Through the use of messages such as public conventions, speeches, literary pieces, published works, unions, groups, and memorabilia, the suffrage movement’s goal of achieving equal voting rights for women to be the same as men can be credited as providing the stomping grounds for women to seek a stronger hand in society and to the evolution of women’s rights to include equal freedoms to men in arenas such as education, the work force, and military involvement.
The nineteenth century encountered some of most revolutionary movements in the history of our nation, and of the world – the movements to abolish slavery and the movement for women’s rights. Many women participated alongside men in the movement to abolish slavery, and “their experience inspired feminist social reformers to seek equality with men” (Bentley, Ziegler, and Streets-Salter 2015, pg. 654). Their involvement in the abolition movement revealed that women suffered many of the same legal disadvantages as slaves, most noticeably their inability to access the right to vote. Up until this time, women had little success in mobilizing their efforts to gain the right to vote. However, the start of the women’s rights movement in the mid-1800s, involving leaders such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, paved the path for the expansion of women’s rights into the modern century.
Instead of getting the country to give women the right to vote, the American Woman Suffrage Association came up with a tactic of giving women the right to vote on a state-by-state basis. In 1869, Wyoming became the first state to give women the right to vote. She even took part in an election, illegally, in 1872.
The role of women in society has always been an issue throughout the ages and throughout Western Europe, and more or less all over the world. Before the age of the Enlightenment, or the Dark Ages, women were always seen as secondary to men in all aspects. Most reasons were religious, while others were just the way life was then. By the late 18th century, at the time of the French Revolution and the continuance of the Enlightenment era, the role of women in society began changing drastically as the lights of the world were now open with this brand new enlightened era. Women began holding jobs, yet still did not receive the same privileges as men.
The right to vote went to the land holding male of the family, all-though in many instances women were capable of swaying their husband’s opinions. Women were not the furthest from liberty, though they were still subject to man’s will. “As factories began to do many of the things women had done at home previously, such as spinning and weaving, women were left with a little time to devote to other projects.” Other projects, including: education, protection of women and later women’s suffrage. Laws did not protect women from their husband’s the way they act today; when a woman married, she lost control of her rights, under coverture: “that is, the very being or legal existence of the woman is suspended during the marriage, or at least is incorporated and consolidated into that of the husband: under whose wing… she performs everything.” Safeguards did exist, that kept men from treating women outside of their station, however women had no protection, financially, from their husband’s poor decisions. Unmarried women were starting to become a common occurrence in the years leading up to the civil war. “They had the legal right to live where they pleased, and
Although women had very little rights, they fought for the rights they wanted and some would not stop until they earned them. Out of all rights, woman most wanted suffrage, or the right to vote. In my opinion, women should have always had the right to vote. Millicent Fawcett led a movement known as The National Union of Women’s Suffrage Societies (Lewis, pg. 1). She led this movement to get woman what they all wanted, voting rights. Once argued “Political power in many large cities would chiefly be in the hands of young, ill-educated, giddy, and often ill-conducted girls” (Rylands, pg. 1). These statements later led to a former suffragist, Emmeline Pankhurst create a social and political union. She was a huge impact on what gave women the right to vote. She was part of many movements that led to women’s suffrage. Later the nineteenth amendment was passed on August 18th, 1920 granting all women the right to vote (Cornell University, Pg. 2). Voting is an important right. It is important because all humans should have a say in something that will later be important to his or her city or community. To have it a person has to be responsible and take things seriously. Women were looked at differently once they wer...
In the years after 1870 there were many reasons for the development of the women’s suffrage movement. The main reasons were changes in the law. Some affecting directly affecting women, and some not, but they all added to the momentum of Women’s campaign for the vote.
In 1911 only 60% of adult males could vote in elections. But by this time many women were beginning to demand their equal say in the running of the country, many women had wealth and careers and yet they could not vote, they felt they were being repressed. In 1967 parliament had discussed giving the vote to women, but on this and subsequent occasions male MP's had decided not to treat women as equal to men. Married Women's Property Act allowed married women to own property separately from their husbands. Since 1870 both boys and girls could attend primary schools, also London and Cambridge universities gave places to both men and women.
Thus the war was a catalyst in which eventually the government was forced to give women the vote. The suffrage movement was far more superior in gaining the vote for women because it led the way for the emancipation. In the 1900's the philosophy of separate spheres was so strong it dictated how women were treated. Women were seen as the underlings, the inferior sex in society.
Women were trying to get the vote for many years before 1900, however this was not a serious concern and they were not doing much to achieve this. However in 1900 this all changed. The NUWSS (Suffragists) and the WSPU (Suffragettes) were set up in the early years of 1900; their goal was to allow women to get the vote. Their reason was that women were already allowed to work on city councils and become doctors, some notable ones too such as Florence Nightingale. The NUWSS believed that if women were house owners and had respectable jobs they should be allowed to vote. This is because men who were allowed to vote could be white slave owners and lunatics so why could these men vote and women could not? Notably however Queen Elizabeth herself proclaimed that women should not get muddled up with the world of politics.
Although they were fighting for a worthy cause, many did not agree with these women’s radical views. These conservative thinkers caused a great road-block on the way to enfranchisement. Most of them were men, who were set in their thoughts about women’s roles, who couldn’t understand why a woman would deserve to vote, let alone want to vote. But there were also many women who were not concerned with their fundamental right to vote. Because some women were indifferent in regards to suffrage, they set back those who were working towards the greater good of the nation. However, the suffragettes were able to overcome these obstacles by altering their tactics, while still maintaining their objective.
Before 1920 women did not have the right to vote. They were known as “second class citizens”. Women were to stay home to help and organize the family’s necessities. Having any other higher power was said to be way out of their limitations. Mainly because women weren’t fully exposed to the happenings outside of the home, which led to the male figure believing that it was impossible for women to vote if they didn’t know the facts. Men thought that if women were able to vote that they would reach a power, that they could not take away and they didn’t want that. Men wanted to be head of the household and everything else in between.
Women fought for so long to achieve equality and perceive the right to vote throughout history. They have been denied their access to multiple sources labeling them as minorities and property. In this era women played the role of a house-wife that only stayed at home to obey their husbands and to take care of their children. Therefore, women were portrayed as weak and submissive beings who had a second-class role in the society. However, the restriction for them to vote led to them standing out for the rights they deserved. The women of the 1800s finally realized that something had to be done about this; as a result, the women’s fight to gain their right to vote started.
case of a divorce from their spouse. It was not until 1896 that women had gained the “right vote in in
In Mill’s essay, he places the blame for the suffrage of woman on custom. He says, “custom...affords i...