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Seneca Falls Convention
A group of abolitionist activists, consisting of mostly women and a few men, were invited by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott to Seneca Falls, New York to discuss women's rights. They all agreed that women were autonomous people who deserved to have their own political identities and the right to vote.
(Pruitt, Sarah) -
Civil War
Momentum of the womens rights movement slowed after the Civil War. The 14th Amendment was ratified in 1868 and defined "citizens" as ""male". The 15th Amendment was ratified in 1870 and guaranteed Black men the right to vote. The women's advocates believed this was their time to push lawmakers for a universal suffrage. They refuse to support the 15th Amendment and allied with racist Southerners arguing that the votes of white women could neutralize the ones from African Americans. -
Women Suffrage Association
The Women Suffrage Association was founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who began to fight for a universal-suffrage amendment in the U.S. Constitution. Many thought would endanger the Black enfranchisement and be unfair. The faction that was pro-15th-Amendment formed the American Woman Suffrage Association and fought on a state-by-state basis for their franchise. -
Memorial to Congress
Suffragists disagreement over supporting the 15th amendment, the NWSA opposing it and the AWSA supporting it, split the woman suffrage movement into different suffrage organizations that focused on different strategies to win women voting rights. The 1871 petition from AWSA leadership asked that women in DC and the territories be allowed to vote and hold office. -
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Primary Source
Illegal Voting -
Illegal Voting
Susan B. Anthony was arrested by a deputy U.S. marshal for illegally voting in the 1872 presidential election. Two months later, she was charged with "wrongfully and unlawfully" voting for a candidate for Congress from Rochester, New York, on November 5th. She was convicted in June and sentenced to pay a $100 fine and court cost.
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Failed Amendment
The first constitutional amendment to secures women votes was introduced to congress in 1878 and failed. -
National Women Suffrage Association
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was the first president of the organization. They had changed their approach from arguing that women deserved the same rights and responsibilities as men because they were "created equal", to arguing that women deserve to vote because they were different from men. This argument served many political agendas like the Temperance advocates and swayed many white people because they thought the enfranchisement of white women would secure white supremacy.
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Idaho and Utah
Starting in 1910, Western states extended voting rights to women for the first time in almost 20 years.
(History) -
Suffrage Parade
The suffragist were staged large parades to draw attention. The most consequential march was held in Washington, DC, the day before Woodrow Wilson's first inauguration were over 5,000 suffragist paraded down Pennsylvania Avenue from the U.S. Capitol to the Treasury Building. Many men verbally and physically assaulted them while police were unwilling or unable to help. This caused a Congressional investigation into lack of police protection and increased sympathy for woman suffrage -
Failed Amendment
Another amendment for women suffrage was introduced but failed. -
"Winning Plan"
NAWSA president Carrie Chapman Catt planned a blitz campaign that would mobilize the state and local suffrage organizations all over the country, focusing on the uncooperative regions. The National Woman's Party ,founded by Alice Paul, focused on militant tactics like hunger strikes and White House pickets. They were slowed by WW1 but advanced nonetheless. -
White House Picket
The NWP became frustrated with President Wilson's inaction on woman suffrage, so they began picketing in front of the White House as a way to press for voting rights. They peacefully protested for 6 days a week encountering some hostile crowds and dozen arrest were made. Many of them were jailed and force fed. This is credited to have compelled President Wilson to support woman suffrage. -
Two Votes
The 19th Amendment passed the House but failed the Senate by 2 votes. -
One Vote
The 19th Amendment passed the House again but failed the Senate by 1 vote. -
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Primary Source
The Proposal -
The Proposal
"Proposing an amendment to the Constitution extending the rights of suffrage to women" The protesters demonstrated for close to 30 months. They won all the Senate votes and Congress passed a joint resolution proposing the 19th Amendment. -
Wisconsin and Michigan
Wisconsin and Michigan are the first states to ratify the 19th Amendment. -
19th Amendment
Tennessee was the 36th State to ratify the 19th Amendment causing it to passes the 3/4 requirement for an amendment to become a law and more than 8 million women in the United States voted in elections for the first time on November 2 of that year. -
Adoption
The 19th Amendment was adopted as apart of the U.S. Constitution. -
Native American Women
All women weren't immediately able to vote. Black women, immigrants, lower income women, and those convicted of a crime even after serving their sentence were deterred by laws and social pressure. Native American women weren't considered U.S. citizens until 1924 -
Magnuson Act
The Chinese in America were granted the right to become citizens, therefore allowing them to vote after the Chinese Exclusion Act prevented this. -
Utah
Utah was the last state to allow Native Americans to vote. -
Equal Pay Act
Congress passed the Equal Pay Act making it illegal t pay women less for doing the same job as a man. -
Civil Rights Act
This act prohibited discrimination against an individual based on race as well as gender. Before this act, employers were able to choose not to hire women based on gender. -
Voting Rights Act
African American and Native Americans faced exclusion from voting through poll taxes, literacy tests, and intimidation and the Voting Rights Act eliminated many these. -
Equal Rights Amendment
Alice Paul and other members of the NPA drafted the Equal Rights Amendment which guaranteed equal rights to everyone regardless of their gender and it was ratified by both houses of Congress in the 1970's but didn't get adequate support. -
Equal Rights Amendment Ratified
The chair of the House Committee on Oversight and Reform, Carolyn Maloney, held a hearing where it was affirmed that the amendment was ratified and apart of the Constitution.
(Rodriguez, Barbara)