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Classic Feminist Writings

Classic documents These are the articles, pamphlets, manifestos, and stories produced by the women's liberation movement that helped influence the thinking of CWLU members. Some are reproduced from the originals. Others were scanned from books. Still others were retrieved from online sources.



The Rise and Demise of Women's Liberation Print E-mail
by Marlene Dixon (1977) A Marxist attempt to explain the decline of the women's liberation movement.
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What is Socialist Feminism? Print E-mail
by Barbara Ehrenreich (1976) An analysis of the difference between radical and socialist feminism.
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Is the Women's Movement in Trouble Print E-mail
by Roberta Lynch (1976) An examination of the state of women's liberation in 1976.
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Trashing: The Dark Side of Sisterhood Print E-mail
by Jo Freeman (1976) Women's liberation was not all bread and roses. This article examines the destructive phenomenon of "trashing"— personal attacks on other women in the movement.
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Consciousness-Raising Print E-mail
by the Women's Collective (early 1970's) Practical guidelines on how to set up consciousness raising groups from Connecticut feminists.
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Covert Sex Discrimination Against Women as Medical Patients Print E-mail
by Carol Downer (1972) Rampant sexism in the medical industry is exposed in a speech to the American Psychological Association.
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The BITCH Manifesto Print E-mail
by Jo Freeman (1972) An analysis of how strong independent women are viewed in our society.
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The Women's Liberation Movement Print E-mail
by Jo Freeman (1971) A history of the feminist movement in America told from the point of a view of a second wave feminist.
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The Tyranny of Structurelessness Print E-mail
by Jo Freeman (1971) An analysis of leadership in the women's liberation movement by one of its earliest members.
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Why I Want a Wife Print E-mail

by Judy Syfers (1971) A wickedly humorous introduction to the sex roles defined by conventional marriage.   A man named Adam Ayds wrote a 1995 answer to this essay which you may read HERE

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Feminism Old Wave and New Wave Print E-mail
by Ellen DuBois (1971). A historical paper comparing the experiences of women in the abolitionist movement with the experiences of women in the New Left.
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Lesbianism and Feminism Print E-mail
by Anne Koedt (1971). A theoretical paper exploring this highly complex relationship.
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The Vagina on Trial Print E-mail
by Kathleen Barry (1971). An article first published in a pamphlet issued by Women Against Rape.
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Rape Means Never Having to Say You're Sorry Print E-mail
by Kay Potter (1971). An article first published in a pamphlet issued by Women Against Rape.
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Poor White Women Print E-mail
by Roxanne Dunbar (1970?) A powerful account of growing up poor, white, rural and female.
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The Woman Identified Woman Print E-mail
by Radicalesbians (1970) This manifesto was originally published in Notes for the Third Year and challenged commonly held stereotypes about lesbians.
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The Politics of Housework Print E-mail
by Pat Mainardi (1970). A widely read article from a member of the NY Redstockings Group about the savage inequalities in domestic family labor.
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Myth of the Vaginal Orgasm Print E-mail
by Anne Koedt (1970). A classic article by the NY based feminist writer. Widely read throughout the women's liberation movement at the time.
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Females and Welfare Print E-mail
by Betsy Warrior (undated but probably around 1969). A feminist analysis of the welfare rights movement.
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The Grand Coolie Damn Print E-mail
by Marge Piercy (1969) An angry articulate expose of the sexism prevalent in the American Left of the time.
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Double Jeopardy: To Be Black and Female Print E-mail
by Frances Beal (1969) An indictment of racism and sexism by an activist in the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.
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No More Miss America! Print E-mail
(1968) The 1968 Miss America Pageant was the scene of one of the first public protests by a women's liberation group.
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Black Women in Poverty Print E-mail
by Various authors (1968) An exploration of the complexities of reproductive freedom in the context of America's racial and gender nightmare.
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Funeral Oration for the Burial of Traditional Womanhood Print E-mail
by Kathie Amatniek (1968) The Jeanette Rankin Brigade was a women's protest to end the SE Asia War. Radical feminists staged a mock funeral for "Traditional Womanhood" during protest. This was the funeral oration.
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The Jeanette Rankin Brigade: Woman Power? Print E-mail
by Shulamith Firestone (1968) The Jeanette Rankin Brigade was a women's protest to end the SE Asia War. This article is a radical feminist critique of that well intentioned, but ultimately frustrating effort.
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Voice of the Women's Liberation Movement Print E-mail
(1968-69) Issues of the first national women's liberation newsletter.
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From Women Who Broke the Silence

Because I am a woman, I must make unusual efforts to succeed.  If I fail, no one will say, "She doesn't have what it takes."  They will say, "Women don't have what it takes."

Clare Boothe Luce