History Of The Women's Suffrage Movement

Throughout early American history, women were depicted as simplistic creatures who were dependent on men and had no voice in society. They did not have l rights that men had such as the right to vote, being able to participate in jury duty, and the right to file a lawsuit or sign legal documents without their husband’s permission, the right to own/control their own property or being able to hold political office. The lack of these rights, especially the lack of voting rights, prompted the women’s suffrage movement. Women wanted to challenge the “proper” roles that were placed upon their gender. The traditional gender roles, at this time, were that the men were the head of the household and provided financial stability. The women were the homemakers …show more content…
It became prominent in 1848, when the 1st women rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, NY and lasted until the passing of the 19th Amendment, which guaranteed women the right to vote. The Seneca Falls Convention was organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who is regarded as one the early leaders of the women rights movement. At the convention Stanton “read a ‘Declaration of Sentiments,’ which in the spirit of the Declaration of Independence declared that ‘all men and women are created equal” (Kennedy Cohen Bailey 332). The convention garnered ridicule and criticism from the press. Stanton felt that the attention was necessary, saying “It will start women thinking, and men too; and when men and women think about a new question, the first step in progress is taken” (Rynder). She also became the 1st president of the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), which was a major organization in the fight for women’s suffrage. Another early leader of the women rights movement was Susan B. Anthony, who co-founded the National Woman Suffrage …show more content…
Politicians saw the passing of the 19th amendment as a good thing because that meant more potential votes. They campaigned on issues that they felt directly affect women such as improving schools and temperance. The 19th amendment also paved the way for the Equal Rights Amendment, introduced in 1923, it states, “Equality of rights under the law shall not be abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex”, which was first proposed in Congress by the National Women’s Party. After the passing of the 19th amendment, a “new woman” began to emerge. This woman was college-educated, career driven, and wanted an equality-based marriage. The “new woman” was a symbol of the newfound independence woman had gained through the women’s suffrage movement of the