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Neely 2
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Don’Keisha Neely
Professor Ovesny
Hist-1302
6 September 2024
Women and Suffrage Movement
Introduction
Women roles are slowly transitioning from just as housewives and mothers to career women. Tis change did not just happen in a blink of an eye but it has been a movement that began earlier to reform traditional roles of women to something more than just being mothers and wives. To get where we are today, in terms of women empowerment, women movements were formed in a bid to fight for their rights. Historically, women rights were limited and things such as voting was considered to be not a woman’s thing as they had little to no involvement with political affairs. The women’s suffrage movement is considered as one of the most pivotal social and political reforms that took place in the 19th and early 20th century. This movement led to culmination in the voting rights for women in several parts of the world including the ratification of the 19th amendment to the U.S. constitution guaranteeing women the right to vote.
Historical context and the beginning of the Suffrage movement
After the civil war, an advocate of women’s right, Susan B. Anthony demanded that the fifteenth Amendment include a guarantee of vote for women. However, this was not achieved or rather fulfilled till the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Hence, the suffrage movement can trace its origin to the early 19th century and it was influenced by other reform movements such as abolitionism and temperance. Advocates for women rights and actively involved women, bean questioning their lack of rights especially the right to vote. One of the foundational moments in the American suffrage movement was the
Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 where Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott organized the first women’s right convention that led to production of a number of demands which went to be known as
Declaration of Sentiments. This was modeled on the Declaration of Independence which called for women to be granted broader educational and professional opportunities for women and the right for women who are married to gain control over their wages and property. After this historic gathering, women’s voting rights became a main issue in emerging debate about women’s rights in the U.S. One key excerpt from the document is,
“We hold these truths to be self-evident; 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; that to secure these rights governments are instituted, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed.” This primary document reveals the emphasis of the suffrage movement on equality, justice which went to set the stage for a movement that would go on for decades. The document asserts the equality of all men and women and reiterates that both genders are endowed with rights to life, liberty and their pursuit of happiness which these rights are unalienable. It argues that women are oppressed by the government and the patriarchal society of which they are a part. During this period in time, women were subjected to limited rights, they had no freedom and say over their own matters as all was decided by men and the government. Therefore, this document sought to not only fight for women’s rights but also enlighten women about their rights as well since they weren’t allowed to receive any educational opportunities. It served as a wakening call for not only the society but also to women who had no voice of their own in society. The document was not only about women’s voting rights but also sought to achieve broader social reforms towards achieving gender equality. And change could be seen as the employment of women rose from 2.6 million to 7.8 million in the United States between 1800s and early 1900s. by 1896, women had gained the right to vote in four states.
Strategies and challenges
Women’s suffrage movement was faced by several challenges based on the historical times as not many people were educated and societies were more traditional especially when it came to restricting the rights of women. Therefore, it was expected that they faced several challenges; some of which we still experience, even in the modern era. Historian Ellen Carol DuBois wrote in her book
“Feminism and Suffrage: The Emergence of an Independent Women’s Movement in America, 1848-1869,”
where she discusses some differing strategies and philosophies utilized by the suffrage movement. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was formed by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony in may 1869 where they were against the 15th amendment as it excluded women. A second national suffrage organization was established in the same year by Lucy Stone among other two women and it was known as the American Woman Suffrage Association. The AWSA was in support of the 15th amendment and protested the NWSA confrontational tactics. This showed the division in the suffrage movement as different movements had different tactics and philosophies which affected the movement generally. According to DuBois in her book, the passage of the 15th Amendment granted African-American men the right to vote but excluded women from voting which was also a deeper issue of the internal division within the suffrage movement. This division brought chaos that affected the progress of the movement.
The role of black women in the suffrage movement
In the mainstream media and bigger conversations, the role of black women in the suffrage movement is often overlooked as their contributions is not always discussed in how it impacted the significant changes we see today. The suffrage movement was not only composed of wealthy white women but it also included other women supporters as a growing number of black women actively supported the movement during this period as we read in Farrington Ashley, B article called, “
African American Women and the Women’s Suffrage Movement.”
They organized women’s clubs across the country advocating for suffrage among other reforms. Prominent African American suffragists included Ida B. Wells of Chicago, who led the crusade against lynching. There was also Mary Church Terrell, educator and first president of National Association of Colored Women among other black women. According to them, if white women needed the vote for protection of their rights, then black women who were victims of racism and sexism, needed the vote even more. White women suffragists were more focused on voting rights but black women’s activism was broader in terms of fighting for civil rights and racial equality (Ashley,2018).
The ratification of the 19th Amendment
The women’s suffrage movement culminated the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which granted voting rights to women and prohibited states from denying the right to vote on the basis of sex. The National Archives is a scholarly site that provides historical information and events, explores the women suffrage and the 19th Amendment. The amendment was as a result of efforts and activism that spanned for decades, as well as lobbying by women. In this site, many first hand or primary sources are provided to get a whole of what transpired leading to the 19th Amendment ratification. This source offers a broad overview of the suffrage movement which helps in the contextualization of the 19th Amendment within the larger struggle for women’s rights.
Conclusion
It took decades of activists and advocates to achieve voting rights for women. The women’s suffrage movement provided the foundation for women to understand their rights, fight for them and gave most women a voice to fight for broader issues such as gender equality and social justice. The provided sources explore the historical context of the suffrage movement, examines the role that black women played in the movement as well as some of the challenges and strategies put in place to bring progress within the movement.
References
Ashley. B. F., (2018). African American Women and the Women’s Suffrage Movement. Pittsburg State University Digital Commons.
DuBois. E. C. Feminism and Suffrage: The Emergence of an Independent Women’s Movement in America, 1848-1869.
National Historical Park New York. Declaration of Sentiments.
National Archives. Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment.
