that was vitally needed.
Many lower-class immigrant women were scared to rebel but they knew that they could not afford most if not all of their children.  They were stuck in a rock and a hard place because they could not leave their husband because he provided financially for his wife and family.  Also she did not have much time for leisure so maybe she did not have the time for friendships or the comfort of women to talk to and listen to.  But at least women were asking these all important questions at least they demanded information.  They could no longer afford to let poverty and ignorance keep them in the dark coroners of the tenements.

The Immigrant