Susan B. Anthony's Suffrage Analysis

1897 Words8 Pages

Introduction: Oh, the places you’ll go… For centuries, half of the human population has battled for basic human rights and equality. Unfortunately, it was only not long ago when women had a major success, the passing of the 19th amendment, allowing them the right to vote. This newly granted liberty opened the door to many different opportunities for women, including the ability to access safe and legal abortions, to access contraception, to own property, to request a divorce, to a gain in pay equal to that of a man in the same position, and much more. With the continued successes of the movement, there was little to no question as to the possibility of these granted rights being repealed by the government in the future. After all, why would …show more content…

He replied to her plea in a letter of his own claiming “…, We know better than to repeal our Masculine systems” (Adams 57). Despite the support John Adams had of women gaining independence, he knew that other men were not. Over seventy years later, while petitioning for the rights of women, Susan B. Anthony frequently addressed the opposing side of the debate against the women’s suffrage movement. In her noteworthy speech given in New York about the bias of rejecting women’s suffrage, she identified the notable argument which was the cornerstone of the anti-women side of the debate. Anthony counseled, “It is urged that the use of the masculine pronouns he, his and him in all the constitutions and laws, is proof that only men we meant to be included in their provisions” (Anthony 281). As noted in the previous section, she was able to use this thought to construct a counter argument which leads to the success of the women’s suffrage movement. Additionally, with the arguments detailed by Adams and Anthony, we must not forget about the religious angle. In 1851, Sojourner Truth addressed the Ohio Women’s Rights Convention, bringing to light the importance of the women’s suffrage movement to African-American women. In her speech, she deliberately acknowledged the societal differences between African-American women and white …show more content…

The Republican party is notorious for their Pro-Life beliefs, abstinence-only sex-education, anti-contraception, and anti-abortion and their support of President Trump only encourages the reversal of laws and amendments meant to provide equality. Conclusion Thankfully, there are millions of people willing to stand up for what is right. The massive turn out for the Women’s March in Washington D.C., all over the country and around the world on January 21, 2017, has demonstrated that the fight for equality and women’s rights will continue. There are several organizations and groups committed to the defense, including Women Human Rights Defenders, Senator Bernard Sanders, National Organization for Women, Planned Parenthood, Equality Now, and much