The United States Constitution is the overall law of the United States of America. Since the Constitution was written in 1789, it’s been amended 27 times to reflect the needs of a nation that has changed so much since the 18th century. The first 10 amendments, also known as the Bill of Rights, give specific protections of a person’s liberty and justice and puts restrictions on the powers of government. The other 17 amendments talk about civil rights protections. Per the United States Senate, the Constitution's first three words “We the People” means that the United States exists to serve its people. The amendment that I believe to be the most important is the 19th amendment. The 19th amendment gave Americans, no matter their sex, the right …show more content…
to vote and not be discriminated upon. This came about because of the women felt discriminating them based on their sex went against the 14th amendment. The 14th amendment gives American citizens “…citizenship rights and equal protection of the laws…” Later, the women’s suffrage movement came about. In 1848, the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. The convention was setup by Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott.
These ladies were later joined by Susan B. Anthony. They all had the same mission to obtain suffrage for women in the United States. Together, “they formed the Women’s National Loyal League in 1863 to support the 13th Amendment to abolish slavery and to campaign for full citizenship for blacks and women.” The women’s suffrage movement had its start from the abolition movement. “Most supporters of women’s rights were introduced to reform efforts through the abolition movement of the 1830s, many of them as members of the American Anti-Slavery Society (AASS). Abolitionist societies provided women with opportunities to speak, write, and organize on behalf of slaves, and in some cases gave them leadership roles…. In the early years of the women’s rights movement, the right to vote was just one of many goals of women’s rights activists, whose broad agenda included equal access to education and employment, equality within marriage and a married woman’s right to her own property and wages, custody over her children and control over her own body. But during the post-Civil War debate over the 14th and 15th Amendments to the …show more content…
Constitution, which would give citizenship and suffrage to African-American men, many women’s rights activists refocused their efforts on the battle for female suffrage.” The leading women of the women’s suffrage movement still planned to keep going strong but other women they worked with felt that women’s rights can wait because at that time, the rights of African Americans were more important. “In 1920, due to the combined efforts of the NAWSA and the NWP, the 19th Amendment, enfranchising women, was finally ratified. This victory is considered the most significant achievement of women in the Progressive Era. It was the single largest extension of democratic voting rights in our nation’s history, and it was achieved peacefully, through democratic processes. Later, the 19th amendment was finally ratified.
“In 1920, due to the combined efforts of the NAWSA and the NWP, the 19th Amendment, enfranchising women, was finally ratified. This victory is considered the most significant achievement of women in the Progressive Era. It was the single largest extension of democratic voting rights in our nation’s history, and it was achieved peacefully, through democratic processes.” By this amendment being ratified, women all over the United States now had the opportunity to vote without being discriminated by their sex. Just like this was the “most significant achievement of the Progressive Era”, it reminds me of the 2015 ruling by the Supreme Court that legalized gay marriage in all 50 states. Being treated equally was something that homosexual men and women have been fighting for decades. This shows that big changes take time, but like the old saying go “better late than
never.” In my research, I have found so much information that I did not previously know about the women’s suffrage movement and the abolition movement. By seeing just how much these people fought to obtain equal rights not only for themselves, but for other people as well really validates that this amendment is very important. The 13th, 14th, 15th, and 19th amendments were all made to better our country. Although all of these amendments break barriers and help us all become more equal, the reason I believe the 19th amendment is so much more important is because this movement had its start in the 1840s. So from the 1840s to the 1920s, women not only stood up for themselves, but they also helped show the importance of allowing African Americans to have equal rights as well. The women’s suffrage movement is the stepping stone that our government needed to make the necessary changes for the better.
After the American Revolution, America had earned it’s freedom from Britain. In order to govern this new country the Articles of Confederation was created. This document was flawed by the colonists fear of putting too much power into a central government. Knowing the document needed to be fixed a constitutional convention was called. The document created at this convention has been our constitution ever since. But even the Constitution was meet with criticism. One major concern when writing the constitution was how to protect the citizens rights. The Constitution did this through the preamble, the legislative process, the limit of presidential terms, the judicial branch, and the bill of rights.
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.
The constitution was a document that embodies the fundamental laws and principles by which the U.S is governed. The constitution states basic rights for its citizens. Delegates signed the constitution on September 17, 1787. There is a total of 27 constitutional amendments. The reasoning for writing it was for a stronger federal government - legislative, executive and judicial. The constitution was a break with a past of ‘unfair’ taxes, wars and ‘unfair’ treatment.
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...
The nineteenth amendment has changed the way women were treated and looked upon.There are many ways the nineteenth Amendment has changed in a bad was, but most of them have made a positive impact. Some people went along with the 19th amendment but some people didn’t think it was a good idea. Some people don’t know what or how the 19th amendment changed positively for women. But this paper is gonna show you all the ways it has positively changed the way people view and act towards women.
In 1863 Anthony and Stanton organized a Women's National Loyal League to support and petition for the Thirteenth Amendment outlawing slavery. They went on to campaign for full citizenship for women and people of any race, including the right to vote, in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments. They were bitterly disappointed and disillusioned when women were excluded. Anthony continued to campaign for equal rights for all American citizens
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
Nonetheless, this reform of women did not halt to the rejection, nor did they act in fear. The CONSTITUTIONAL RIGHTS FOUNDATION states: “One of the main leaders of the women’s suffrage movement was Susan B. Anthony (1820–1906). Brought up in a Quaker family, she was raised to be independent and think for herself. She joined the abolitionist movement to end slavery. Through her abolitionist efforts, she met Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1851. Anthony had not attended the Seneca Falls Convention, but she quickly joined with Stanton to lead the fight for women’s suffrage in the United
The Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution affects us today by granting citizenship, civil rights, and congressional representation.
In 1787, the Constitution, created by a group of men known as the “Framers”, is the highest law in the United States. At first, the Constitution was not ratify because it did not have a bill of rights which is a list of rights that belong to the people. Therefore to allow changes to the Constitution, the Framers created the amendment process. In 1791, congress proposed twelve changes to the Constitution. Ten of the twelve changes were agreed to by the states and were called “The Bill of Rights.” Some of these rights include the right of free speech, the right to practice your own religion and the right to be silent if you are arrested.
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.
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.
The First Amendment of the Constitution is the most important and debatable of them all. The First Amendment states; “Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, of prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press, or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.”
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.