The History of Feminism and Women's Right to Vote

Throughout history women have always been subordinate to men. At the start of the 1800s, women were still looked upon primarily as the homemaker. But due to and along with the Second Great Awakening, women decided that they wanted to make changes of their own. This started the evolution of women’s roles and women’s opportunities in the family, the workplace, and society.

Before the 1900s women had few rights. Women could not vote, could not own property after marriage, or if married could not keep their own wages. They could also be beaten by their husbands. Their place was to maintain the house, care for the children, cook, and work if needed. Women were considered physically and emotionally weak but artistic, moral, and refined. This is basically stated in Document A where a woman converts another woman to show how good and moral women are. As time went on many women did not get married so they could have some type of freedom.

During this time period, women were allowed to work but they worked for lower wages even though they worked just as long and hard as men. Women most commonly worked as teachers, domestic workers, or mill workers. As acknowledged in Document B, women did tedious work that did not require much. Also many colleges did not accept women unless they were colleges created by women. Document C discusses this conveying that women were the first teachers but they were refused the opportunity to education.

Around the middle of the nineteenth century, women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony started demanding rights for women. They both spoke eloquently to make people believe that women deserved to have rights. Stanton started this reform when she organized the Women’s Rights Convention at Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. There she read the Declaration of Sentiments which was derived from the Declaration of Independence. As described in Document F, it told why women deserved rights just as Stanton did in her declaration.

In conclusion, women throughout their time span have been dominated by men.