Blog Post #3

As all six of the persuasive functions are essential for the whole movement to work properly, one function that I found to be fundamental for every social movement to accomplish it’s said goals from start to finish is ‘sustaining the social movement’. If a movement were to begin with a great start, have excellent leaders, and many supports but fails to withstand through the difficulties and numerous years, then the social movement did not fully accomplish the task. Sometimes things don’t go as planned and the social movement must “demand for results and effective strategies that result in the rise of new organizations, leadership changes in old organizations, and the belief that desperate situations require radical actions” (80). Maintaining the social movement’s starting principles and goals will help support the finishing tasks that may seem difficult to withstand. Also, sometimes drastic changes and new leadership will help carry the social movement through the setbacks. The public has to be reminded of the social movement through rhetoric used in the media to continue throughout the year, otherwise the public will simply forget about the movement. They try to remain visible through every possible media outlet.

Women's rights movement began in the late 19th and early 20th century to help women achieve what the constitution states but is actually ignored or suppressed in society. Throughout time the women's rights movement as a whole has gone through extensive sustainability through ancient cultures, women's suffrage, equal pay with men, reproductive rights, the list continues. This particular social movement has been extremely sustaining throughout history and even to this day the movement has new leaders and issues being addressed. Women are constantly trying to fit for their rights. In the image above, two separate protest fans show women's voters of the US from the 90s and the fan on the right shows how they wanted the country to 'vote NO on women's suffrage in 1915'. This artifact exemplifies how women's right to vote has changed throughout history with different leaders and organizations but still stands behind its original goal.