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I though it important to clarify the main definitions of change that has taken place, embracing women, leading further to equality. This was prompt by the image of Donna Gottschalk, her viewpoint and voice from a female perspective, being a feminist. Feminist and its history refer to the re-reading of history from a female perspective. It is not the same as the history of feminism, which outlines the origins and evolution of the feminist movement. It also differs from women's history, which focuses on the role of women in historical events. The goal of a feminist and the history is to explore and illuminate the female viewpoint of history through rediscovery of female writers, artists, philosophers, etc., in order to recover and demonstrate the significance of women's voices and choices in the past. Two particular problems which feminist history attempts to address are the exclusion of women from the historical and philosophical tradition, and the negative characterization of women or the feminine therein; however, feminist history is not solely concerned with issues of gender per se, but rather with the reinterpretation of history in a more holistic and balanced manner. "If we take feminism to be that cast of mind that insists that the differences and inequalities between the sexes are the result of historical processes and are not blindly "natural," we can understand why feminist history has always had a dual mission-on the one hand to recover the lives, experiences, and mentalities of women from the condescension and obscurity in which they have been so unnaturally placed, and on the other to reexamine and rewrite the entire historical narrative to reveal the construction and workings of gender." -Susan Pedersen This site is then useful in exploring the image because Donna Gottschalk, has through writing, art and voice of the past address not only the exclusion of women in traditional history, but the negative characteristics placed on the LGBT communi

This article gives a good brief history of the Jim Crow laws passed around the united states after the civil war. I found it very interesting that right after the civil war, african americans had a great deal of freedoms in the south and only after the withdrawal of north's troops and a supreme court decision that blacks and whites could be "separate but equal" that the situation got inherently worse over the next twenty years. Not only segregation but voter limits as well as social mobility laws were passed which significantly affected civil rights based on white supremacy ideology.

History.com displays a very informative set of videos, images and articles discussing the meaning behind "Rosie the Riveter", the iconic image associated with gender equality. World War II marked the beginning of changes in gender ideologies as women found themselves carrying out duties that were typically filled by men. Women were also called to the war and the empowerment of a revolution began. 

This article in the African American History section of About.com gives a brief biographical summary of Parks' life and civil rights accomplishments. Interestingly, it mentions that Parks' was aware of the divide between black and white people as a child, "I'd see the bus pass every day. But to me, that was a way of life; we had no choice but to accept what was the custom. The bus was among the first ways I realized there was a black world and white world." It is apparent that Parks' would no longer accept what was custom the day she refused to give up her seat on that Montgomery bus. The African American History section on About.com has an extensive collection of historical information, timelines, video clips, facts of African American activists, writers, artists, politicians, and quite a bit of information on Parks and the Civil Rights movement.

Another very informative website that goes into much more detail and provides analytic insight into the ideas of race from 800bc through today. The most interesting find in this work is that during roman times, racism did not exist. According to the site "slaves were both black and white". It wasn't until the end of the 16th century that the slave trade began using only African-Americans as slaves. Because religion frowned upon the type of abuse and humiliation that the slaves were enduring, governments had to state to society that they were an "inferior race", thus racism began. Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat because she knew that races should not be divided, that the segregation that began as a way to separate people based on their skin pigment was unjust. The photo is directly related to the history of racism.

History is what this country is made of, and that picture of Rosa Parks will forever be known. The history channel website offers photo galleries, videos, and a focused chronological biography of Rosa's life. The utilization of the History Channel's website is beneficial when exploring the original image because it is a reputable source where you can also find other references to look upon. What I found particularly useful was their "Did You Know?" section which, in fact, did tell me something I did not know about Rosa Parks and her story.

This website provides more context and background to the infamous moment on the Montgomery bus captured in the initial image shown. The lore states that Parks refused to give up the seat because her feet were tired after a long day of working but in reality, she was aware of plans of local activists to challenge the bus laws. Her arrest propelled the civil rights movement forward and resulted in a year long bus boycott. This website presents Rosa Parks angle differently than most others tend to. It's interesting to see her described as a part of the movement as opposed to someone who just happened to be somewhere.

The gilderlehrman.org site focuses on American History and is "devoted to the improvement of history education". The site provides tools for both teachers and students to enhance the study of American History. This page contains an article by Susan Ware that talks about women and the Great Depression and the important role played by women in helping their families survive through this time and how little they had to work with in order to do so.

Another angle to this photo is women's roles during the Great Depression. This website examines exactly that. Men and women saw the Great Depression. For women, there became more pressure to take care of their families as food and money were very hard to come by.

This site gives more insight on women's contributions during the Depression. It focuses on the women's roles during that particular time. The women of the depression showed a lot of courage and they were determined to survive during these tough times. Husbands brought home reduced wages and the women did what ever it took at home to take care of the family. An example of this would be when women would buy old bread , eat less and warmed dishes to save on gas.

Here is the portrait of the Lucille Burroughs, daughter of Allie Mae Burroughs, taken by Walker Evans.  This gives a little more information into the lives and struggles and eventual history of the Burroughs family who were depression era share croppers in Hale county Alabama.  

The Encyclopedia of Alabama offers "a reference resource to the history, culture, geography and natural environment" of Alabama. This particular page discusses the history of sharecropping as it evolved from being a way of earning a living for freed slaves to being taken over by "poor whites". It also talks about how sharecroppiing was affected by the Great Depression. This is pertinent to our analysis of the photograph of Allie Mae Burroughs, a sharecroppers wife from the 1930's.

This particular link is to an article on the history of women's education and rights to equal rights in terms of receiving the same education as do their male counterparts.  The website, as a whole, provides great insight into the history of women's rights in many aspects. It also traces the triumphs and successes of women throughout history. 

This webpage, an essay previously published in Ms. Magazine, a feminist magazine explores why some young women fear feminism. It explores why this fear might be present. Interestingly, it explores gender consciousness and how this changes once placed within the feminist lens. Feminism takes the consciousness of womanhood and asks questions and analyzes how this consciousness of womanhood can help and harm woman publicly and privately.

This webpage is part of an online exhibition on the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History website, titled "Separate Is Not Equal Brown v. Board of Education". Listed are a handful of Jim Crow laws that prohibited various interactions between white people and individuals of other races and ethnicities. These laws prohibited intermarriage, mandated separate facilities for travel and education, and even imposed jail time for women who carried the child of a black or mixed race man. In communities around the country property owners would sign a restrictive covenant that stated they promised not to sell their homes to individuals who were not white. The bus that Parks was arrested on belonged to a company that adhered to segregation laws. Living in a city as diverse as New York makes it so challenging for me to imagine that there was a time when people couldn't ride a bus together if they belonged to different racial groups. On any given day I find myself sitting or standing next to a variety of people from all kinds of ethnic and cultural background. Thank goodness for the Civil Rights movement and the activists that stood up for equality.

This website discusses the issues of race and its history in not only America, but surrounding countries. Racism is historically described as beginning in the European Era of Exploration. This website includes a very informative video that discusses the colonization and takeover of those who were unlike "their own". The video also breaks down the roots of the term race and how it came to be, both scientifically and socially. The website also discusses the global issues of racism today and how racism continues under more acceptable terminology, relating to immigration laws that exist today. The image that portrays Rosa Parks sitting in front of a Caucasian man elicits thoughts of racism and segregation, how it came to be and what roles history plays in today's world. The Global Issues website addresses these issues in history, including the days of the civil rights movement.

This webpage describes the conditions in America in the 1930s. It outlines the struggles of the working class as the depression hit. It illustrates the demarcation between classes, especially the working class and the business owners who fought to prevent unionized workers. The reader learns about the violence incited as a result the business owner's fight to limit unions. The webpage also goes on to discuss the plight of black workers in America. The site illustrates an intersection between race and class through examples such as the Scottsboro Boys' case.

This page from the Oberlin Collge LGBT Community History site describes the link between the Women's Movement of the early 1970s and lesbianism. The page offers insight into why many women were undergoing huge changes in the way they thought about traditional gender roles and sexuality in the late 60s and early 70s.

Along with gay rights is also HIV/AIDS education. Many organization have practiced HIV/AIDS empowerment, education and research. This is especially important leading into the twenty-first century.

This msn news article discusses the current climate of homosexuality in the United States. It highlights the many progressive steps that have been take throughout this year toward equality in marriage and in the workplace for the gay community. The article focuses on the impact of the gay rights movement in the political arena. Including the public announcement of several gay politicians, the article suggests that Republicans are slowly trying to gain popularity with LGBT rights supporters, even though considered to be a conservative party. This article connects to the photograph of Donna Gottschalk and the gay liberation movement by making readers aware of the changes that have occurred, fueled by those who participated in the parade over 40 years ago.

Truth in Progress is a website dedicated to the exploration of the civil rights histories, including both black and LGBT perspectives. The site invites participation as its members travel the country to document experiences regarding sexual orientation, racial issues, and religion and how these topics intersect with one another. The video "Stonewall and Christopher Street" is a short video discussing how the gay liberation parade where Donna Gottschalk was photographed, and the the Stonewall riots have become "memorialized" worldwide. Although many other significant moments occurred in the history of the gay rights movement, these two in particular have become "symbolic" for the LGBT community and others interested in its history. The speaker points out how Stonewall is often viewed as the beginning of the movement though other important steps came earlier.

I think that this is an interesting picture for many reasons. Firstly, it not only shows how far civil rights have come, it shows how far the United States of America still has to go. This picture means a lot to me because I think too often in America, people have the terrible case of forgetting. This picture is a reminder of our history. Also, I think this is an important article/picture because President Obama referred to the American dream in his response to his visit. The American dream continues to change--especially since civil rights issues continue to take place more than 50 years later. And, it also shows that we need to continue to preserve our history.