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
Hunter Stiles
Hi Rachel! I really like how you structured and supported the article. I really liked how you had an idea and you ran with it, you supported the idea of a feminist perspective very well. I like that you represent her as someone who relies on her own skills and values instead of what is comforting in the eyes of the public. The other piece I would like to highlight in this article is the image chosen. The female in the image isn’t just a female holding a weapon, it is a representation of a strong, determined, and powerful example of a woman. Overall, extremely well written article. I think that it portrays a well representation from the first highlighting of feminism.
Vanessa Rodriguez
Reading this article, I found it sad that she was brought up in such a rough environment, eventually made a name for herself, and then was not taken seriously when she was older. I found it so encouraging that she maintained her lady-like state to prove that you can be womanly, and still belong in a “man’s world.” Such a great article!
Rawan hawsawi
The statement that women are as independent as men were mind-blowing to me and got my attention. This story about you is inspiring for women out there trying to create the notion of feminism. I like how it creates awareness which builds a platform for women to stand up strongly for themselves. Your childhood story is melancholic and affected you greatly as a child when you had to ‘man up’ at such a tender age. You have a good command of language and express the story with deep emotion which makes the reader part of the story. However, you do not put clear whether you were in agreement with the other feminists or you were engineering your feminist ideals.
Carolina Wieman
Right off the back, this writer pulls you in with a strong and powerful hook. It was sharp and to the point supporting feminist ideas and painting the picture of Annie Oakley as a legend. This article paints almost a war story of a biography showing how her life has been a rollercoaster of events beginning at the young age of 15. The writer continues to show Annie’s ups and down such as the huge accomplishment of her becoming the star of the Buffalo Bills Wild West Show and her making a statement to all women that they are capable of accomplishing anything. I think this writer did an amazing job of expressing her accomplishments in an empowering way.
Alexandra Ballard
As a woman who recognizes the importance of owning a gun, I admire Annie Oakley! She truly was a pioneer in the feminist movement. I agree that she was a complex figure and maybe still is. She inspires me because she relied on her skills when she needed them without thinking about how people may view her. Not only did she engage in a masculine activity but she remained true to her feminine virtues while doing it! I think Annie Oakley is a true feminist because she relied on self-resistance instead of a man when it came time to support her family.
Geraldine Fry
Thank you for writing about Annie Oakley, she was one of the first true feminists even if she didn’t take political sides with the other feminists. She is such an inspiration to all women past and present. She was extremely cool and had skills never seen in a woman before. I loved how she broke the mold of what a lady was supposed to be like and did what she wanted which happened to be a gun-slinging shooter. In fact the absolute best shooter in the West. She used her talent for good by helping other women shoot guns.
Abbey Stiffler
I found it intriguing that she wasn’t necessarily out to stand up for women’s rights, but her actions just proved to society that men and women could complete the same tasks. I like how the intro ties in history from the 1800’s to what we are currently dealing with today. I find it funny how her husband felt overpowered by her and just quit the shows while she had to prove herself to get there in the first place.
Griffin Palmer
Annie Oakley taught many men that women can be as capable with a gun as men. She would obtain this skill from her father who taught her how to shoot and would live a life more similar to man than a women. She would become a figure for the female activist proving that women can too fight on the front lines like men.
Marissa Rendon
Everything about this article was amazing. The structure on this article is strong and affirmative. I really enjoyed hearing about Annie Oakley’s story. Being a women can be very hard just because of the countless amounts of men who doubt so many strong women. Anything a guy can do Annie can definitely do better. This is the first time hearing of her but from what I have read she was a determined lady who fought for what she wanted and who was not afraid to fight.
Florian Cruz Jimenez
This is the first time I hear about Annie Oakley and by reading this article I now know she was a strong, determined, and such inspiring women. I found it crazy that her story began at such a young age. What I really liked about her was that she was willing to share what she knew about shooting to younger males, and although her offer was declined that did not stop her from doing other things to make a change in society.