American Women In The 1920s Essay

1093 Words3 Pages

Autumn Brienne Young
Mrs. Strong
English III
23 October 2016
Women’s Suffrage
Prior to the 1920’s, American women faced many decades of unfairness and inequality. They were not given most of the privileges and opportunities that men were. They had little to no authority and were treated disrespectfully by men. Women, their children, and their belongings were considered the property of their husbands and they had nearly complete power over them. However, between the mid 1910’s to the early 1920’s, things started to turn more towards women’s favor. Many women fought tirelessly throughout the entirety of their lives for the respect they deserved and by the mid 1920’s, women in the United States discovered new rights and an entirely new status …show more content…

Since the majority of the men were off fighting in the war, women were given the chance to assume jobs vacated by men in the workforce. Their influence and impact on society increased quickly and dramatically in the absence of men, seeing as they were the only ones able to perform their previous duties. Nonetheless, the unfairness continued on. “They received lower wages for doing the same work, and thus began some of the earliest demands for equal pay.” (“World War I: 1914-1918”) They risked their lives daily working in harmful conditions without proper protective clothing or knowledge of required safety measures, but yet despite all of the laborious work they were doing, men still took advantage of women and their hard work, simply due to their gender. Eventually they grew tired of the mistreatment and went on strike, finally winning a minimum wage for women the first time in history, doubling their pay. (“World War I: 1914-1918”) The determination of these women increased support for the suffrage movement, which ultimately led to the nineteenth …show more content…

“By 1916, almost all of the major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment.” (“19th Amendment to the US Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote”) The nineteenth amendment, first introduced to congress in 1878, would officially guarantee all American women the right to vote. “Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on August 26, 1920, changing the face of the American electorate forever.” (“19th Amendment to the US Constitution: Women’s Right to Vote”) Generations upon generations of Americans had fought for this and all of the decades of hard work from the suffrage organizations had finally paid off. The 1920’s brought along many very necessary changes regarding rights and America wouldn’t be where it is today without the essential improvements. These events influenced America because they gave women opportunities for a better education, which ultimately led to women writing books and sharing their stories. Their voices are now heard thanks to these courageous American women activists that dedicated their lives to getting society to where it is

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