Macy draws the conclusion that female cyclists were quickly becoming associated with efforts to win more rights for women. This is evident in the excerpt as it highlights the connection between the emergence of women cycling and the broader movement for women's rights during that time, especially in the context of states granting women the right to vote.
Read the excerpt from Chapter 5 of Wheels of Change.
These traits led commentators to worry that the differences between the sexes were being blurred, a fear that was reinforced as the four newest states—Wyoming, Colorado, Utah, and Idaho—granted women the right to vote in the 1890s. Would the bicycle help bring about a new kind of equality between men and women? Elizabeth Cady Stanton and her colleagues certainly hoped so. At any rate, the image of a female cyclist quickly became associated with efforts to win more rights for women.
What conclusion does Macy draw in this synthesis of ideas?
Female cyclists were quickly becoming associated with efforts to win more rights for women.
Stanton and her colleagues hoped women cyclists would join their fight for women’s rights.
1 answer