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Women did not receive the right to vote until seventy- two years (November 2, 1920) after the first women’s rights convention, and unfortunately Stanton and Anthony never had the chance to
Throughout history the inferiority of women can be seen everywhere in society. That is why the ratification of the long hard fought 19th amendment to the Constitution in 1920 guaranteeing women the right to vote was a major achievement on the path to equality. But, however it was a minor turning point in United States women’s history. It was a minor turning point in United States women’s history because before the amendment was ratified most women only participated in the domestic household parts of their lives and never really had to earn money or make their own decisions.
Many women in the early 1900’s sought for change. Some rose to power and took leadership over many organizations that pushed for equality. Women’s battle for voting rights was specifically led by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Alice Paul. These women devoted most of their life to create a foundation which we live upon today. Women’s struggles lasted many decades until they finally achieved some equality under the 19th amendment.
The 14th Amendment of the Constitution emancipated the African-American slaves by stating that all citizens were to be free. Women were free in the United States;however, they were far from equal. The most significant way in which women weren’t equal is that they were not allowed to vote like their male counterparts. Women during the mid 19th century and into the early 20th century took notice of this fact and fought for years to give women the right to vote. Some women took what was viewed at the time as a radical approach by fighting for suffrage at the federal level, while other women took a more passive approach by fighting for suffrage at the state level.
The topic of equal rights is still as relevant today as it was back in the late 1800's when women were fighting for their rights. Though today we are fighting on a different level for different reasons, it is fair to say that the women that fought for their right to vote had to put up a very long and hard fight. Not only were they fighting to be seen as equal to men, they were also trying to get the world to see the progress they had made when their husbands went away to war. They were very adamant in trying to prove that not only could women do everything men could do, but they could also do it better in some cases. When the women who voiced their opinions were scoffed at by the men they knew they equaled, they knew they had to keep fighting if they wanted to have a chance for a full opportunity at
Women want a chance. They want a chance to prove themselves, and they want a chance to prove that they are no less than men on any level. Politicians may think that the 19th amendment was enough to prove women’s equality, but the right to vote does not even begin to compare to what women have to go through on a daily basis and how hard they have to work to get recognition and thrive in today’s society. Not only did women fight for this, some men also used their power to fight for them. These very few men that fought for women’s suffrage saw the potential in women and knew that they were not any less than men, they are citizens of the United States and should be treated like they are.
This angered many women, causing them to begin to hold conventions and rallies to gain suffrage. Many women began to “throw themselves into rebuilding their communities and families” because of their lack of rights and political abilities (Nashville Public Television). Many women actually believed that women should not gain the right to vote and were against the suffrage movement because they blamed women for how things ended up with their businesses. After these rallies were held people started to believe that women having political power wouldn't be that bad. Eventually in 1920 the 19th amendment stated “the right to vote could not be denied on the account of sex” (Anderson, “1920’s”).
After the deaths of many of the women’s rights activists from the older generation, younger leaders began to take charge, and they often aligned themselves with the Progressives. During this time, women’s roles were viewed as homemakers, so many of the Progressive women defended their reform actions as an extension of the traditional role of women. Among, the many values held for many decades by these reformers was the right to vote for women. In her piece, “Why Women Should Vote”, Jane Adams argued how women needed this right “in order to preserve the home,” (Doc C). These views developed into the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which gave women the right to vote.
Women were about half of the population, and to actively deny their right to vote makes American politics less democratic because it does not represent them in the government. Moreover, another group that was not represented in American politics were Native Americans. Natives, such as those in the Cherokee Nation who lived in the United States were also denied voting rights. When putting together all these groups together, the minority becomes a majority, and a government that does
After the Civil War, women were willing to gain the same rights and opportunities as men. The war gave women the chance to be independent, to live for themselves. Women’s anger, passion, and voice to protest about what they were feeling was the reason of making the ratification of the 19th amendment, which consisted of giving women the right to vote. One of the largest advancement of that era was the women’s movement for the suffrage, which gave them the reason to start earning
Nothing has given me more pleasure than the privilege of doing what I could to hasten the day when the womanhood of the nation would be recognized on the equal footing it deserves” (Monroe, 1998, p. 78). Women now had the official and legal right to vote in the United States. In the 1920 presidential election, more than 8 million women across every precinct in the United States went to the polls to exercise their right to vote (Anderson, 2013, p. 57). Although women had now gained the right to vote, they still had only completed the first step to achieving equal
At the end of the 19th century only white men and technically black men could vote, the thought of a women voting at this time was insane. Under the leadership of women like Susan B Anthony, Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone and many others women’s suffrage did not seem that far out of reach. “The turn of the 20th century brought momentum to the woman suffrage cause. Although the deaths of Stanton in 1902 and Anthony in 1906 appeared to be setbacks, the NASWA under Catt achieved rolling successes for women’s enfranchisement at state levels. Between 1910 and 1918, the Alaska Territory, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Montana, Nebraska, Nevada, New York, North Dakota, Oklahoma, Oregon, South Dakota and Washington all extended voting rights to women.”
Women's right to vote came early compared to people of color, who were given the right to vote through countless blockages. This point was used to help women argue for as well as gain the right to vote in the United States. This essay will cover the Voting Rights Act of 1965 as well as the
Finally in 1920, the nineteenth amendment was presented and allowed the women in the United States the right to vote (Kirk, G. & Okazawa-Rey, M. (2013). When thinking about how the women felt about not be able to speak up with voting situations is horrible. We are truly blessed that there were women who spoke their mind and changed the women’s lives for the
For a very long time, the voting rights of the citizens have been a problem in the US. It started out with only men with land being able to vote, and then expanded to white men, and then to all men. However, women were never in the situation, they were disregarded and believed to not be worthy enough to have the same rights as men. They were essentially being treated as property, therefore having no rights. But, in Susan B. Anthony’s speech, she hits upon the point that women are just as righteous as men.
