Talks by Melissa Ford
Presentation for OAH, 2024
Presentation for International Publishers 100 Year Symposium
Presented at the annual conference of the American Studies Association, 2016, Denver.
In 1935, G... more Presented at the annual conference of the American Studies Association, 2016, Denver.
In 1935, Grace Hutchins, born to a prominent, wealthy Boston family, noted the position of working class women and their status as mothers. Working class women suffered unemployment, poor wages, job insecurity, as well as issues related to their roles as mothers and caregivers. Due to their subjugated and unique position, Hutchins declared, working women around the country must stand up and fight for what she called a “Mother’s Bill of Rights,” which included advocacy for free birth-control clinics, free day care, health insurance, and maternity insurance.
A member of the American Communist Party and a staunch supporter of the Soviet Union, Hutchins represented a small, but growing, contingent in the radical community that believed women’s rights and workers’ rights could not be separated. Soon, communist literature was littered with articles, pamphlets, and books about women workers’ rights, including a gender-specific newspaper, the Working Woman, which addressed issues of maternity insurance, union organizing in factories, and even the subjugated position of black women workers. Starknblack and white images of women protesting spread the pages, emphasizing their placards that demand “free food and clothing for children,” “hot lunches for school children,” and “free milk.” Though embraced as workers and laborers, their activism, as illustrated in communist publications, was never far from their domestic roles.
This paper explores the myriad of ways women in the 1930s challenged traditional institutions of power. They protested, staged factory walk-outs, boycotted businesses, and supported political legislation in order to bring to light women’s rights as workers and mothers during an era which neglected both. Through examination of visual representations of these women in communist publications like the Daily Worker, the Communist, and the Working Woman, I argue that the ways in which these women enunciated their rights was not only revolutionary for the time period, but for the Communist Party. By extending communist doctrine to the home and domestic life, these women sought, and fought for, a more just world for themselves and their family.
Thesis Chapters by Melissa Ford
Abstract and Table of Contents for Dissertation
Papers by Melissa Ford
Drafts by Melissa Ford
While national leaders argued over foreign entanglements and reactionary versus revolutionary, B... more While national leaders argued over foreign entanglements and reactionary versus revolutionary, Black St. Louisans adapted the elements of both organizations' principles into a practical, goal-oriented action in the city. While both organizations faced significant hurdles locally and nationally, black radicalism flourished in St. Louis through labor unions, community organizing, and education that outlasted either organization.
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Talks by Melissa Ford
In 1935, Grace Hutchins, born to a prominent, wealthy Boston family, noted the position of working class women and their status as mothers. Working class women suffered unemployment, poor wages, job insecurity, as well as issues related to their roles as mothers and caregivers. Due to their subjugated and unique position, Hutchins declared, working women around the country must stand up and fight for what she called a “Mother’s Bill of Rights,” which included advocacy for free birth-control clinics, free day care, health insurance, and maternity insurance.
A member of the American Communist Party and a staunch supporter of the Soviet Union, Hutchins represented a small, but growing, contingent in the radical community that believed women’s rights and workers’ rights could not be separated. Soon, communist literature was littered with articles, pamphlets, and books about women workers’ rights, including a gender-specific newspaper, the Working Woman, which addressed issues of maternity insurance, union organizing in factories, and even the subjugated position of black women workers. Starknblack and white images of women protesting spread the pages, emphasizing their placards that demand “free food and clothing for children,” “hot lunches for school children,” and “free milk.” Though embraced as workers and laborers, their activism, as illustrated in communist publications, was never far from their domestic roles.
This paper explores the myriad of ways women in the 1930s challenged traditional institutions of power. They protested, staged factory walk-outs, boycotted businesses, and supported political legislation in order to bring to light women’s rights as workers and mothers during an era which neglected both. Through examination of visual representations of these women in communist publications like the Daily Worker, the Communist, and the Working Woman, I argue that the ways in which these women enunciated their rights was not only revolutionary for the time period, but for the Communist Party. By extending communist doctrine to the home and domestic life, these women sought, and fought for, a more just world for themselves and their family.
Thesis Chapters by Melissa Ford
Papers by Melissa Ford
Drafts by Melissa Ford
In 1935, Grace Hutchins, born to a prominent, wealthy Boston family, noted the position of working class women and their status as mothers. Working class women suffered unemployment, poor wages, job insecurity, as well as issues related to their roles as mothers and caregivers. Due to their subjugated and unique position, Hutchins declared, working women around the country must stand up and fight for what she called a “Mother’s Bill of Rights,” which included advocacy for free birth-control clinics, free day care, health insurance, and maternity insurance.
A member of the American Communist Party and a staunch supporter of the Soviet Union, Hutchins represented a small, but growing, contingent in the radical community that believed women’s rights and workers’ rights could not be separated. Soon, communist literature was littered with articles, pamphlets, and books about women workers’ rights, including a gender-specific newspaper, the Working Woman, which addressed issues of maternity insurance, union organizing in factories, and even the subjugated position of black women workers. Starknblack and white images of women protesting spread the pages, emphasizing their placards that demand “free food and clothing for children,” “hot lunches for school children,” and “free milk.” Though embraced as workers and laborers, their activism, as illustrated in communist publications, was never far from their domestic roles.
This paper explores the myriad of ways women in the 1930s challenged traditional institutions of power. They protested, staged factory walk-outs, boycotted businesses, and supported political legislation in order to bring to light women’s rights as workers and mothers during an era which neglected both. Through examination of visual representations of these women in communist publications like the Daily Worker, the Communist, and the Working Woman, I argue that the ways in which these women enunciated their rights was not only revolutionary for the time period, but for the Communist Party. By extending communist doctrine to the home and domestic life, these women sought, and fought for, a more just world for themselves and their family.