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
Maria Luevano
Rachel, you did a fantastic job writing this article! I had heard the name Annie Oakley before but was unfamiliar with her story. It is sad to see that she lost both her father figures at such a young age and was left to be a slave on a farm. It was great to read that she tried to offer shooting lessons to young men to try and prevent injuries to themselves or others.
Maggie Trujillo
This was a great article to read about Annie Oakley. I have read about her a while ago and it was good to learn about her again. I don’t think Annie went out of her way proving a point in feminist ideals – like most feminists do – but instead focused on the skills that women should know to protect themselves, such as shooting a gun. As we know, it doesn’t matter how big or small you are – it all depends on how much courage you have to do what it is that you want. Even though Annie was considered small and frail, that didn’t stop her from assisting others to learn how to shoot or other activities that were thought to be only for men during her time.
Ian Poll
It’s sad that she lived such a harsh childhood and when she got older, she was ignored by officials who had a chance to reshape the ideas of what a woman can do by having her get involved in very important matters. It’s good to know she did what she wanted to do, mostly, and that she was praised and known for her talents and skill.
Danielle Sanchez
Annie Oakley star of the Buffalo Bill’s Wild West, is a phrase that caught my attention. Hearing that she became the star of the show due to her shooting skills is truly inspiring as a woman. This descriptive article portrays Annie Oakley not only as a role model for women but as someone who was not intimidated to be better shot than most men. The important aspect of this article is that even though Annie Oakley was aware of her role in society she taught fifteen thousand women to shoot safely and even offered her services to President Mckinley during WWI. Overall, great article not only informative but enjoyable to read.
D'vaughn Duran
Annie Oakley’s upbringing was very rough and seemed not like a normal upbringing with the loss of her father and being sent to a farm to do labor jobs. The jobs she did were more labor filled that probably shaped her and her father teaching her how to shoot. During this time making her life abnormal because people had different depictions of what women were supposed to do. With her life being so interesting with her traveling for her job, markswoman and her generous help on helping young men learn to shoot and contributing her knowledge to people going to war. This is a great depiction of a reform feminist at this time. This article is well put together and keeps the reader engrossed because the structure of the article lines up very well! This was a great read because it shows Annie Oakley’s struggles and what she faced. Then, how she became a name.
Olivia Gray
I found this article very interesting. It was fascinating to learn about Annie Oakley and the hardships she encountered throughout her life, and how she was a major advocate in women equality. I liked how informative and descriptive the article was with lots of details about Annie Oakley. She was a great role model for women and a great example of what its like to be brave and powerful .
Gabriella Galdeano
This was such an interesting article. The writing style kept me captivated as I wanted to learn more about Annie Oakley. I have not previously known about her, but I love how she focused on demonstrating that women could do tasks that are typically considered “manly” while appearing feminine. She must have taught the other women and little girls around her that they did have to conform to society’s standards for women.
Tabitha Babcock
I can’t believe she never got a response from the president! I loved how she asked to be at the frontlines, and then later asked to participate by offering to teach. Those things just exemplify how brave and determined she was. I wish I could ask her why she didn’t stand with other feminists, I’m sure she had a good reason.
Andrea Tapia
I am speechless to hear about her story, it gave me a clear view of how a woman can be as great as any man. She truly inspired me to continue to be as independent as I am because I always felt the need to do more like her. Whether it was playing sports, joining clubs, or being able to be in criminology. I constantly challenged myself to do better and not let anyone tell me I couldn’t for being a woman. To learning how to shoot a gun at a very young age and her being known as a “Champion Markswomen”. How she even rode a bicycle and allowed women to be able to see that it is okay to play a sport. The most inspiring thing here is how she tried to help fight for her country even when she was declined twice but still fought to put an image for herself out there. Helping women all over the world to learn how to shoot a gun and know that they can do manly activities without feeling like they are weak. I want to be able to keep her as an inspirational role model and proceed to achieve my goals by having her voice in my head letting me know it’s okay to be different and do more like men instead of just being seen as ladylike.
Victoria Cantu
Annie Oakley, a woman who I had never heard about, but after this reading, a woman I admire. This article did a fantastic job of describing who she was and how she was beyond her times, representing feminism in a way that left her mark like no other. Oakley is inspiring. Her story is inspiring; it gives us women the idea that we should not always let society question our capabilities. The pictures included in your article are also so cool to see; excellent article, Rachel.