The struggle for women’s rights

Daniel Salehinasab

U.S. History

Mr. Ward

February 23, 2015

The struggle for women’s rights

Women all over the world demanded that they have equal rights. They felt they that they were not treated equally to men. Women did not have many rights back in the day. Women could not vote or run for office. Women felt that this was against equality which was what America was founded on. The Women’s Rights movement began in the mid-nineteenth century. In 1888 the first women international rights movement began, the International Council of Women, which was abbreviated as ICW. American activist Carrie Chapman Catt and other leading women’s rights activists formed the International Woman Suffrage Alliance, or IWSA for short. The suffrage movement in the United States was not that popular until the first women’s rights convention in the world, the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. Advocates of woman suffrage played a large role in amending the constitution to include recognition of women’s right to vote.

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Candy, who are
influential people in the Women's rights movement

During the nineteenth century as males suffrage was extended, women began to fight for their rights. After the civil war, females interest in equal rights increased tremendously. Some women felt insulted after the fifteenth amendment was passed. This amendment gave black men the right to vote. Some famous suffragists such as, Susan B. Anthony did not endorse the amendment. This was because the amendment gave black men the right to vote, but not Women. Other famous suffragists such as, Lucy Stone, did not feel insulted but instead, felt that after the black male achieves the right to vote; women would soon be able to vote as well. The women fought hard for their rights and later they decide to fight for property rights to married woman. The American Woman Suffrage Association aimed to secure women's rights to vote through state legislation. Wyoming entered the union in 1890 and was the first state with general women’s suffrage.

Women protesting in front of the Whitehouse

The National Women’s Party proposed an amendment to the constitution that prohibited all discrimination on the basis of sex in 1923. This equal rights amendment has never been ratified to this day. In 1890 the two groups merged to make one, the National American Woman Suffrage Association. As these two groups merged their ideas changed as well. At first suffragists’ argued that women are equal to men and that is why their rights should be equal. But then they began to argue that they deserved to vote because they were different from men. Many also argued that allowing white woman to vote will allow white supremacy.

Poster about women wanting
their right to vote

Suffrage was a big deal that linked people internationally. It was quite an important matter and the people fighting for and deserved to be heard. Everyone desires freedom and wants to have the opportunity to participate in  the society they live in and affect their environment. Today people taking voting for granted, but women’s right to vote was the result of a long, bitter battle. In 1896, there was the first statewide vote for women suffrage in California. In this vote the women asked Susa B. Anthony to organize the campaign. Unfortunately, even with all the effort that they put forth, the amendment failed. In 1911 Suffragists finally succeeded in getting the progressive republicans to put suffrage on the October ballot. At the end of their long run, suffragists realized that this fight was not only for their right to vote; but it was about women sharing their ideas and trying many new approaches in order to succeed in their one common goal.

Political cartoon of women suffrage

Early women’s rights leaders believed that suffrage was the most effective means to change an unjust system. Even though Susan B. Anthony devoted fifty years to the women’s suffrage movement, she didn’t live to see women gain the right to vote. On August 26,1920 the nineteenth amendment was finally ratified, which gave women the right to vote. This victory was considered one of the most significant achievements of women history in the progressive era. This was achieved peacefully and through democratic processes, the single largest of democratic voting rights in our nation’s history. There were still some restrictions on the voting and that is why on July 2, 1928 a law was passed that allowed all women above the age of twenty one to vote.

Political cartoon of women suffrage

In conclusion, the 100 year long fight for the women’s right to vote was long but rewarding. Women made a stand for themselves by participating in marches on the streets and hunger strikes. The women that participated in the movement, truly demonstrated american spirit and did not give up. Women were tired of constantly being treated as the stereotypical housewife. They wanted more to do with society rather than staying at home and changing the babies diapers. They felt that it was unfair not allowing women to have roles in congress, and not having a say in the ballot. After a long fight, their tremendous spirit was rewarded by receiving the rights they were fighting for. This was a great progressive act that represented true democracy in America. Thanks to the countless organizations and key characters such as, Susan B. Anthony women were awarded their right to vote in their country, the United States of America.

Annotated Bibliography

Hardie, James Keir and the Central Society for Women's Suffrage. "The Labour Party and women's suffrage." Chadwyck-Healey Historical Documents. Cambridge: Chadwyck-Healey Ltd, 2005. History Study Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This primary source helped get some information of people that were involved in the movement first hand.

Gladstone, William Ewart. "Gladstone on woman suffrage." Chadwyck-Healey Historical Documents. Cambridge: Chadwyck-Healey Ltd, 2005. History Study Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This primary source was mostly focused on dates and specificity.

Rhodes, Arthur Neil. Women's Suffrage and Intemperance. 1914. The Gerritsen Collection. History Study Center. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This primary source was photocopied and was quite hard to read at some points. This source talked about mens expectations of women.

IMOW. "International Museum of Women." California Woman Suffrage 1870-1911. International Museum of Women, 2015. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This source had lots of quotes from important people in the movement.

Miller, Elizabeth Smith, and Anne Fitzhugh Miller. "Miller NAWSA Suffrage Scrapbooks, 1897-1911." - (American Memory from the Library of Congress). Library of Congress, 2014. Web. 23 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This was scrapbooks from people that had major involvement in the movement.

George, Franklin. "Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921." Votes for Women: Selections from the National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, 1848-1921. Library of Congress, 2014. Web. 19 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - this source was a large collections of books, pamphlets, and other artifacts relating to the suffrage and the movement.  

Paul, Alice. "Women in the Progressive Era." Women in the Progressive Era. National Women's History Musuem, 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This source had some good pictures with informative captions.

Grolier. "History of Women's Suffrage | Scholastic.com." History of Women's Suffrage | Scholastic.com. Scholastic, 2014. Web. 18 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This source primarily talked about women suffrage all over the word and had parts about the United States specifically as well.

History, Art & Archives, U.S. House of Representatives, Office of the Historian,Women in Congress, 1917–2006. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, 2007. “The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848–1920,”

Annotation - This source talked about the whole women’s rights movement and had lots of pictures that helped me visualize how the movement occurred.

Center, Anthony. "Suffrage History." The Susan B. Anthony Center for Women's Leadership ::. University of Rochester, 2006. Web. 22 Feb. 2015.

Annotation - This source was a brief overview of suffrage history.

Skinner, Ellen. Women and the National Experience: Primary Sources in American History. New York: Longman, 2003. Print.

Annotation - This source was long and I did not use all of it. It did talk about the powerful influences mothers had on future generations.

Jones, Constance. 1001 Things Everyone Should Know about Women's History. New York: Doubleday, 1998. Print.

Annotation - This source focused primarily on the major role women played in society and how it is not fair if they are not able to contribute in the government.