Admired Wives

There have been a plethora of first ladies in the past, yet the most outstanding woman is Eleanor Roosevelt.  She was the first of many first ladies to take a bold stance on something she believed in. Eleanor was a civil rights activist and being a first lady allowed her to have a bigger voice than before.


Eleanor Roosevelt changed the way that First Ladies are viewed.  First ladies before her were mainly in the background, the public did not see nor hear much from them.  So, Eleanor was kind of a controversial First Lady because of how she was so outspoken and stood up for what she wanted and believed in.  She was able to form her own staff, hold press conferences, and she even traveled the nation to speak about civil rights.

By being the first First Lady to stand up for a certain subject, she set the bar high for future First Ladies.  For example, Betty Ford is known for being open about what was happening in the government and Hillary Clinton focused on a better healthcare system.





Connecting to today, our First Lady, Melania Trump, focuses on anti-bullying acts, zooming in on cyberbullying.  Melania gives talks around the nation and stands up for the children and teens that are being bullied. 



Overall, Eleanor Roosevelt changed the way that people viewed first ladies.  She was also able to make the general public respect women by demanding the respect.


Works Cited:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Eleanor_Roosevelt
https://www.biography.com/news/first-ladies-and-their-causes-20770127
http://nymag.com/daily/intelligencer/2008/03/link_roundup_2.html

We don't Speak about Speakeasies

The roaring twenties.  The 18th amendment was just passed, prohibiting the consumption of alcohol.  However, there were sneaky people that were able to drink in secret places called speakeasies.  In order to keep speakeasies on the down low, establishments would have a "back room" where the person that wanted to be let in would need to know a code or a certain knock.  They even went as far as making speakeasy cards so that they would have a certificate of membership and admission. Once they're let into the hidden room, bootleggers sell them alcohol and it is like a small party with the other people there. 

People in America did not appreciate the 18th amendment, so the speakeasies were their go-to solution. The general public weren't the only people that wanted the amendment to be abolished-police officials were in on the speakeasies too!

Statistics show that for every one bar that closed down, three more would open up in its place.  

There were even secret codewords for alcohol including:

• white mule
• rotgut
• monkey rum
• tarantula juice
• panther sweat
• horse liniment
• coffin varnish

The alcohol had code words because people in society were trying to do something illegal without getting caught. Speakeasies had a tremendous impact on society in the 1920s because it gave them a way to break the 18th amendment.  A speakeasy can relate to modern day secret clubs and even drug deals.  The secret clubs relate because speakeasies were obviously secret places that not many people knew about.  The drug deals relate because in some parts of the country certain drugs are prohibited, and people can get in trouble with the government if they're caught selling or participating in the use of drugs.

Overall, speakeasies were societies way of acting out against the government, fighting for a change so that they can drink without having to hide.

Works Cited

https://listverse.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/4-women-freedom-speakeasies.jpg

https://9rm52pnjcvdzcxx3-zippykid.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/12/prohibition-photos.jpg

http://theroaringtwentieshistory.blogspot.com/2010/06/prohibition-and-speakeasies.html