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Mary Wollstonecraft
Mary Wollstonecraft was a prominent figure when women had no rights. She begun her writing career with a publication on the education of daughters, and continued to write about politics, history, and philosophy. Even though her works weren't praised until the 1900's, she is most known for her "Vindication of the Rights of Women", written in 1798 with many personal details about her life. It cast a shadow on her reputation, and many criticized her for hundreds of years. -
Sojourner Truth
Born into slavery, Sojourner Truth had a very difficult childhood and was sold several times. In 1827 she was emancipated and moved to New York City, where she became an avid leader in the women's rights movement. She travelled all over and gave speeches prompting equal rights for all. She gave her famous speech "Ain't I a Woman?" in 1851 at a women's rights convention in Ohio. -
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Born in New York, Elizabeth Stanton was an abolitionist and leading figure in the Women's Rights Movement from a young age. She, along with several other women, held the Seneca Falls Convention in July 1848. Stanton split her time between fighting for right of African Americans during the Civil War and fighting for the rights of women with writings, speeches, and lectures. -
Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone contributed many important things to the women's rights movement. She gratuated college in 1847 as the first Massachusetts woman to earn a degree. In 1850 she helped organize the first national women's rights convention and gave such an amazing speech that she converted Susan B. Anthony to the cause and started her career as a women's rights advocate. Stone and her husband founded "The Woman's Journal", which was considered to be "the voice of the woman's movement". -
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was a prominent figure in both the abolitionist and women's rights movements. She attended an anti-slavery conference, where she met Elizabeth Stanton. The two of them established the New York State Temperance Society in 1852, the New York State Women's Rights Committee soon after, and the American Equal Rights Association in 1866. After founding the National Women Suffrage Association in 1869, Anthony travelled the country giving speeches and promoting equal rights. -
Seneca Falls Convention
Held in Seneca Falls, New York, the Seneca Falls Convention was the first women's rights convention ever to be held in America. At the meeting, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and four of her friends composed the "Declaration of Sentiments", a document modeled after the "Declaration of Independence" that declared the rights of American women. -
"The Subjection of Women"
John Stuart Mill wrote "The Subjection of Women" in 1869, possibly with the help of his wife Harriet Taylor Mill, in order to promote equality of the sexes. He believed that it would create greater happiness for everyone. He takes a utilitarian stance on the issue, suggesting that having half of the human race unable to contribute to society is not for the greater good. -
Clara Barton
In 1881 Clara Barton founded the nation's first American Red Cross which assisted in things such as natural disasters and wards. A year after the Civil War began, she became the nursing "angel" and brought medical supplies the the fields- something no one had ever done before. She aided wounded soldiers in some of the worst battles of the war: Second Manassas, Antietam, Fredericksburg. Barton was also the first woman to head a U.S. government bureau. -
The Nineteenth Amendment
72 years after the signing of the "Declaration of Setiments" at the Seneca Falls Convention, women finally gain the right to vote with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. For the first time ever, women had the same rights and responsibilities of citizenship as men, and millions of American women fled to voting centers. -
Amelia Earhart
Amelia Earhart was the first woman to ever make take a solo flight over the Atlantic Ocean. She helped to begin breaking down the stereotypes that girls aren't brave or capable of doing things that men are. Amelia was also the woman to be awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross. -
Declaration of Sentiments
The Declaration of Sentiments was a declaration of women's right in America signed by 68 women and 32 men at the 1948 Seneca Falls Convention. The author was Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This document was the number one thing that helped women attain equal rights in education, voting, and employment. -
The Civil Rights Act of 1964
On July 2, 1964, President Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The bill enforced the desegregation of public school, prohibited racial discrimination in any public establishment, and equal voter egistration. It also banned all employment-related discrimination, and put the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission to monitor any violations. Johnson won the presidential election in November 1964 by a landslide. -
Shirley Chisholm
In 1968, Shirley Chisholm was the first African American woman elected to Congress. However, she didn't stop there. Chisholm went on to become the first African American woman to run in the presidential electon. This gave the part of America that had been ignored until this point a voice, and lessened the prejudice in America towards women and African Americans. -
Title IX
Part of the Education Amendments of 1972, Title IX outlawed all discrimination based on sex in any education program or activity that receives government funding. It also made it a law that women must have equal access to higher education and schooling. Title IX has lead to a double in the number of women doctors, engineers, and lawyers. It also requires universities to show equal numbers in sports teams for women and men in order to receive government funding. -
First Woman in the Supreme Court
Sandra Day O'Connor is the first woman to be elected to the Supreme Court. In 1981, she was nominated to replace Potter Steward, and she became the first female Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. She broke the barriers that women in the legal field never had before, and had unanimous support from the other branches of government. -
Summary
Women's rights would not be the same today without these historical events and figures. Throughout the 1800s and 1900s women have been fighting the prejudices against them every minute of the day. Through numerous speeches, rallies, conventions, and committees, women finally gained the same rights and citizenship responsibilities as men.
