Cause and Effect in Wheels of Change, Part 4 Answers

Read the excerpt from Chapter 2 of Wheels of Change .Smith blamed the bicycle for the downfall of women's health, morals, and religious devotion. Her accusations brought a swift and impassioned response. The Reverend Dr. A. Stewart Walsh, a respected clergyman in New York City and a cyclist himself, wrote a letter to the editor of the Brooklyn Eagle declaring, "I have associated with thousands of riders . . . and I have not seen among them . . . anything that could begin to approach the outrageous and scandalous indecency of the resolutions of the alleged rescue league."

Look at the image of a woman riding a bicycle in the 1890s.Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change.In the 1890s, riding a bicycle in traditional clothing could be hazardous to a woman's health. Witness this all-too-typical account of a female cyclist whose adventure came to an abrupt end: "The wind was behind me, the road good, with just the least bit of down-slope, and I was skimming along like a bird, when there was an awful tug at my dress and a cracking sound," recalled the unnamed woman, who was quoted in the journal Sporting Life in October 1891.

Read the excerpt from Chapter 3 of Wheels of Change .In the 1890s, riding a bicycle in traditional clothing could be hazardous to a woman's health. Witness this all-too-typical account of a female cyclist whose adventure came to an abrupt end: "The wind was behind me, the road good, with just the least bit of down-slope, and I was skimming along like a bird, when there was an awful tug at my dress and a cracking sound," recalled the unnamed woman, who was quoted in the journal Sporting Life in October 1891. "Before I knew what was the matter I found myself lying in the road with the safety on the top of me.”