Suffragists Dbq

Women were treated like children for years before the 19th Amendment was passed. They were called names such as “childlike” and were told they “weren’t capable of independent thinking”(“Why Women Couldn’t Vote”). And yet, it took almost a century for people to actually take this cause seriously. The group that supported this cause were called Suffragists. This group of women were fighting and using their rights to their abilities to try and pass the 19th Amendment. Suffragists were able to pass the 19th Amendment due to their perfect timing for civil disobedience, their amazing capability to create publicity, and their shocking but powerful use of solidarity. Women were treated like children for years before women passed the 19th Amendment.

Suffragists passed the 19th Amendment due to their perfect timing for civil disobedience, fantastic capability to create publicity and shocking but powerful use of solidarity. The women had perfect timing for using civil disobedience while fighting in the women's rights movement. The women were trying very hard to have their voices heard. In 1912, the suffragists made a document arguing against the government on how they should be equal. The document lists many rights that women do not have, similar to men's, and reasons why these rights should be equal. Only a couple of years later, the women were standing in front of the White House and quoting the President out of context, which made him look like a fool for not meaning what he said. The women would also call him names such as "Kaiser Wilson," showing that the President wasn't much different than their enemy in war at the time ("Votes for Women"). These facts show that the President was not a man of his word. Not only did the President say he wanted to spread democracy, but he was also willing to fight for it. And yet, women still didn't get their ballots after the President said

Although the suffragists appeared to be incorrect, they could use their "wrong" position as an easy way to get publicity for their cause. Publicity was a very effective method that immensely helped the Women's Rights Movement. During the fight for the 19th Amendment, the women set up parades and protested in front of the White House during wartime. Despite their rights of speech and rights of protest, the government sent the women to jail for their harmless actions. They were treated there and ended up having to get force-fed because they refused to eat. The women's actions were so problematic that they ended up in the newspapers for everyone to see. The community was not very happy with what the government had caused, which gave the fighters for the 19th Amendment an even bigger army. The women's actions had a significant impact on the movement. This publicity was the key to making their cause known (van Garnier). This data indicates that the country recognized women, whether it was for good or bad. However, while the women were in jail, they decided to show solidarity as another way to pass this