With the ever increasing wave of feminism arising this century, it is important to travel back in time and explore the life of one of the most distinguished American feminists: Annie Oakley. With her sharp shooting skills and her ideology that women are as independent as men, she believed women should be taught how to shoot and to be able to carry a gun with them for emergency protection. Oakley opened the door to future feminist movements in addition to her own. Through her social status and her ability to take on any male opponent, she proved that being a woman does not limit a person’s ability to hold any position in society or perform any activity.
Given name Phoebe Ann Moses, Annie Oakley was born in 1860 and suffered through a dramatic upbringing in which she experienced the loss of her biological father as well as her step-father, along with being sent away to a farm; she lived with a different family where she was forced to perform arduous labor both inside and outside of the household. 1 After years of being treated as a slave and being repeatedly abused on the farm, she returned home where she was then forced to pay her mother’s $200 monthly mortgage at the age of fifteen. She took to shooting game, which she had learned from her father at a young age, to sell to nearby hotels and marketplaces in order to meet the mortgage payment. After boasting for years about her shooting skills, she found herself invited to a challenge against one of the best shooters at the time, Frank E. Butler. When she shot against him, he was amazed at her skills and became fond of her after she won the challenge, and the two married shortly thereafter. The two traveled throughout the country and were invited to star in Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show. After performing with her husband and allowing him the main spotlight throughout their relationship, Annie eventually reached a turning point in which she had become the star of Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Show, known as the “Champion Markswoman,” and Butler, feeling inferior beside her, retired and became her manager. 2
After sixteen years of extensive travelling to many countries, and given the incredible opportunity to meet many famous individuals along with kings and queens, Annie and her husband decided to quit the show and retire to a relaxing life in Cambridge, Maryland. Although she retired at an early age, she wrote to the current president at the time, William McKinley, asking to be sent to the front line in the Spanish-American War, to which she received no response. Then, when World War I erupted, Annie offered to hold shooting lessons in order to help teach young men how to shoot properly without injuring themselves or their fellow soldiers; however, her offer was declined. Years later, she decided to make her comeback and begin to perform in shows, but after a car accident, and then a train accident in which she was injured along with her husband, she was too frail to do much, and the Butlers relocated to Annie’s hometown where she worked on her memoirs, which would be published and distributed throughout the country.
Although there is still much debate today on whether Annie Oakley was truly an advocate for women’s equality in the United States or if she continued the “ladylike” expectations that were apparent in the country, it is clear that she was able to obtain a sense of belonging in what was a man’s world. She spent a large majority of her time helping to teach women how to shoot a gun safely, and it is estimated that she helped approximately fifteen thousand women to do so. Oakley is viewed as a complex woman today because she was seen as petite and fragile; however, she earned her place in society by her talent and ability to prove that she was just as capable, if not more, than any man at her time. In addition, her fame made her a public figure, which gave her power to stand up for other women at the time and produce a new image of women that had not been widely seen previously—that of independence. Contradictory to many beliefs, she did not politically take sides with other feminists of her time, but instead showed those around her that she possessed skills that were previously never demonstrated by a woman. 3 Oakley was very aware of her role in society, both in the United States and internationally, and made a point to be as feminine as she could be in order to show that even the most ladylike females are capable of doing tasks and performing “manly” activities. Along with being a sharp shooter, Annie took up riding a bicycle, which was also considered a “man’s sport” at the time, and made a point of showing that it should be acceptable for a woman to participate in sports and that these sports should not be confined to a specific gender. Oakley succeeded in making a name for women all across the world and proved to many countries that she traveled to that one’s gender makes no difference. She demonstrated that both genders are capable of participating in sports that had been male dominated in the centuries preceding her. 4
- Ron Soodalter, “Annie Oakley vs. Hearst’s Worst,” Wild West 27, no. 5 (February 2015): 30. ↵
- Mary E. Virginia, “Annie Oakley,” Salem Press Biographical Encyclopedia, 2016, http://blume.stmarytx.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=ers&AN=88806878&site=eds-live&scope=site. ↵
- Lisa Bernd, “Annie Oakley and the disruption of Victorian expectations,” Theatre Symposium 20 (2012): 42. ↵
- Sarah Russell Cansler, “Annie Oakley, Gender, and Guns: The ‘Champion Rifle Shot’ and Gender Performance, 1860-1926,” Pursuit: The Journal of Undergraduate Research at the University of Tennessee 5, no. 1 (March 2014): 164. ↵
124 comments
Griffin Palmer
This article did great in showing how Annie Oakley would become a big figure in allowing women to involved in the military. Annie Oakley would prove this through her shooting. She would learn how to shoot from her father and would live a life similar to a man rather than a woman. This proves that are as capable as men of participating in the military.
Guiliana Devora
Annie Oakley has a very inspiring story of how she overcame her childhood and upbringing to live a very full life. She did not let a man’s sport at the time stop her from doing what she loved to do. Many women at the time were silenced and were not able to do much, but for her to be able to not only do what men could do, but to men at their own sport is incredible.
Iris Reyna
The article was written very well and the author hooked you in with a strong intro—good job on the article. I was intrigued by this article I’ve never heard of such empowering women during her time that strived to make women be seen as equals to men. It is so amazing to see what she accomplished through the skills she obtained from her father and what she taught herself. And I love the mention of her romance with her husband and how she became known as the “Champion Markswomen”.
Isabel Soto
To me, this is fantastic writing. I had heard the name Annie Oakley before but had yet to learn her story. this article struck me because as in the article it stated that she lost both her father figure at such a young age. That is very traumatic for such a young person. For her story being as harsh as it is she got to fight for what she believed in.
Danielle Rangel
This article was an amazing description of how Annie Oakley, a talented woman of her time, indirectly contributed to feminism and women empowerment. I think it is interesting how Oakley tried to contribute to the society around her even though it was driven by a man’s narrative. Although this shouldn’t be surprising, it baffles me how Oakley continued to contribute to the war efforts even though she was turned down. Even though she was a talented individual she was turned down due to her gender. Overall I think this was a great article about a powerful female during that time.
Walter Goodwin
The story of Annie Oakley is an impressive one, given that she was able to find success in a time where women were less likely to find it and able to feel like she belonged. It seems that Annie Oakley helped women be seen as people who could be successful and independent regardless of their gender. Proving that women were just as capable as men in male dominated sports.
Clarissa Liscano
Loved how she was able to fight for women’s rights and show society that men and women could easily accomplish the same task. Amazing article, I was intrigued to read it. She was able to break the stereotypes of “how a lady was meant to be and act,” did whatever she pleased, and if she wanted to be a gun-slinging shooter, she did exactly that. In doing so, Annie Oakley inspired other women and made them realize that they can do the same. Well done article!
Rigel
Annie Oakley may not be the textbook definition of a feminist, since she never really advocated for woman’s rights, but she definitely made her mark in history by showing that woman are very much capable in taking part in “manly” tasks. Also, love the image of her holding the rifle in feminine clothes; they highlight that she was a strong woman.
Nnamdi Onwuzurike
I love how this article gives the reader enough information to know who Annie Oakley was in such a short piece. Everyone loves a good underdog story and to me that is exactly what this is. From struggling with the loss of her fathers, to working hard for little pay, to slaving away to pay her mother’s mortgage. It seems as of Annie had been through it all. Nonetheless, her skill was able to shine through all the covers thrown over her as a woman, and made a name for her.
Laurel Cox
I think that, though what I learned in this article, Annie Oakley is more of a feminist than what people make her out to be. Because wouldn’t a woman perusing “manly activities” but still staying “feminine” be the strongest example of feminism for her time period. The whole point of the movement is really to show that women are equal to men no matter appearance or gender, and for her to have a “feminine” appearance only proves that women can do as men no matter how they look, and dressing and acting like a typical lady of the time period doesn’t mean that women are weaker and less than men. Anyway, other than that the article was very well written and provided great insight into her life and what led up to her expert marksmanship.