How the Military Has Affected Societal Changes: Part II

Societal changes were even slower; it started with public schools. Military Guards were posted inside the classrooms to help keep the peace until such a time it was evident that violence would not break out. Then came Rosa Parks and the NAACP boycott against the bus system. People were fighting tooth and nail for every inch in society until the Civil Rights Act of 1960. Twelve long years since the military abolished segregation, the American way of life changed as well. Nearly two centuries in the making; but now, a man’s skin color could no longer hold him back or be an excuse as to why he was more inferior to other men.

All this talk was about men, but how about the women?

It has been documented that throughout the United States, many women pulled a “Mulan”. They took on a fake male name, dressed as a man, joined the Army, and in general did everything they could to be a part of the military for as long as possible. Even as early as the Revolutionary War, Deborah Samson Gannet enlisted under her deceased brother’s name, Robert Shurtleff. Her gender was discovered nearly a year and a half later, and that was only because she had been wounded in combat. Not to be out done, Sarah Rosetta Wakeman enlisted under the alias Lyons Wakeman. She was killed during the Civil War - even in death her gender was not discovered and even her tombstone reads “Lyons Wakeman”.

During World War I, women were enlisted and given jobs very similar to African-Americans. Nurses, secretaries, factory positions, transportation - any job wherein a vacancy was left because the men in the military were pulled to combat. In World War ll, a total of 350,000 women served in the military. Following WWII, the rules of war changed and many more women began to see combat. Today, there are few jobs the military has to offer that do not see both men and women in it.
The fight for women’s rights arguably began in 1848 during a convention held in Seneca Falls, New York. Much like the fight over desegregation and race, women had to fight for every inch they earned. The right for women to vote was first granted by Colorado in 1893. Slowly, and over several decades, other states slowly allowed women to vote as well,= until 1920 when the 19th Amendment was signed into law. In 1903, the fight for improved wages and working conditions for women began. To this day, in some areas of the United States this is still an ongoing fight.

As I have shown you, it has taken several centuries ever since the birth of the United States to gain equality. Many of the freedoms and rights we take for granted today forget to be recognized by our society. The inevitable acceptance comes from the idea that these things have always existed, and the fact that it took unique individuals or groups of people to stand up and face discrimination and ridicule has been forgotten. These people stood for what they believed was right. Their patience and solid persistence, while taking a couple of centuries has paid off. People like them continue to fight for things that they believe are right.

Now the Department of Defense has gone from nearly an all-white, male-only military to a mixture of many different races,backgrounds and genders. Revolution is not over, as the military now faces one of its greatest changes: homosexuality. One can only guess as to how many men throughout history who harbored feelings of affection towards other men have served in the military. The same can be said for women as well.

On the 9th of June 2015, the Department of Defense updated its Military Equal Opportunity Program to add sexual orientation to its list of protected groups. Quoting Defense Secretary Ash Carter, “Because discrimination of any kind has no place in America’s armed forces.” Several individuals have come forth and publicly admitted their sexual orientations since “Don’t Ask; Don’t Tell” was lifted. Now, it is effectively a law for all the branches of The Department of Defense. With its huge victory for the LGBT community, how long will it take for the American society to follow suit? Only time will tell.

Part I: https://www.rallypoint.com/command-post/how-the-military-has-affected-societal-changes-part-i