Women Suffrage Essay, Research Paper

Women?s Suffrage…

Women of the early nineteenth century were considered to be

second-class citizens. Women were assumed to love and obey their

husbands, they were never to maintain a thought or express an

opinion. It was considered to be inappropriate if a woman were to

speak in public. After a women was married she didn?t have the right

to own property or sign a contract, and especially, she didn?t have the

right to vote.

Soon after, the idea of equivalency is what influenced the

Woman?s Suffrage Movement. Women in America decided that they

deserved more rights, including the privilege of voting. Women

started to become more educated. Then they began to participate in

reform parties. This increased involvement of women becoming more

familiar with politics. This resulted in women beginning to question

their voting inability.

In 1848, two activists, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Luretia Mott,

organized the first women?s rights convention which was held in

Seneca Falls, New York. They discussed and established the

Declaration of Sentiments. This establishment stated women to have

equal rights in voting, education, and property.

Suffrage was the primary goal of that the women?s rights

movement wanted to produce. However, the movement leaders

sustained that gaining the privilege of voting, could additionally lead

to alternative rights also.

Reformers of the Women?s Suffrage Movement encounter a

powerful disagreement from others. The Majority of the people who

opposed the movement, believed women weren?t intelligent enough to

make a political decision.

When fifteenth Amendment was passed to the Constitution, it

enabled privilege of black men to vote, but still women were not

allowed to vote. This caused the Women?s Suffrage Movement to

expand and become more pronounced. In 1869, two national

organizations were assembled to achieve the right to vote. These two

organizations were the National Woman Suffrage Association and the

American Woman Suffrage Association.

In 1872, Susan B. Anthony, from the National Woman Suffrage

Association, led a group of women to vote in the presidential election.

Anthony was arrested for voting illegally. She attracted focus from

other nationwide because of her trial.

Lucy Stone and her husband, Henry Blackwell, led the American

Woman Suffrage Association. The principal of this coalition was to

persuade individual states to grant women the right to vote.

In 1890, both of these organizations combined to assemble the

National American Woman Suffrage Association.

The early 1990?s started with a new generation of activists.

Carrie Chapman Catt and Maud Wood Park were some of these new

leaders. They obtained support from middle-class women.

Additional leaders, such as Lucy Burns, Alice Paul, Harriot E.

Blatch, the daughter of Elizabeth Stanton, appealed to young groups

of people to make transformations for the future. They began different

sorts of protests, they formed marches and picketing. In one event,

Alice Paul and her supporters went so far as to chain themselves to

a White House fence.

Finally, after 70 years of petitions and protests, in 1919 the

Nineteenth Amendment was approved by congress enabling women

the right to vote. Not long after the Equal Rights Amendment was

passed meaning equal rights for both men and women.

This proves to you that just about anything can be possible.

Women, who were second-class citizens, elevated themselves to be

equal to men. Now we have women in congress, and women

managing major companies. This just shows you to get what you

want, it just takes hard work and dedication.