Summary Of Long Island And The Woman Suffrage Movement By Antonia Petrash

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The book ‘Long Island and the Woman Suffrage Movement’, written by Antonia Petrash is a reflection upon the many Long Island women who took a stand for independence and made winning the vote their life’s work. The author begins each chapter by drawing you into a story, then unfolds the character’s biography. It highlights the dedicated support from Long Island women of all classes; the elite socialites, the working and non-working women, to the first African American woman to found a suffrage organization. New York State was the birth of the Women's Rights Movement with the first women’s rights convention held in Seneca Falls in 1848. Early suffragettes had set the foundation, and for seventy-two years national and international women would …show more content…

In the years following the Civil War, the efforts toward women's suffrage progressed. Elisabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony had achieved several successes in changing the status of women. Many now held occupations, had independence from their husbands, and more were seeking further education. One such historical women is Harriot Stanton, daughter of Elisabeth Cady Stanton. Harriot entered the realm of women’s suffrage by convincing her mother and Anthony it was necessary to include details of both the National Women Suffrage Association and the rival American Woman Suffrage Association in their book, History of Women Suffrage. Her persuasion assisted in the …show more content…

She was a wealthy and connected advocate who provided economic sponsorship for many of the movement’s campaigns and endeavors. She was fearless, and is known for “being one of the most outspoken and controversial advocates for woman suffrage.” Alva joined the National American Woman Suffrage Association and provided the financial support to move the headquarters to a building on Fifth Avenue in New York. The move allowed the NAWSA to take advantage of the city’s influential media resources. Alva established her own organization, the Political Equality Association (PEA), serving as president. One of Alva’s controversial acts was to establish a center in Harlem to draw the support of the African American woman. In addition to coordinating rallies and meetings, she published many sources on suffrage. Her petitioning members of Congress was a part in the passing of the Susan B. Anthony Amendment and its ratification in 1920. In 1921, Alva became president of the National Women’s Party, “a position she would hold for the rest of her