Sisters: The Lives Of American Suffragists By Jean H. Baker

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Jean H. Baker, a historian who teaches at Goucher College, has also written several other books including; Sisters, James Buchanan and Mary Todd Lincoln: A Biography, and the Stevenson’s. She now resides in Baltimore, Maryland. Sisters; The Lives of Americans Suffragists, is a book about some amazing women which include, but not limited to Frances Elizabeth Willard, Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and last but not least Susan B. Anthony. These women led the groups and decisions into what later become one of the most significant changes in political history. These women also became some of the most influential, incredible, strong women that have walked the earth. The story of a group of passionate and dedicated young women, led by Alice Paul and her friend Lucy Burns, who put their lives on the line to fight for American women 's right to vote. The suffrage amendment was later passed on August 26, 1920, but before then only 12 states gave women the right to vote in national and local elections those states included; Wyoming, Colorado , Utah, Idaho, Washington, California, Oregon, Arizona, Kansas, Montana, Nevada and South Dakota. Alice and Lucy began their work in the American suffrage movement in Washington, D.C. to lead the Congressional Committee of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). They were given $10 from NAWSA’s treasury and were told that they would have to raise all additional funds on their own. Even though that became a little bump in the road, they ended up raising the money the needed. After a day of standing on the street, many police officers came to arrest the women for “obstructing traffic” as the arriving suffrage prisoners were met with violence by the prison guards. They pushed the women into their cells with brutal force and Lucy Burns was handcuffed to the door of her cell. Once Alice knew about this, she decided to go stand out with the rest of them, she was then later arrested also. This became very troubling as the women had no rights, as the police officers would not even tell them why they were being arrested. Once Alice got to the prison she was then completely mistreated, and when she started the hunger strike she was then thrown into a strait jacket and force fed. Proving that when women stand up for themselves they are labeled as crazy and thrown into …show more content…
Later on in 1871 and 1972, groups of women went to vote as they were able to register, but were not able to vote. This struck up a wide debate amongst others. Two of the most important people were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, as they were two of the strongest women who fought and fought for their rights as women. Sisters covers women’s history from the Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell- all the way through to Alice Paul’s Death and Woodrow Wilson. Sisters gives a great deal of insight of American Women’s history for example, I have learned so much about these amazing women and all they have gone through to get where we are today. Some of the main sources that Baker used in her book were; The Boston: Northeastern Press 1993, Women’s Journal, Yale University Press, and Journal of Women’s History 1 (Spring

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