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Essay on women's rights movement
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• The Women’s Suffrage movement in the United States began way back in the 1820’s and 1830’s. The feelings for women having the right to vote is famously exclaimed by Abigail Adams (John Adams’s wife during this time period). • Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott established the Seneca Falls Convention in New York in 1848. This conference was meant to promote American women having their own political identities. • “Initially, women reformers addressed social and institutional barriers that limited women’s rights. [These rights included] family responsibilities, a lack of educational and economic opportunities, and the absence of a voice in political debates”. • This convention was attended by mostly women but some men also attended this …show more content…
conference. This conference is famous because of the following quote: “that all men and women are created equal, that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness.” • Susan Anthony attempted to include women in the 14th and 15th Amendments.
The results of Anthony and her posse were not successful unfortunately and only included African American men. • From 1848 to 1860, the women’s suffrage movement gained momentum but was pushed on the backburner when the civil war began in 1861. Susan B. Anthony, among other supporters of suffrage, helped African American men gain the right to vote. • From Source 2: “In 1869, this faction formed a group called the National Woman Suffrage Association and began to fight for a universal-suffrage amendment to the U.S. Constitution.” This association helped produce the American Woman Suffrage Association which helped create individual state laws for women to vote. • In the 1880’s, many women volunteered to be employed in the workforce in jobs that typically men held. This was the result of the conclusion of the Civil War in the south as well as in the north. • In the 1880’s, these women helped create the notion that women deserved to have the right to vote. The result of these meetings created the …show more content…
AWSA. • The two previous groups (NWSA and AWSA) groups emerged in 1890. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the first president of the North American Women Suffrage Association. • The NAWSA encouraged individual states to create suffrage laws that allow women to vote in the 1910’s. Many states such as Wyoming in the west actually allowed women the right to vote from the beginning of State history. • In 1913, “Hanna McCormick helped lead the fight for suffrage as a lobbyist in Springfield when the state legislature granted women the right to vote.” McCormick was so influential that she became a future congresswoman.
• Also in 1913, Alice Paul (a British Suffragette), helped organized the National Woman’s Party. Paul was a great influence on using more extreme measures to get a new national amendment. • While some women leaders were pacifists and some women leaders were not, this combination proved effective in Wilson’s administration. Both sides of the issue promoted the idea that women had a case for being able to vote. • In 1916, the NAWSA president Carrie Chapmann Catt helped create a “Winning Plan” to gain the constitutional amendment. This plan involved using passive strategies instead of the extreme measures. • However, a group within the NAWSA, tried more extreme measures to get the amendment to pass. These women spoke with President Wilson and participated in hunger strikes, protests, and other more extreme demonstrations. • World War I demonstrated the importance of women in our society. These women had to take all of the jobs that men held previously in order to make sure that the United States keeps functioning as a
country. • The 19th Amendment actually took almost a year and a half to pass into law from Congress. The reason for this opposition involved the idea that 1920 was an election year and passing the bill in this year would greatly influence the next presidential election. This election helped elect Warren G. Harding into office over James M. Cox. • The 19th Amendment for Women’s Suffrage in the U.S. was passed on August 26th, 1920. Later that year, 8 million women voted in their first presidential election. • The passage of the 19th Amendment was meant to drive women out west. The reason why women were wanted out west was to help increase the population in western states. This problem is still evident today if you look at the population trends. Source: History.com Staff. (2009). Women's Suffrage. Retrieved January 31, 2018, from http://www.history.com/topics/womens-history/the-fight-for-womens-suffrage The Women's Rights Movement, 1848–1920 | US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. (n.d.). Retrieved February 03, 2018, from http://history.house.gov/Exhibitions-and-Publications/WIC/Historical-Essays/No-Lady/Womens-Rights/
Alice Paul was a Quaker who had strong views about women’s rights. However, she thought that the NAWSA and Carrie Chapman Catt’s plan was too conservative. She broke away from the association to form a more radical group, the National Women’s Party (NWP). The NWP pushed for a Constitutional Amendment at a federal level and focused on President Woodrow Wilson (Alice Paul 1885-1977). To raise support for the cause, Alice Paul conducted public events such as marches. These events were often talked about in the media thus raising awareness for women’s suffrage (The Women’s Rights Movement). Alice Paul wasn’t alone in her efforts. Lucy Burns, also a member of the NWP, organized political campaigns, and was the editor of the Suffragist (Lucy Burns). Paul, Burns and the Silent Sentinels picketed in front of the White House (Alice Paul 1885-1977). They were often harassed because of their progressive beliefs. That however didn’t stop the suffragists from protesting day after day. They held banners and
A women suffrage amendment was brought to the U.S. Congress in 1868 but failed to win support as well as a second amendment in 1878. In 1869 a woman named Elizabeth Cady Stanton got together with Susan B. Anthony, a women’s rights activist, and organized an association called the National Woman Suffrage Association. With this union they would gather with women and fight for women’s suffrage. Later, in 1890 they joined with their competitor the American Women Suffrage Association and became the National American Women Suffrage Association. “NAWSA adopted a moderate approach to female suffrage, eschewing some of the more radical feminism of other women’s rights groups in favor of a national plan designed to gain widespread support” (3). What the association did was they changed their initial tactic towards suffrage for women so that they can be able to obtain support from all over. Having little to no movement on the national front, suffragists took the next step to sate level. That was when Eastern states granted women suffrage, but hadn’t spread to Western states.
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 affecting directly affecting women, and some not, but they all added to the momentum of Women’s campaign for the vote.
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.
However in the mid 1800’s women began to fight for their rights, and in particular the right to vote. In July of 1848 the first women's rights conventions was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Elizabeth Cady Stanton was tasked with drawing up the Declaration of Sentiments a declaration that would define and guide the meeting. Soon after men and women signed the Declaration of Sentiments, this was the beginning of the fight for women’s rights. 1850 was the first annual National Women’s rights convention which continued to take place through to upcoming years and continued to grow each year eventually having a rate of 1000 people each convention. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were the two leaders of the Women’s Rights Movement, in 1869 they formed the National Woman suffrage Association with it’s primary goal being to achieve voting by Congressional Amendment to the Constitution. Going ahead a few years, in 1872 Susan B. Anthony was arrested for voting in the nation election, nevertheless, she continued to fight for women’s rights the rest of her life. It wouldn’t be until 1920 till the 19th amendment would be
In conclusion, the women who organized the First Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York on those historic days in July and those who inspired them are true pioneers. They began the wave for more women and men to keep fighting for what they believe in and to change things if they think they are wrong. These were the people that made America what it is today, they gave them their freedoms, and all Americans need to be grateful for that.
On August 18, 1920 the nineteenth amendment was fully ratified. It was now legal for women to vote on Election Day in the United States. When Election Day came around in 1920 women across the nation filled the voting booths. They finally had a chance to vote for what they thought was best. Not only did they get the right to vote but they also got many other social and economic rights. They were more highly thought of. Some people may still have not agreed with this but they couldn’t do anything about it now. Now that they had the right to vote women did not rush into anything they took their time of the right they had.
It was Theodore Roosevelt, who stated that, “Nobody cares how much you know until they know how much you care”, conveying the idea that with no voice comes no change. In the morning of August 26, 1920, the 19th amendment was ratified, which centralized mainly on the enfranchisement of women. Today, they have the legal right to vote, and the ability to speak openly for themselves, but most of all they are now free and equal citizens. However this victorious triumph in American history would not have been achieved without the strong voices of determined women, risking their lives to show the world how much they truly cared. Women suffragists in the 19th century had a strong passion to change their lifestyle, their jobs around the nineteenth century were limited to just children, family, and domestic duties. It consisted of a very low rate of education, and job opportunities. They could not share their opinion publicly and were expected to support their male family members and husbands during the time. Women knew that the way to enfranchisement was going to be tenacious, and full of obstacles along the way. Therefore a new organization was formed, The National American Women Association (NAWSA), representing millions of women and Elizabeth Cady Stanton as the first party president. This organization was founded in 1890, which strategized on the women getting education in order to strengthen their knowledge to prepare for the suffrage fight. NAWSA mainly focused on the right to vote one state at a time. In 1917, a member named Alice Paul, split apart from NAWSA because of the organization’s tactics and major goals. Due to this split, many other suffragists from NAWSA bitterly divided into a new organization named, National Women’s ...
In 1869, two organizations for the promotion of women’s suffrage were founded with different opinions on how to reach the same goal. The National Women’s Suffrage Association (NWSA) was headed by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This group opposed the 15th amendment, while suggesting the passage and ratification of another, new amendment, specifically granting women the right to vote. This was considered a more radical view on the matter, and promoted a wide variety of other feminist views as well. The other organization, called the American Women’s Suffrage Association (AWSA), supported the 15th amendment, while calling for yet another amendment for women’s enfranchisement. This organization was more focused on trying to make this and other feminist reforms seem less radical, and more in tune with the values of the American people. After the negative response to the proposal of a new federal amendment, both groups tried new approaches, such as challenging the constitutionality of their exclusion from the vote in the supreme court, only to be rejected again.
Powerful women like Carrie Chapman Catt, Ida Wells-Barnett, and Jane Addams who fought diligently during the Progressive Era in order to close the vast gap between men and women. It is because of these women, and so many others, that so many reforms have come about since the Progressive Era. Carrie Chapman Catt, perhaps one of the busiest women in her era, was an adamant believer in universal voting rights for women. She was the founder and president of many different organizations, including replacing Susan B. Anthony as the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) from 1900-1904, the founder of the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) which helped gain support for women’s suffrage on a global scale, cofounded the Women’s Peace Party (WPP) with Jane Addams in 1914, which denounced the war and asked the neutral countries in Europe to be a referee for the countries at war, and founded the League of Women Voters ( granted women the right to vote. Her Hull Houses helped women drastically: they prepared women for careers in the political sector, had easy access to playgrounds, gyms, theaters, and boarding houses, and were considered the “intellectual centers of the Progressive Era” (McDonough).
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton introduced the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1862. This organization mainly focused on acquiring an amendment that allows women to vote, as well as creating campaigns for the vote. Stanton served as the president of the organization while Anthony started off as one of the members of the executive of the committee and eventually becoming the vice president. After The National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association combined together to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association, many had a different approach. The new generation of suffragists argued that women needed the same rights that men had because they are different from men and no longer arguing that women needed it because men and women were “created equally”. The American Woman Suffrage Association was also another organization formed during this time. Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and Josephine Ruffin came together to form this organization and its purpose was to obtain suffrage for black men with the 14th and 15th Amendments. They were also focused on winning women’s right state-by state.
Women were getting tired of not having the same rights as men, so they wanted to make a move to change this. Women got so tired of staying at home while the men worked. Women wanted to get an education. So they fought for their freedom. Abigail Adams said to her husband, “in the new code of laws, remember the ladies and do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands.” John’s reply was, “I cannot but laugh. Depend upon it, we know better than to repeal our masculine systems.” These were said in 1776. The women’s suffrage actually began in 1848, which was the first women’s rights convention which was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Prominent leaders began campaigning for the right to vote at State and federal levels. Susan B. Anthony was the leader for getting women their rights in the United States. Susan B. Anthony voted in Rochester, NY for the presidential election. This occurred in 1872. She was, “arrested, tried, convicted, and fined $100.” She refused to pay the fine. Supporters of The Equal Rights Amendment would march, rally, petition, and go on hunger strikes.
Women were more active and allies were more numerous. On July 19, 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, The Seneca Falls Convention was organized and held by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The convention marks the beginning of Women’s Suffrage. Drafted at the convention, the Declaration of Sentiments took shape. Following the structure of the Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of Sentiments called for women to be given equal rights as men, saying they have inalienable rights that if the government denies them, they have the right to not be allegiant to said government.
Suffrage is the right or exercise of the right to vote. Suffrage has been viewed as a right, a privilege, or even a duty. Suffrage was first proposed as a federal amendment in 1868, women 's suffrage struggled for many years before the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment gave women the right to vote in 1920. The demand for liberation of american women was first formed in 1848 at seneca falls after the civil war. In 1869 Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton formed the National woman suffrage association to work for the movement on the federal level and to press for a more drastic institutional changes. Lucy Stone and Julia Ward formed the American Women Suffrage Association which aimed to secure the ballot throughout the state 's legislature. The two groups run by the four women finally joined in 1890 united together under the name of the National American Woman Suffrage Association
Beginning in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century women began to vocalize their opinions and desires for the right to vote. The Women’s Suffrage movement paved the way to the nineteenth Amendment in the United States Constitution that allowed women that right. The Women’s Suffrage movement started a movement for equal rights for women that has continued to propel equal opportunities for women throughout the country. The Women’s Liberation Movement has sparked better opportunities, demanded respect and pioneered the path for women entering in the workforce that was started by the right to vote and given momentum in the late 1950s.