The Women's Suffrage Movement

“We the people” have changed dramatically throughout the course of American history. When the constitution was first written and signed by the founding fathers of our country, only those who were white, landowning men over thirty, were considered “the people” of the new America. Over time opinions and society have changed, giving rise to the broadening of the definition, little by little. Eventually, after a long period of struggle and opposition, women are annexed to the definition, and gain their rights as Americans.
Women’s suffrage was a political movement that took place in the early 19th century with the aims of granting women their long sought-after right to vote. Of all of the different demographics in the U.S., women were among the last to earn their suffrage, and perhaps to be considered part of the definition of “the people” of our constitution. The moment emerged from the broader “women’s rights” movement of the 1840s and 50s, and had the much more specific goal of granting women the voting power of full citizenship. Separate from women’s rights, women’s suffrage was more conservative, and wanted less to change women’s position in society at large than to accomplish their singular goal. In a fight that lasted many years, women all over the country rallied, at first in small …show more content…
The real start of the women’s suffrage movement was a resolution started at the Seneca Falls Convention; the first convention for women’s rights. Later, organizations for women’s suffrage were created, led by well-known and respected figures like Susan B. Anthony. Arrests and things that were meant to be deterrents to the movement ultimately motivated its members to stand up against authority. The small-scale events that happened in individual towns and counties eventually gained steam, yielding sometimes huge nationwide happenings like the Women’s Suffragist Parade in New York City in