In the late 1800’s and early 1900’s women were discriminated against, mistreated and had no say in their government. Some of the suffragettes were Sojourner Truth,Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, Carry Nation and many more. The women suffrage movement was caused by all the injustices committed towards women. One thing during that time was the rights given to African- American men while the African- American women were still not treated fairly. The movement was successful because women went on strike and fought for what they thought was right. It was also successful because they even shifted the men’s perspective on things.
Women had to put up with many injustices over the years. A few of such actions done were that women were not allowed to vote, if there was a divorce the man keeps the children and the house because women were not allowed to own property unless their father buy’s a piece of land and he gives it to her. In 1848, a group of 300 suffragettes met in
Seneca Falls, New York. They wrote a document called the Declaration of Sentiments. It was based on the Declaration of Independence. They wrote “all men and women are created equal,” and should be treated equally. Women picketed in front of the White House Library of Congress, Prints and Photographs Division the year is 1914. They are marching and protesting for the equal rights they should have.
Women had different methods of resistance, a few were that they would protest and march up and down the streets. A couple of leaders are Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. They founded the National Woman Suffrage Association, this called for the constitutional amendment allowing women to vote in national elections. In 1890 the two groups (Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage- Association) merged together to form the National American Women Suffrage Association. Led by Anna Howard Shaw, a minister and doctor, Carrie Chapman Catt, an educator and newspaper editor. In a speech she declared “The whole aim of the [women’s] movement has been to destroy the idea that obedience is necessary to women; to train women to such self- respect that they would not grant obedience and to train men to such comprehension of equity [fairness] they would not exact [demand] it.” The methods were successful because it began to make men think about their decisions for women.
An achievement that women and suffragettes (male and women) have won over was the public male opinion swaying to benefit the women further down the line. With this act accomplished the women soon began to earn more respect little by little. For instance 1869 Women granted voting rights in the
Wyoming territory. From that little step women still wanted to make a dent in history proving women are just as equal. So on 1884 Belva Lockwood runs for president. She lost but it opened up many of the men’s eyes showing that women were serious about this.
The women’s rights movement is an interesting topic to study because without the women’s rights movement many mothers could end up homeless due to a divorce. Women would still have no say in the government. As well as many females ending up without much education under their belt to help them succeed in life alone. The struggle that many women went through makes me a little furious. It makes me furious because I can not believe that us men could be so pig headed on the topic of women.
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