the opposition offered by one thing, force, etc., to another.


MMcC says : a question that was asked last week was what does this mean IN THE CONTEXT of the brief ? So whilst we might recognise somewhat what it means in general i.e. all contexts (if that were possible), what does it mean in THIS context ? 

Because of this new way black people were being seen, people created racial stereotypes, you could also call them gender stereotypes. The way African-American people were seen changed from the point of view as them being seen as men, and as colored people. 
Before that, they were seen by white people as children, they were not considered to be capable of learning, being civilized or following orders.

Even this photograph below shows an image and an idea which people were not used to, it was not accepted by white people and it could create a lot of conflict.


Iulian Robert Balanuta  28/03/2017

 ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The Dublin Lockout was an industrial dispute between the workforce and employers that spanned from the 26^th of August to 18^th of January 1914. The dispute erupted from the workers’ desire to unionise. Unionising would mean workers could demand better conditions and better rights, something that didn’t sit well with employers. James Larkin took the side of the workers and set up the Irish Transport and General Workers’ Union; the first union to cater for both skilled and unskilled workers.

As a result, employers locked out their workers and employed others from around Ireland and Britain. The lock-out eventually concluded in early 1914, when the TUC in Britain rejected Larkin and Connolly's request for a sympathetic strike. Most workers, many of whom were on the brink of starvation, went back to work and signed pledges not to join a union. The ITGWU was badly damaged by its defeat in the Lockout, and was further hit by the departure of Larkin to the United States in 1914 and the execution of Connolly, one of the leaders of the Easter Rising in 1916.

  ____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire occurred on 25^th of March 1911 in New York City. It resulted in the death of 146 people and highlights the improper working conditions faced by many workers at that time. There had been a protest a year prior to the fire where the workers had requests more sanitary working conditions and better safety precautions to no success.

It was said that the fire was caused by a cigarette being dropped into a pile of fabric scarps. Due to the flammable nature of fabrics the fire quickly took over the factory. Many women attempted to jump out the windows from 8-9 stories high avoid being burnt alive.There was only one fully operational elevator that could only be reached through a narrow corridor. There were two stairways down to the street, but one was locked from the outside to prevent stealing and the other only opened inward. The fire escape very narrow, it would have taken hours for all the workers to reach street level, even without a fire to escape. On top of this, the owners refused to install sprinkler systems or to take other safety measures. 

The owners of the factory where eventually put on trial for manslaughter however due to lack of evidence they were not convicted.Following the fire, protests took place in New York calling for reform of on Women’s Labour Laws. 

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

 

The role of women in the American Civil War (1861-1865) is perhaps one you may not expect. While the men were away, the women took their places in all aspects of society and rose to new positions that previously were unheard of. During this time, women were not perceived as equals by any stretch of the imagination. Women were nurses, surgeons, relief workers, cooks, laundresses, organizers, witnesses and mourners, but more than this, they were spies and soldiers too. Despite women not being allowed serve in combat, this rule was not always adhered to. Health checks consisted of checking whether someone could hold a gun or not so women became combatants more easily than one might think. The estimated amount of women on the front line was between 400 and 750.There were many different reasons as to why women went to war. For some, it was to share in the burdens of their loved ones. Others joined for adventure, to keep their families fed or due to patriotism. 

Women were also assumed to just be medical or cooking staff so they managed to travel quite easily. Women often flew under the radar and they used this to their advantage. Mary Ann Pitman served as a very effective spy. Women were able to get information off the enemy as men did not expect women to be politicized. They smuggled messages back in their dresses, corsets and parasols.

However, not all women disguised themselves as men. ‘Daughters of the Regiment’ served in regiments where usually one of their relatives were. They acted as nurses on hospital ships and cooked meals. Other women were slightly more involved. Susie King Taylor, a laundress for her husband’s regiment, ended up doing little washing. Instead, she spent her time helping the sick, cleaning guns and teaching soldiers how to read. Many other notable women fought in the war. Clara Barton, known as the ‘Angel of the Battlefield’, refused to wait for soldiers to be brought to the back of the battlefield to treat them and so she began treating them where they fell. Frances Clayton, disguised as ‘Jack Williams’, fought for the Union Army in eighteen battles. 

Women began to change their lives during the war. Education standards improved hugely, they were given more legal rights and were given access to more manufactured goods by the mid-1800s. A movement of reforms also began as women took on temperance, the abolition of slavery and prison improvements. It was not only a war between North and South, but between women and their former role in society.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Comparing 

Both incidents resulted in protests against the improper working conditions faced by the working class in both Dublin and New York. However, the events differ in how most of the deaths in Dublin came from military involvement to counteract the protests, were as in New York it was because of the deaths that the protests took place. Most of the changes in Dublin came well after the protests had ended, unlike in New York where an investigation paired with the protests resulted in the reforming of both men and women’s labour laws. 

 

In a similar sense, the war was a protest for women. Women were given the chance to break out of their designated areas in society and could seek action, adventure and change. They protested by joining the war efforts in all ways by being medical carers, soldiers, spies and cooks. They even educated soldiers. Women were given advanced responsibilities and enjoyed the freedom, and so a movement began.

 _____________________________________________________________________________________________________________

A lot of awareness was raised about the factory and its owners through newspaper articles and through photography. It is felt that the photographs of the tragedy influenced and anger many people to the point of wanting changed. You can see the powerful image of a man standing near the bodies of some women who jumped out window from 8th floor of the factory in attempts to save themselves.

However, there wasn’t much coverage of the Dublin Lockout as William Martin Murphy, one of the main men in question over the Lockout, owned the Irish Independent, one of the biggest newspapers in Ireland at that time.

Despite the censorship by Murphy, the coverage and photographs distributed of both the Shirtwaist Fire and The Lockout helped to document two very important and influential resistances. 

Similarly, the photography of the women dressed as men during the Civil War shows the beginning of a powerful resistance by women. The fact the before the war they hid that they were women but were then openly being photographed in their uniforms shows a significant change in only a few years. The portrait of Frances Clayton demonstrates this.