Bikes and Bloomers: Womens Ride to Freedom

Erin Burbach Junior Division Individual Website

I chose my topic because womens rights are something Im very passionate about. At the same time, I enjoy having less common topics to make things a little more challenging and unique. With this in mind, I decided to look at how the bicycle impacted the suffrage movement. With my topic chosen, I first went to the public library to check out books such as Wheels of Change by Sue Macy, which turned out to be a great starting point for my research. It led me to many primary and secondary sources on the web. I also conducted multiple searches of the New York Times archives for articles from the period. I found articles featuring controversies over womens bicycling, and a number of announcements of womens races. I decided to do a website because I felt that it would be the most effective way to present my information, as well as being the greatest learning experience for me personally. I felt that it would help me to grow in my technology skills (in which I am severely lacking). I created my project using a template already existing in Weebly and customizing it using css and built-in tools. I also wanted to make it as interactive as possible because I believe that everybody learns better from doing things, not just seeing them. To achieve this, I visited multiple online generators, such as Thinglink and Cincopa. I then embedded the HTML codes they provided in my Weebly website using the custom HTML element. Another multimedia feature I used was video. I made multiple videos using iMovie to present literature and stories on my website. My site itself was organized into history, changes, modern effects, and resources, with information pertaining to each presented in text, picture, and chart formats. I created the charts in Microsoft Word Powerpoint using the Smart Art graphics, and saved the slides as pictures, which I then

embedded in my site. The bicycles invention and widespread use were a major turning point in the womens rights movement, which itself was a major turning point in history. The suffragist movement had slowed as the Civil War became the priority and members began having disputes about what issues to support. Support for the movement itself fell drastically. The bicycle converged with other forces to re-energize the movement. Women were empowered through the freedom they gained. This caused them to demand their rights and a greater role in the world around them. A woman like this, or the New Woman as she was called, was able to use the bicycle to gain freedom in her social life, better health, and a new style of dress. The bicycle has done much for the woman and continues to be a turning point today. Women in Africa, Asia, and Indonesia are gaining education and independence through their use of bicycles provided by World Bicycle Relief.

Bibliography Primary Sources A New Bicycle Skirt. New York Times. 15 Oct. 1893. Web. Jan. 2 2012. This is an article about a woman entrepreneur. It gave me insight into other ways the bicycle helped women and is linked to in my website. No byline or any kind of credit to the author was provided. Daisy Bell Sheet Music. 1891. Sheet Music. Batho, Dottie. n.d. Web. 4 April 2013 This is an illustration of the only surviving music about bicycles from the era that I paired with a modern recording. Brown, Henry W. Schoolteacher and Students. 1893. Library of Congress. n.d. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. I paired this picture with a quote about schoolteachers riding their bikes to and from their job.

Burbach, Erin. Personal Interview. 29 Jan. 2013. This was an interview with the communications director, Jorge Selva, at World Bicycle Relief. It gave me more information on the organization and its many operatives, and also enabled me to better understand how the bicycle changes the lives of the people this organization helps. Colville-Anderesen, Mikael. Danish Bicycling Postcard. Copenhagenize.com. n.d. Web. 25 Jan. 2013. This postcard showed the new cartoons and advertising techniques that developed from women taking to the wheel. Declaration and Protest of the Women of the United States. 4 July 1876. Philadelphia. Library of Congress. Web. 4 April 2013. I used this document in my suffrage timeline on the history page. Desse Vintage Bicycle Poster. 1897. Paris, France. Zazzle. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. This poster showed the figurative growing of wings by women because of the bicycle.

Dress with Petticoats. Steel Fashion Plate. 1854. Godeys Ladys Book. n.d. Web. 23 March 2013. This is used as an illustration in my fashion slideshow of early 19th century dresses with petticoats underneath. Emancipation Proclamation. 1862. Washington D.C. Library of Congress. Web. 4 April 2013. This image is used in the suffrage timeline on my history page. Free! 1863. Library of Congress. Web. 4 April 2013. This drawing from the era is used to illustrate the 14th Amendment in my suffrage timeline. Giclee. U.S. Senate in Late 1800s. Painting. Allposters.com. n.d. Web. 7 April 2013. I used this to illustrate the first Senate vote on womens suffrage in my timeline. Holy Trinity Church. Engraving. 1849. Leverstock Green Chronicle. n.d. Web. 30 Feb. 2013. This engraving is used to illustrate a quote about church attendance on the changes page. Miss Londonberry. Drawing. October 1894. Cycling Life. n.d. Web. 7 April 2013. This illustration accompanies a quote of Annie Londonberry on the changes page. Object to Women Cyclists. New York Times. 15 June 1895. Web. 15 Dec. 2012. This article illustrates the kind of opposition women sometimes faced when attempting to ride their bikes. It is quoted in my site. No byline or any kind of credit to the author was provided. Pereira, Nadia. Bicycles for Hire. n.d. n.p. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. This is an example of a form of employment women obtained through the bicycle it is used as a header on my home page. pmacintyre. Draissine Bicycle. Photograph. Bicycle Museum of America. Bicycle Museum of America, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. This photograph allowed me to illustrate what the Draissine bicycle looked like.

pmacintyre. Shire Boneshaker. Photograph. Bicycle Museum of America. Bicycle Museum of America, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. I used this photo as a graphic illustrating what the Boneshaker bicycle looked like. pmacintyre. Columbia Expert. Photograph. Bicycle Museum of America. Bicycle Museum of America, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. I used this illustration to show the Columbia Expert. pmacintyre. American Safety. Photograph. Bicycle Museum of America. Bicycle Museum of America, n.d. Web. 21 Jan. 2013. This illustration showed the American Safety in my site. Smith College Basketball Team. Photograph. 1902. Public Domain. n.d. Web. 6 March 2013. I used this as an example of bloomers and womens increased wellness on my fashion page. Sparks, Jared et al. The North American Review. University of Northern Iowa, 1895. Print. This is a collection of medical articles originally published in 1895 that have since been electronically scanned onto Google Books. It allowed me to understand medical beliefs of the time. I linked to multiple individual pages in my website. Suffragettes Cycle to Meeting. 1913. London, England. Corbis Images. Web. 23 Jan. 2013. I used this photograph to show another connection between the bicycle and the womens rights movement. Suffragists March. 1917. New York City. New York Times. n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2013. I used this photographic example of a suffragist march as the header on my history page. Torfinn, Sven. Women carrying water from a hand pump. Photograph. UNU Activities In and on Africa. United Nations, n.d. Web. 5 Jan. 2013. This photo is classified as a primary source because it was taken by an eye-

witness even though it wasnt at the main point of time of my event.

waithash. Photograph. Waithash. Disqus, 6 April 2011. Web. 5 Jan. 2013 This photo is classified as a primary source because an eyewitness took it even though it wasnt at the main point of time of my event. Waud, A.R. The First Vote. Wood Engraving. 1867. Library of Congress. Web. 4 April 2013. This engraving illustrates the effect of the 15th Amendment and is used in my suffrage timeline.

Secondary Sources Brooks and Gonzalez. The Women Suffrage Timeline. The Liz Library. The Women's History Project of Lexington Area National Organization for Women, 1995. Web. 27 Dec. 2012. This site provided an easily accessible and comprehensive look at the womens rights movement that was helpful in explaining how it interacted with the bicycle. Fashion Timeline: 1800-1810. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 30 Aug. 2011. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. This was a valuable source in compiling a fashion timeline for my site. The articles I used were published over a period of five months. Fashion Timeline: 1810-1820. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 28 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. This was a valuable source in obtaining fashion information from the years 18101820. Fashion Timeline: 1820-1830. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 13 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. I found this very helpful in collecting information about the binding clothing of the early 1800s.

Fashion Timeline: 1830-1840. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 3 Sept. 2012. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. This source helped me to show the changes in fashion during the years 1830-1840. Fashion Timeline: 1840-1850. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 19 July 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. This article allowed me to demonstrate how the womens increasing feelings of freedom affected their style of dress. Fashion Timeline: 1850-1860. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 10 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. I used this source to develop a sense of what women wore in the mid 1800s. Fashion Timeline: 1860-1870. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 9 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. This source enabled me to develop a slideshow of time appropriate images that illustrated common clothing of the 1800s. Fashion Timeline: 1870-1880. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 27 June 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2010. I used this source to find out what impact the bicycle had on clothing, and how it changed during the years 1870-1880. Fashion Timeline: 1880-1890. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 7 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. By using this source, I was able to demonstrate what women wore in the late 1800s. Fashion Timeline: 1890-1900. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 6 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. I used this source to gain information on what clothing was like at the height of the bicycle craze.

Fashion Timeline: 1900-1910. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 3 June 2012. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. This source showed me the clothing of the era after the bicycle had a chance to influence it. Fashion Timeline: 1910-1920. Vintage Fashion Guild. Vintage Fashion Guild, 4 Sept. 2010. Web. 31 Dec. 2012. This showed me the freedom of dress women gained in the years of 1910-1920.

Macy, Sue. Wheels of Change; How Women Rode the Bicycle to Freedom (With a Few Flat Tires Along the Way). Washington D.C. : National Geographic Society, 2011. Print. This book was an excellent source that both led me to other gave a great overview of the topic. sources, and

Soren OMalley. The Importance of the Bicycle to the Early Womens Liberation Movement. CrankedMag. Wordpress, n.d. Web. 20 Dec. 2012. This article provided me with multiple quotes and poems of the time.