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
Kensley Dieckow
Wow! I think everyone knows who Annie Oakley is but doesn’t know necessarily what she did and how she furthered the feminist movement. I really like how you included that she offered to be on the front line and train soldiers. Its crazy that she was the best at what she did but didn’t get the respect she deserved because she was a women.
Sara Davila
I found this story very interesting as a Woman. I did not take into account the difficulties woman during this age felt when it came to their own protection. I found it interesting how the author highlighter all her accomplishments, but still other men did not want to take advice from a woman. She should be commended for her bravery in picking up such a powerful tool and feminizing it in a beautiful way. It was also very ironic how she did not take sides with the radical feminist in that time period, but continued to prove that woman could do things never been done before.
Cecilia Schneider
In reading this article I was surprised that Annie Oakley is not as appreciated as she should be. She has made an impact on what is now viewed as socially acceptable for women to do, even when we were capable of doing it in the first place. I am fascinated by her choice to maintain her femininity and showcase it, not because society demanded it, but rather to demonstrate that feminity could contribute and handle more than what was expected.
Jonathan Ornelaz
I felt Rachel White had written about a person in history you have always heard about, but that had a solid story to tell. Once I read the introduction to her article I had an idea of who Annie Oakley was, but I had never been told her background story and never knew all the facts of her life. To find out that she started out life with the deck on a matter of speaking stacked against her, and then to show the inner strength that she possessed that allowed her to see that no one else was going to help her mom take car of their house, so she took up something she was good at and allowed her to find a new avenue that women had not been allowed to travel on was a great insight. I also thought that knowing that she was not going to be let to join the arm forces to serve in wars, but wanted to help train soldiers to be ready to take down enemies and was turned down by not getting any responses was a very sad thing, when she was trying to do her best to do the right thing. I found the article overall very well written and very easy to be drawn in and feel like i was there in that time in history.
Seth Roen
It is funny how some people who made the most impact in history often start rather everyday life or tragedy. It is rather sad that when she offered her skills to help the wat effect in both the Spanish-American War and WW1 primary because she was a woman. Despite proving that she was a better marksman, she shot in her case markswoman against during her time in Buffoa Bill’s show.
Cecilia Schneider
When reading this article I became amazed that Annie Oakley is not as appreciated as she should be. She impacted what women are now socially acceptable to do, even when we were capable of doing it. I am fascinated by her choice to maintain her femininity and showcase it, not because society demanded it, but rather to demonstrate that feminity could contribute and handle more than what was expected.
Carlos Hinojosa
I honestly have never heard of her before reading this article and the only time I heard the name Oakley was the sunglasses. But I learned she was something more and broke barriers in a time that many people didn’t even consider them barriers. She truly was an inspiration even i she maybe didn’t openly promote women’s rights. However, this article showed me clear and precise what this influential woman did in her time and how impressive it really was for the time.
Guadalupe Altamira
I was made aware of Annie Oakly in class and was very curious about who she was. She was definitely a historical figure during this time for women and showed men that a woman can also be in a “man’s world”.The different ways of her actions shown in this article were very well written and easy to identify her major reasoning on why she was a feminist icon. Although she was constantly brought down even when she was trying to help, she still continued to help other women and even men when war was around.
Eliza Merrion
I really enjoyed reading this article and the author did an excellent job of incorporating the theme of feminism while highlighting the Annie Oakley story. She proved just enough detail to really grab the reader’s attention and teach them something, but not so much that it overwhelms the reader with information. I also liked how the well the conclusion paragraph of the article was written, it proved a good line of reasoning that again allowed the reader to connect the theme of feminism to Annie Oakley. I also noticed that all the footnotes are cited very well with reliable resources.
Natalia Ramirez
I did not know about Annie Oakley and her accomplishments until I learned about her in class and read this article. I think it is important to learn about historical figures like her because we would not be where we are at today without strong women figures like Annie Oakley. You did an excellent job at bringing to my attention some of Annie’s important contributions. She showed that women were capable of having the same roles as men. Also, thank you for providing great resources at the bottom of the article. They were very helpful as I found more information on Annie Oakley. Excellent job!