Within the time period of 1890-1920 the political movements of women's suffrage started to emerge. The cause of this sudden movement is due to the foundations and hard work of many intellectual women across both race, ability and time. Many have fought for women’s suffrage either directly or indirectly, ranging from black civil rights to the efforts of Alice Paul. The concepts of morality, tyranny and gender come into question about the ethical and political effects on the nation. Seen in the documents of Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth and more can intellectual concepts and the foundations of women's suffrage be found.
Without a solid moral argument, it becomes difficult to push an issue. Women’s suffrage was backed by ideas of the enlightenment
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and common sense to argue the rights given by the constitution and to turn the spirit of the law into the words of the law. Sojourner Truth came to a fascinating avenue of logic from the perspective of a black women. Although their lies a barrier between race and gender, if the logic of white women is applied to black women the arguments of what a women is and her conclusions can be bridged. Sojourner Truth stated “Nobody ever helps me into carriages, or over mud-puddles, or gives me any best place”. The political arguments toward white women do not hold up to the injustices held to black women. Although there is a racial divide, when applying the male opposing arguments it doesn’t hold a candle to the injustices and situation of black women. In the trial of Susan B. Anthony she calls upon the morals within the pages of the constitution stating: “ I hoped for a broad and liberal interpretation of the Constitution and its recent amendments, that should declare all United States citizens under its protecting aegis that should declare equality of rights the national guarantee to all persons born or naturalized in the United States. But failing to get this justice--failing, even, to get a trial by a jury not of my peers--I ask not leniency at your hands--but rather the full rigors of the law. ” Here Susan B. Anthony calls upon the moral justification and patriotism of the american citizen from the constitution. This document that established the United States and angered King John to start a war, the spirit of “the Constitution and its recent amendments” has a moral statements that say citizens should get rights. The spirit of the law states an inalienable right of voting to its citizens and jury of peers to the accused, and Susan B. Anthony upon this moral justification requests a trial by “the full rigors of the law”. Although her and many others suffer the injustice and the silencing of many more powerful and high positioned male figures, their strong moral foundation helped lead to the success of women’s suffrage. Another support to women’s suffrage success is attributed to the political situation arising from unrest and a shifting political climate.
Previously black males were granted citizenship and a right to vote, this success showed a path which people could take to hold political power and positions. Another is a powerful political argument by Carrie Chapman Catt who states:
Every delay, every trick, every political dishonesty from now on will antagonize the women of the land more and more, and when the party or parties which have so delayed woman suffrage finally let it come, their sincerity will be doubted and their appeal to the new voters will be met with suspicion. This is the psychology of the situation. Can you afford the risk? Think it over.
Just as the political, moral, and economic factors freed the slaves and made black males citizens so to does the political climate influence politicians to favor women's suffrage. There is a giant chunk of untapped voters, approximately half the population in america whose votes will determine their political office. If a party “delays” or “politcal dishonesty” hinders women's suffrage “the risk” of losing political favor could destroy a party. This type of political incentive caused great pressure as the fear of slaves rebelling did back in 1865 and the civil rights movement in the 1950s. It is these political pressures and movements by powerful women that enabled the success of women's suffrage when it
did. Women's suffrage like many other liberties and rights was not granted, but fought for. The fight for suffrage has been brewing for 141 years within the country of the United States and established on many events and people. It wasn’t until 1920 that the first amendment allowed women to vote and gave women an avenue to express themselves politically. However, just like racism and discrimination the effects of a couple hundred years cannot be erased in just a few decades. Just as racism and discrimination still linger, so do the prejudices of gender as well. Sexual harassment, management positions, and birth control are just a few among the problems women still face. It will take open minded and thinking individuals to achieve equality between people to finally bring an end to not just gender discrimination, but other discriminations as well.
Through the 20th century, the communist movement advocated greatly for women's’ rights. Despite this, women still struggled for equality.
Throughout the 1800s, women across the world began establishing organizations to demand women’s suffrage in their countries. Today, there are still women in countries fighting for their right to vote. Some countries who’ve succeeded in the mid to late 1800s were Sweden and New Zealand. Once they expanded women’s suffrage, many other countries followed. Like Sweden, countries first granted limited suffrage to women and other countries approved to the full national level. Additionally, there were quite a few countries who had taken over a century to give women the right to vote, Qatar being a prime example. Although the fight for women’s suffrage varied in the United States, France, and Cuba in terms of length and process, each effort ultimately
In the years after 1870, there were many reasons for the development of the women’s suffrage movement. The main reasons were changes in the law. Some directly affect women, and some not, but they all add to the momentum of the Women’s campaign for the vote. Before 1870 there were few bills passed to achieve much for the movement. One bill that was passed, which did not directly affect women in too many ways, was one of the starting points of the campaign for the vote.
During America's early history, women were denied some of the rights to well-being by men. For example, married women couldn't own property and had no legal claim to any money that they might earn, and women hadn't the right to vote. They were expected to focus on housework and motherhood, and didn't have to join politics. On the contrary, they didn't have to be interested in them. Then, in order to ratify this amendment they were prompted to a long and hard fight; victory took decades of agitation and protest. Beginning in the 19th century, some generations of women's suffrage supporters lobbied to achieve what a lot of Americans needed: a radical change of the Constitution. The movement for women's rights began to organize after 1848 at the national level. In July of that year, reformers Elizabeth Cady Stanton(1815-1902) and Lucretia Mott (1793-1880), along with Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906) and other activists organized the first convention for women's rights at Seneca Falls, New York. More than 300 people, mostly women but also some men, attended it. Then, they raised public awar...
Women throughout the suffrage act were faced with many challenges that eventually led into the leading roles of women in the world today. Suffrage leaders adopted new arguments to gain new support. Rather than insisting on the justice of women’s suffrage, or emphasizing equal rights, they spoke of the special moral and material instincts women could bring to the table. Because of these women taking leaps and boundaries, they are now a large part of America’s government, and how our country operates.
“I do not wish them [women] to have power over men; but over themselves” – Mary Wollstonecraft. In the 19th century the hot topic was women’s rights everybody had an opinion about it. Of course the expected ones like Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton had much to say but a few unexpected ones like William Lloyd Garrison and Frederick Douglass spoke out for women’s rights. The focus will be the responsibilities and roles that the activists played in the Women’s Rights or Feminist Movement. The relevance to the theme is the activists had a very important role toward reaching the ultimate goal of the Women’s Rights Movement. The Women’s Rights Movement was one of the most essential times in American history; it was the fight for women acquiring the same rights as men. Susan B. Anthony was considered the leader of the Women’s Rights Movement after she was denied the right to speak in a temperance convention; she had the responsibility of creating the National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) and helping to secure voting rights by her historic court case, the Trials of Susan B. Anthony. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was an important women’s rights activist that helped plan the first organized women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York and wrote the Declaration of Sentiments. Lucretia Mott worked along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton to plan the first women’s rights convention and wrote the, “Discourse on Women”. Lucy Stone formed the American Women’s Suffrage Association (AWSA) and convince individual states to join the effort towards women rights. These women had an influence in the National American Women’s Suffrage Association’s (NAWSA) achievement of the goals in the Women’s Rights Movement. These women had a profound effect on reaching equal rights between men and women.
While the issue of women’s suffrage has roots based in every country in the world, most think that the initial inroads were painfully carved through the efforts of early women pioneers in America. This perception is easily formed due to the early publication of Mary Wollstonecraft’s Vindication of the Right’s of Women in 1792. However, the movement gained national attention in New Zealand in 1893 and in Australia in 1902, eclipsing the suffrage movement in Britain, Canada and America by at least 25 years. The struggle for women’s rights has been ponderous and slow moving throughout the years and not without internal divisions.
This movement which was inspired by the ideologies of courageous women and fueled by their enthusiasm and sacrifice is often unacknowledged by most historians in the chronicles of American History. Today the movement is often misunderstood as a passive, white upper class, naive cause. But a deeper study would reveal that the women’s suffrage movement was the one that brought together the best and brightest women in America, which not only changed the lives of half the citizens of United States but also changed the social attitudes of millions of Americans.
Although women have been seen as inferior for many years, looking at the documents it’s unequivocal that women should have been given the same domestic, political and social rights as men. In the early 20th century, many Americans perceived women as unskilled and deficient, as this woman has never had the chance to prove how they can positively affect society. Document A, Supports Woman states; “They still love their homes and their children just the same as ever, and are better able to protect themselves and their children because of the ballot”. If women were given the right to vote, it would not only have helped the society by having more opinions, but it would have also helped women protect themselves and their children by voting for things like better education. Supports Woman explains how giving women the right to vote has only been beneficial to the society....
What does “movement” mean? There are many definitions for the word. In this case, I am referring to a political meaning. Movement is a series of organized activities working toward an objective. There have been many groups in history to start up movements throughout the decades. One that stands out to me the most is the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Women’s movements are led by powerful, courageous women who push to better the lives’ of women or lives’ of others. Most familiar movements are those involved in politics, in efforts to change the roles and status of womanhood in society. Groups of women also attempt to improve lives of others with the help of religious and charitable activities. Either it was a political, religious, or charitable women’s movement, each woman of each group have made an impact on today’s view of women and achieved greater political involvement.
The women suffrage movement spanning across the 19th century up to 1920 was a movement that advocated for a women’s right to vote. The movement decisively failed during the 19th century without seeing much fruition of women’s suffrage; it then eventually gained success in the early 20th century and realizing its ultimate goal in 1920. The women’s suffrage movement failure during the 19th century largely due to the lack of unity and the strategic miscalculations. The movement made great strides towards success upon solving the unity problems by the early 1900s, which provides for the basis for later success. Their strategic turn towards more aggressive and pressing actions afterwards had finally led to success of the movement.
Although they were fighting for a worthy cause, many did not agree with these women’s radical views. These conservative thinkers caused a great road-block on the way to enfranchisement. Most of them were men, who were set in their thoughts about women’s roles, who couldn’t understand why a woman would deserve to vote, let alone want to vote. But there were also many women who were not concerned with their fundamental right to vote. Because some women were indifferent in regards to suffrage, they set back those who were working towards the greater good of the nation. However, the suffragettes were able to overcome these obstacles by altering their tactics, while still maintaining their objective.
... to stop in order to help their country flight the war. They understand they needed to helping on the home front and this was the time for them to step up and show the British Parliament how valuable they are to their country. Lobbying did take place quietly, some women suffrage groups saw this time for to show they can do the same jobs as men and contribute to the war efforts. In 1918 passed the Representation of the People Act and enfranchising women over the age of 30 who meet property qualifications. This act was the stating of women gaining equality to men. Even though, women had to meet qualifications to vote, it was a start in changing society view on women’s rights. In 1928, ten year after the Representation of the People Act, the Conservative government passed the Representation of the People Act finally giving women vote right to all over the age of 21.
The campaign for women’s suffrage began in earnest in the decades before the Civil War. During the early 19th century, most states had extended the franchise to all white men, regardless of how much money or property they had. At the same time during the Progressive era, all sorts of reform groups were growing rapidly across the United States--temperance clubs, religious movements and moral-reform societies, anti-slavery organizations--and in many of these, women played a prominent role (Source: American History, Alan Brinkley). Meanwhile, many American women were beginning to resist against what historians have called the "Cult of True Womanhood": that is, the idea that the only "true" woman was a
Throughout history, women had little to no voice in politics. However, women during the Progressive Era successfully fought for more political rights through the