Women's Suffrage Movement Impact on the Us
Kayla Benware
Professor Donnelly
History 202
Research Paper Fall 2011
Women’s Suffrage Movement Impact on the United States Woman suffrage in the United States was achieved gradually through the 19th and early 20th Century. The women’s suffrage movement concluded in 1920 with a famous passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution which stated: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” In the aftermath of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, which demanded the rights for women’s suffrage, most Americans rejected the movement because people did not want the United States system to change when it was already clearly working, women already had a solidified role and duty in local affairs, and because men and women were just simply viewed as having different abilities and capabilities in society. Although many Americans were against women’s suffrage, the movement brought progress towards equality, related social and political reform, and led to many key events that positively allowed women to bring about social change. The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. Two days later, a Declaration of Sentiments was signed by 68 women and 32 men. This outlined all the injustices and allowed the women’s rights movement to begin. Twelve resolutions were adopted, calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. In 1850, the first national Women’s Rights Convention took place in Worcester, Massachusetts. More than 1,000 participants came and annual national conventions were held afterwards all the way through 1860. Some of the most influential women in history were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In 1869, they formed the National Woman Suffrage Association, with the goal to attain voting rights for women through an amendment to the Constitution. In Letters of a
Professor Donnelly
History 202
Research Paper Fall 2011
Women’s Suffrage Movement Impact on the United States Woman suffrage in the United States was achieved gradually through the 19th and early 20th Century. The women’s suffrage movement concluded in 1920 with a famous passage of the 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution which stated: “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.” In the aftermath of the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848, which demanded the rights for women’s suffrage, most Americans rejected the movement because people did not want the United States system to change when it was already clearly working, women already had a solidified role and duty in local affairs, and because men and women were just simply viewed as having different abilities and capabilities in society. Although many Americans were against women’s suffrage, the movement brought progress towards equality, related social and political reform, and led to many key events that positively allowed women to bring about social change. The first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. Two days later, a Declaration of Sentiments was signed by 68 women and 32 men. This outlined all the injustices and allowed the women’s rights movement to begin. Twelve resolutions were adopted, calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women. In 1850, the first national Women’s Rights Convention took place in Worcester, Massachusetts. More than 1,000 participants came and annual national conventions were held afterwards all the way through 1860. Some of the most influential women in history were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. In 1869, they formed the National Woman Suffrage Association, with the goal to attain voting rights for women through an amendment to the Constitution. In Letters of a
Cited: Carroll, Andrew. Letters of a Nation. New York, NY: Kodansha America, Inc., 1997. Daley, Caroline & Nolan, Melanie. Suffrage & Beyond. New York, NY: New York University Press, 1994. Terborg-Penn, Rosalyn. African American Women in the Struggle for the Vote, 1850-1920. Indiana: Indiana University Press, 1998. Win: Gendered Opportunity Structures and U.S. Women’s Suffrage Movements, 1866-1919,” American Sociological Review, Vol. 66, No. 1, (Feb., 2001): 54. [ 9 ]. Carroll, Andrew. Letters of a Nation. New York, NY: Kodansha America, Inc., 1997, 183 [ 10 ] Indiana: Indiana University Press, (1998): 239. [ 19 ]. Daley, Caroline & Nolan, Melanie. Suffrage & Beyond. New York, NY: New York University Press, (1994): 56