As I went through the Newspaper archives, I came along the topic of Annie Oakley. Even though I thought I had great interest in this subject, I was prompted with the question of how to relate this to Progressivism. Yes, Annie Oakley was a public figure in entertainment, but did she contribute to any aspects of women in the era? After I read the summary of Oakley's journey, I started looking through newspaper articles about her. I found many areas of her out-shooting the opposite gender and being blamed for stealing something from an African American man (which she actually did not do.) If she was so influential in this era, why didn't I see any of the reforms that she had made or the progress she made with women's rights?
Women were not given many opportunities during this era. Annie Oakley have hope to women that they could do what they wanted to do and not be subjected to stereotypes. She influenced women to take care of their body, and be happy with who they were. In one newspaper article Annie Oakley stated, "Women can shoot as well as men." This showed me that she had confidence and the willingness to succeed. It also showed how influential she was when she taught other women how to shoot.
On the other hand, she was only a public figure. Because she was a women and did things that men would usually do, it was attractive to a broader audience. She did not do anything to benefit the world, she only brought the sense of The Wild West show to the eyes of women. Oakley herself did not make big changes in the world to benefit for progressivism and the way society works. I came along an article about how she died: normally. This shows that she was just a normal person who knew how to shoot. She may have been a role model for other people, and made it socially acceptable to do a man's sport, but she made a very tiny dent in the progress of women's rights and the progressive era.
Annie Oakley Annie Oakley Festival Annie Oakley
Newspaper Archives
Miss Annie Oakley, May 25, 1986, Wheeling Register
A Reckless Libel, August 28, 1903, Wilkes-Barre Times
Advice From Annie Oakley, December 21, 1894, Kalamazoo Gazette
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