Margaret Sanger : A Battle Between Modernism And Traditionalism

Margaret Sanger, a birth control activist. Born on September 14, 1879 Sanger was one of eleven children born (National Women’s History Museum). Other than the children born, Sanger’s mother had seven miscarriages (National Women’s History Museum). Sanger’s family lived in poverty as Sanger’s father preferred to drink and talk politics than keep a steady job (National Women’s History Museum). When Sanger was 19 Sanger’s mother died of Tuberculosis (National Women’s History Museum). Over

Margaret Sanger was a New York based nurse and sex educator who became very influential during the Progressive Era. Sanger attributed her mother’s inability to recover from tuberculosis to several miscarriages and childbirths that she experienced. As a practicing nurse serving several poor immigrant women, she also witnessed problems, many births or illegal abortions caused.

Margaret Sanger was born September 14, 1879 in Corning, New York. She moved to Greenwich, Village in 1910 where she started promoting Women’s Rights to Birth Control. In 1911 she became heavily influenced and moved to New York City where she joined and participated in radical groups and became a socialist, labor activist, and anarchist. She published her first paper which was “The Women Rebel and provided information on birth control and issues that were going on in the world. Margaret opened her first Birth Control clinic in 1916 which was located in Brownsville, New York. But, the clinic didn’t last for only a month because she was charged with public nuisance and was sentenced thirty days in prison. But, that didn’t stopped Sanger from

Throughout the speech, Sanger’s goal is to free all forced labor women and get rid of “...prevent unwilling motherhood,” which means she wants to free the unwanted mothers in society(25). She thinks if society does that, then the world could turn into a better place.

Margaret Sanger was, at large, a birth control activist, but this speech was more about the questioning of birth control corrupting morality in women. People must remember, in the day and age

"A free race cannot be born" and no woman can call herself free who does not own and control her body. No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother"(Sanger A 35). Margaret Sanger (1870-1966)said this in one of her many controversial papers. The name of Margaret Sanger and the issue of birth control have virtually become synonymous. Birth control and the work of Sanger have done a great deal to change the role of woman in society, relationships between men and woman, and the family. The development and spread of knowledge of birth control gave women sexual freedom for the first time, gave them an individual

Sanger expresses her ideas of eugenics. In her publication, Margaret says that less people should have kids. Being the founder of Planned Parenthood, she thought that it was a good idea to distribute birth control and later provide abortions. Margaret forced sterilization because she thought it was a way to achieve “Racial Health” as her understanding. Another thing that Margaret believed in was that immigrants shouldn’t be allowed to have babies. Dating back to 1921, this shows how social and cultural division was alive and more powerful than ever even during the 1920’s. Just because a woman is a foreigner, shouldn’t close the doors to women that would want to form a family. Besides, race and culture shouldn’t separate mothers it should unite them so they can all have equal rights as soon to be

I learned that Margaret Sanger Advocates for women’s rights and helped to put birth control in place for women. This helped stop the many unplanned pregnancies and abortions in this period of time. Margaret Sanger broke the law many times for her cause. As stated in the essay on Margaret Sanger her goal was to “relieve women from the horrible strain of repeated, unwanted pregnancies. Maraget Sanger created Planned Parenthood, in which still offered these service to women. Over all I found the essay on Margaret Sanger to be very interesting in details.

In order to break free from the shackles of predestined breeding, Sanger suggests that women “assert their right to voluntary motherhood.” Through thinking on their own, women can be in command of their own bodies and in turn determine how to live their lives. While this may seem absurd to a modern mind, this was truly innovative and dangerous for Sanger to suggest. She was challenging traditions that dated back hundreds of years. “Even as birth control is the means by

"No woman can call herself free until she can choose consciously whether she will or will not be a mother." Quoted by a women’s rights activist Margaret Sanger. Sanger is responsible for the word birth control and fighting to make it legal.

Thesis Statement: Margaret Sanger changed the world by rallying for the availability and use of contraceptives for all women.

In addition to What Every Girl Should Know, Sanger created other propaganda, which informed women that they deserved the right to prevent births. The purpose of her first publication of this type, a magazine called The Woman Rebel, was to inspire women to demand rights. She wanted "to stimulate working women to think for themselves and to build up a conscience, fighting character" (Douglas, 50). In each issue of the "Rebel", she discussed topics such as child labor, women and children in industry, health and cultural opportunities. She believed that women must determine her own maternity-"This was the most precious freedom" (Douglas, 50).

     In addition to the articles she composed, Margaret Sanger decided to make sexual protection an option for all people. Previously, contraceptives and spermicides were only distributed to those who had information on the matter and access to them (Margaret 1). Sanger was past 80 when she saw the first marketing of a contraceptive pill, which she had helped develop, although legal change was slow. It took until 1965, a year before her death, for the Supreme Court to approve the use of contraception, but Sanger had accomplished a goal (Margaret 1). Now, contraceptives were available to all women, in all walks of life, regardless of their financial situations. In her mind, poor mental development was largely the result of poverty, overpopulation and the lack of attention to children. This was definitely one of the reasons why Sanger desired to make protection available to lower class citizens, along with the wealthy.

Margaret Sanger played a role in the beginning of planned parenthood. The part that she played in the development has a history that goes way back to 1916 (“Our history”). The quest was not only to open her own clinics, but also to give individuals the option to make their own decisions. This program was invented because Sanger felt as if women should be given the right to have control over their own bodies. Sanger’s journey began when her mother died from tuberculosis.

"Voluntary motherhood implies a new morality—a vigorous, constructive, liberated morality. That morality will, first of all, prevent the submergence of womanhood into motherhood. It will set its face against the conversion of women into mechanical maternity and toward the creation of a new race." (Sanger, Woman and the New Race)