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Causes Of Women's Suffrage

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It is difficult to argue that any movement truly ends, especially movements concerning social justice and the equality of people. Such movements have been observed throughout the course of American history, constantly reforming social and political tradition to fight against oppression. One such movement began in 1848, when a group of women came together in Seneca Falls, New York to discuss the prospect of women’s rights. Over the course of the next seventy years, the gathering at Seneca Falls developed into a full blown movement aimed at developing stronger rights for women in political, social, and economic aspects. Women’s suffrage, one of several causes that women across America were fighting for, was won via the ratification of the 19th …show more content…

Beginning as early as the 1830s, women fought for fair wages, safe working conditions, reasonable hours, and regulation of child labor.⁷ Strikes lead by working women erupted in many cities where unsafe factory conditions were common, such as the New York Shirtwaist Strike of 1909. On November 24th, 20,000 female workers from the garment industry went on strike in New York, seeking “better wages, standardized work days, improved working conditions, and union representation.”⁸ Women’s strikes often highlighted the unfortunate child labor practices that took place in many mills, such as in the Lawrence, Massachusetts Bread and Roses Strike in 1912. One child from Lawrence reported to a Chicago newspaper that he was in the fifth grade and that he “wish[es] [he] could go on [in school], but of course it it [his] duty to help papa and mamma as soon as [he] can.”⁹ Women found child labor practices abusive and detrimental to the education of young children, and advocated for legislation like the Child Labor Amendment, proposed in 1924. The amendment would allow Congress the power to “limit, regulate, and prohibit the labor of persons under eighteen years of age.”¹º Though it gained support from around the country, the amendment was ratified by only twenty eight of the thirty six states needed for it to be enacted and was not accepted. Women also rallied support for the Fair Labor Standards Act, which successfully passed in 1938. The act established fair wage and labor laws and addressed problematic issues with child labor.¹¹ Although the labor movement addressed issues that did not apply solely to women, many problems that women aimed to highlight did concern the women’s rights and does belong under the massive umbrella of ideas that is the women’s

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Florence Kelley uses many rhetorical devices and strategies to convey her message about child labor and working conditions for women in the early 1900’s. Kelley uses each device effectively to produce a very powerful strategy. This strategy convinces the reader about her view and persuades them to take action. The beginning of the speech starts with a statistic, “two million children under the age of sixteen years are earning their bread.”

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478 Words | 2 Pages

As a social worker and reformer, Florence Kelley utilizes asyndeton, juxtaposition, and rhetorical questions in her ardent speech for the attendees of the convention for the National American Women Suffrage Association to “enlist the workingmen voters” in helping with the implementation of more stringent child labor laws to encourage the protection of children, especially girls, from working in factories at such young ages. Kelley’s employment of asyndeton in the second paragraph as she states, “Men increase, women increase, youth increase in the ranks of the breadwinners…”, makes her speech more passionate and effective by speeding up its rhythm and pace. She applies this rhetorical strategy to segue into the fact that despite the increase across different demographics, none is so exponential as the growth of “girls between twelve and twenty years of age.” She describes this fact before the convention to depict the extensive hindrances this particular contingent faces.

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1184 Words | 5 Pages

Finding the fact that children from the age of “twelve to twenty years” are subject to labor heartbreaking. Florence Kelley’s speech, given at the National American Woman Suffrage Association, uses a variety of rhetorical strategies to turn the hearts of the audience against child labor, along with strengthening the argument for women’s suffrage. She does this to ultimately to argue that when women can vote, they will put a stop to child labor. While other rhetorical strategies, such as logos and ethos, serve mainly to impress the audience’s reason.

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About one hundred thousand workers from six hundred different mills were on strike there. The strikers wanted their work cut from sixty to fifty-five hours. About a sixth of the strikers were children under sixteen.” ( 5, Josephson). As a result, she gathered a large group of mill children and their parents, shaming the mill owners of their actions.

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381 Words | 2 Pages

In her speech addressing the National American Woman Suffrage Association on the topic of child labor, Florence Kelley bases her argument, through the use of logos, cacophony, and rhetorical questions on the ethical merit against child labor. Establishing her main arguments, and introducing the topic at hand, Kelley provides statistical evidence by which she conveys the pandemic of child labor. By stating that, “We have, in this country, two million children who are earning their bread,” she establishes the idea that child labor is widespread throughout the union and further notes the idea by describing the alarming trend of low wage-earning children growing as a demographic. She also notes it is especially common for girls between the ages

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901 Words | 4 Pages

Children from as young as the age of 6 began working in factories, the beginning of their exploitation, to meet demands of items and financial need for families. In Florence Kelley’s speech before the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Philadelphia 1905, Kelley addresses the overwhelming problem of child labor in the United States. The imagery, appeal to logic, and the diction Kelley uses in her speech emphasizes the exploitation of children in the child labor crisis in twentieth century America. Kelley’s use of imagery assists her audience in visualizing the inhumanity of the practice.

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1207 Words | 5 Pages

As both the United States and the world rapidly developed during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, society evolved at a pace previously unimaginable. Electricity illuminated modern urban areas, cars began to dominate the streets, and families began to travel to movie theaters for a unique motion-picture experience. Yet, while the world was changing by the minute, some components of society were not reflective of societal revolution. Specifically, it was during the late 19th century that the conversation for women’s suffrage was even addressed for the first time, following the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. It would be an extensive and arduous 72 years until women were ultimately given the right to vote, officially delineating women

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Further, in 1848 women held the first woman's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York to “discuss the social, civil, and religion conditions and rights of woman.” This convention was a big advancement for women; however, women were still ahead of their time and unable to secure their right to vote. Hence, utopianism, temperance, and women’s rights movements had a limited effect during the Antebellum Period. Next, as some movements were limited, there were additionally various significant reforms.

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775 Words | 4 Pages

The Roaring Twenties, characterized as a progressive era toward changes and advances, it was a start for freedom and independence for women. Women gained political power by gaining the right to vote. They changed their traditional way to be, way to act and dress to gain respect, and the liberty of independence. Society had different ways of ideals and the ways women were willing to do were disapproved of, and it was wrong for lots of different people, including women from the older generation. In the 1920’s women went through a lot of changes that made them a free spirit, changes that made them what they are now and having the liberty of being independent.

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A few years later, after the widespread voices that ascended women into recognition for change, movements had begun to assemble in towards greater equality. Women had no place to be involved in political affairs, and as recognition started to manifest, in 1848, “the first women’s rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York.” (Imbornoni n.d, para. 2). The purpose of this convention was to acknowledge the equality between both genders and allow voting rights for women. This was the first women engagement into American Politics, it’s also the “story of women’s struggle to be treated as human beings –“separate and equal” “(Lynne 24).

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1360 Words | 6 Pages

During Progressive Era, there were many reforms that occurred, such as Child Labor Reform or Pure Food and Drug Act. Women Suffrage Movement was the last remarkable reform, and it was fighting about the right of women to vote, which was basically about women’s right movement. Many great leaders – Elizabeth Cad Stanton and Susan B. Anthony - formed the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Although those influential leaders faced hardship during this movement, they never gave up and kept trying their best. This movement was occurred in New York that has a huge impact on the whole United States.

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1168 Words | 5 Pages

During Progressive Era, there were many reforms that occurred, such as Child Labor Reform or Pure Food and Drug Act. Women Suffrage Movement was the last remarkable reform. This movement was fighting about the right of women to vote, which was basically about women’s right movement. Many great leaders – Elizabeth Cad Stanton and Susan B. Anthony - formed the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Although those influential leaders faced hardship during this movement, they never gave up and kept trying their best.

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2025 Words | 9 Pages

Equality has been a problem in many nations for centuries. Since the start of time, it has been believed that men are far more superior to women and that the rights of women should be limited. In many countries today, it is the social norm for women to have limited rights including the right to voice their opinions. All around the world women have had no say in who runs their country, or in decisions that affect them. The United States had this same problem until women stood up and fought for their right to vote.

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994 Words | 4 Pages

A historian by the name of Ed Ayers once said “The exploitative natures of women’s work throughout history has been enormous.” I believe that this statement is true because after looking at history it shows that there were so many things that they had to overcome to get to the rights that they have today. Women during the 1700’s and 1800’s were challenged with expressing themselves in a social system that refused to grant women the right to express their views. Many events during these centuries which included things such as social and political movements that increased attention to women's issues like education reform. By the end of the 1800’s women were finally able to speak out against the injustices aimed at them.

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The women’s rights movement being an extensive movement helped women to occupy better jobs and higher positions “Increased access to leadership positions is an important achievement because – in terms of gender – the field is more level now: some women will be allies, some are not, but no one is excluded only for being a woman”. Today, women can choose to occupy the jobs that were once titled only for men and they have an equal employment opportunity “Because of workplace rights, women enjoy freedom to work in almost any position they choose. They join the armed forces, work as cab drivers, own businesses and become executives in large corporations” Women can now become ministers, juries, senates, and even the president “1975 — In Taylor v. Louisiana, the court denies states the right to exclude women from juries….1981 — Sandra Day O’Connor is appointed as the first female U.S. Supreme Court Justice… 1997 — Madeleine Albright is sworn in as U.S. Secretary of State. She is the first woman in this position.”

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