the 1800’s, not all Americans were treated equally. Men ran the government, businesses, and schools. Women were expected to stay at home where they could be under the control of them. In 1912, women did not have the right to vote. A woman named Alice Paul wanted to change the U.S. Constitution, but men were in charge of the government. To get the government to change the law, Alice Paul needed some public on her side.
With this idea Alice had, she organized a huge parade in
Washington D.C. Alice wanted to show the
America the percentage of how many women could not vote. The women marched peacefully, but many men yelled insults and attacked. The police carelessly watched and did not help. Suffragettes, people who fight for the right to vote, continued to protest for another five years. In 1917, Alice Paul and other woman were arrested. The conditions in prison were horrible. They were beaten and Alice Paul and other woman were arrested. The women went on hunger strikes to protest. Prison guards force-fed them with feeding tubes. This is what life was like for some women in 1917.
Women fought for their rights and also for the rights of others. Many suffragettes fought to end slavery. After the Civil War, they fought to get African American men and women the right to vote. The 15th Amendment only gave African American men the right to vote.
Political rights give us the power to be a part of the government. Women were not allowed to vote in local, state or presidential elections. Since women could not vote, they could not change the laws. Social rights give us the ability to use goods, facilities and services without being discriminated. Women did not have the same social rights as men. They had to drop out of school when they got married. In case of divorce, men got custody of the children. There were even laws telling woman what to wear. Economic rights give us the freedom to earn a living and own property. Most women who were married could not work. Poor women had to work, but they earned less money than men for the same number of hours.
Most women felt they deserved the same social, political, and economic rights as men. Some women decided to fight first for the right to vote. The right to vote is called suffrage. They needed men in Congress to change the U.S. Constitution to give women the right to vote, and then, three quarters of all the states needed to agree.
This movement was important to study because this changed
U.S.A. If we did not have this movement today women will be treated unfairly and discriminated. The movement’s struggles make me feel about the rights I have today by how people can actually make a change. I wonder what life would be like now if women did not have the rights they have today.
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