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Seneca Falls
Declaration of Sentiments
The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. After 2 days of discussion and debate, 68 women and 32 men sign a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlines grievances and sets the agenda for the women's rights movement. A set of 12 resolutions is adopted calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. -
First National Women's Rights Convention
The first National Women's Rights Convention takes place in Worcester, Mass., attracting more than 1,000 participants -
National Woman Suffrage Association
Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association. Their primary goal was to achieve voting rights for women through a Congressional amendment to the Constitution. -
American Woman Suffrage Association
Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and others form the American Woman Suffrage Association. This group focuses exclusively on gaining voting rights for women through amendments to individual state constitutions. -
First women's suffrage law passed.
The territory of Wyoming passes the first women's suffrage law. The following year, women begin serving on juries in the territory. -
NAWSA
The National Women Suffrage Association and the American Women Suffrage Association merge and form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). As the movement's mainstream organization, NAWSA wages state-by-state campaigns to obtain voting rights for women. -
Colorado gives women right to vote
Colorado is the first state to adopt an amendment granting women the right to vote. -
Utah and Idaho give women right to vote
Utah and Idaho adopt ammendment to allow women to vote. -
National Association of Colored Women
The National Association of Colored Women is formed, bringing together more than 100 black women's clubs. Leaders in the black women's club movement include Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, Mary Church Terrell, and Anna Julia Cooper. -
National Women's Trade Union League
The National Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) is established to advocate for improved wages and working conditions for women. -
Washington State
Washington State allows women to vote. -
California
California in 1911 gives women the right to vote. -
Oregon, Kansas, and Arizona
Oregon, Kansas, and Arizona allow women to vote, -
National Women's Party
Alice Paul and Lucy Burns form the Congressional Union to work toward the passage of a federal amendment to give women the vote. The group is later renamed the National Women's Party. Members picket the White House and practice other forms of civil disobedience. -
Birth Control
Margaret Sanger opens the first U.S. birth-control clinic in Brooklyn, N.Y. Although the clinic is shut down 10 days later and Sanger is arrested, she eventually wins support through the courts and opens another clinic in New York City in 1923. -
Amendment passed by House of Representatives and Senate
The federal woman suffrage amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony and introduced in Congress in 1878, is passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is then sent to the states for ratification. -
19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby. -
Planned Parenthood
Margaret Sanger founds the American Birth Control League, which evolves into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942. -
The Daughters of Bilitis
The Daughters of Bilitis (DOB), the first lesbian organization in the United States, is founded. Although DOB originated as a social group, it later developed into a political organization to win basic acceptance for lesbians in the United States. -
FDA approves Birth Control
Food and Drug AdministrationThe Food and Drug Administration approves birth control pills. -
President's Commission on the Status of Women established
President John Kennedy establishes the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appoints Eleanor Roosevelt as chairwoman. The report issued by the Commission in 1963 documents substantial discrimination against women in the workplace and makes specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care. -
The Feminine Mystique
Betty Friedan publishes her highly influential book The Feminine Mystique, which describes the dissatisfaction felt by middle-class American housewives with the narrow role imposed on them by society. The book becomes a best-seller and galvanizes the modern women's rights movement. -
Equal Pay Act
Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job. -
Civil Rights Act Title VII
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. At the same time it establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints and impose penalties. -
NOW
The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded by a group of feminists including Betty Friedan. The largest women's rights group in the U.S., NOW seeks to end sexual discrimination, especially in the workplace, by means of legislative lobbying, litigation, and public demonstrations. -
Affirmative Action
Executive Order 11375 expands President Lyndon Johnson's affirmative action policy of 1965 to cover discrimination based on gender. As a result, federal agencies and contractors must take active measures to ensure that women as well as minorities enjoy the same educational and employment opportunities as white males. -
Equal Rights Amendment passed by Congress
The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Originally drafted by Alice Paul in 1923, the amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The amendment died in 1982 when it failed to achieve ratification by a minimum of 38 states. -
Title IX
Title IX of the Education Amendments bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance." As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically.
