One strategy that was used during the First Wave was the idea of unity. First Wave feminists wanted to be a united group of women who all had one cause that they were fighting for (in this case, feminism). This strategy was effective for them during this time because it helped inform the public, especially other women, about the issues of feminism and how they wanted to fix and change them. It also allowed them to get their voices heard about the topics and showing the inequality that women had in society. The several united groups that were formed hosted many conventions to plan out their strategies and tactics used to voice their ideas and issues concerning feminism.
In today’s society, I believe that the strategy of having one group to take a stand against feminism and have their voice heard would not be as effective as it was back during the age of the First Wave. This is because, in our society today, we have many different opinions and ideas that are voiced which I personally believe would cause conflict within this strategy of one group. That is also a cause of the reason why many protests back then were peaceful and resulted in parades. Today, they are more. Organization is also hard have when there are many people with different beliefs forming all different types of associations and groups. Overall, this would make it hard for feminists to use one of the First Wave’s strategies.
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This is a good post, but I think it overstates unity a bit too much. The first wave groups were really not united on all fronts - there were considerable problems relating to racism and classism within the movement, as well as disagreements over strategies (militant/non-militant and state/federal tactics, as just two examples). One thing they DID have, however, was a unified purpose - to get women the right to vote. While there were some (like Elizabeth Cady Stanton) who saw women's oppression as something broader and more complex than just the right to vote, for the most part the movement did a remarkable job of staying on task for 70+ years.
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