August 18th, 2020 celebrates 100 years of the passing of the 19th Amendment, the right for women to vote. The road to women's suffrage was a prolonged and laborious endeavor that was met with great opposition. The continued perseverance of suffragists and their demands for the equality of women changed the course of history. Thanks to the steadfastness and determination of supporters of the suffrage movement, women are now able to enjoy the freedom of voting.
Women have fought for equality for hundreds of years, however, these ideals did not spark a great deal of public involvement until the Seneca Falls Convention. Nonetheless, history saw a cry for equality about a hundred years before the convention occurred. Abigail Adams is a prominent figure in history with her letters to her husband John Adams. Her most famous one, referred to as "Remember the Ladies," is a plea for the equality of women. Although these were private letters, they highlight the desire of women for change long before women publicly voiced these concerns. In her letter, "Remember the Ladies," Abigail writes:
"I long to hear that you have declared independence—and by the way in the new Code of Laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make I desire you would Remember the Ladies, and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors. Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the Husbands. Remember all Men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the Ladies we are determined to foment a Rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any Laws in which we have no voice, or Representation." (March 31, 1776)
Abigail's statement proved to be true, as almost a century later, individuals began to publicly demand change for women. The ladies did indeed form a sort of rebellion, and many women trail-blazed the path for women's suffrage.
Seneca Falls Convention and the "Declaration of Sentiments"
On July 19, 1848, 300 attendees convened at the Seneca Falls Convention in Seneca Falls, New York. This convention is often seen as the starting point to the women's suffrage movement, as it was the "first American women's right convention." Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott spearheaded the convention. According to the Library of Congress, Stanton tried to join an abolitionist movement in London, England in 1840, however, she was denied participation because she was a woman. It was here that she met Lucretia Mott, a fellow women's suffrage and abolitionist supporter who played a key role in the Seneca Falls Convention eight years later.
The majority of the attendees were also anti-slavery and advocated for the equality of everyone. A prominent abolitionist figure at the Convention was Frederick Douglas, a former slave that actively sought the right for African-Americans to vote. The Seneca Falls Convention drew up a petition known as the "Declaration of Sentiments." This petition was modeled after the Declaration of Independence and listed "eleven resolutions for the moral, economic, and political equality of women." According to EDSITEment!, the opening lines of the "Declaration of Sentiments" are the following:
"We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness."
The opening lines of the "Declaration of Sentiments" are also the opening lines of the Declaration of Independence. Stanton wanted to highlight that the government did not treat all men and women equal as mentioned in the Declaration of Independence. Women and African-Americans were still denied the right to vote. The irony of the Declaration of Independence formed the basis of the "Declaration of Sentiments." Women were denied their natural rights and they would no longer sit idle; they became involved in organizations and political matters to ensure their voices were heard.
The Road to Suffrage
The road to suffrage was anything but a walk in the park. The spark of the suffrage movement was met with much opposition as men believed that women had no place in the public and political sphere. It was believed that the only place women had was in the domestic sphere, remaining as a homemaker and childrearer. Opposition stemmed from the fact that women were not seen as intelligent in the political affairs realm. Women showed the world that they do not have a place just inside the domestic sphere, but that they have a place in the public and political domain.
According to the National Archives, "Beginning in the mid-19th century, several generations of women suffrage supporters lectured, wrote, marched, lobbied, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve what many Americans considered a radical change in the Constitution - guaranteeing women the right to vote." Many organizations blossomed out of the suffrage movement, however, not all held the same beliefs. The suffrage movement split into two organizations in 1869 due to diverging beliefs about the ratification of the 15th Amendment. The 15th Amendment was passed in 1869 and ratified in 1870, giving African-American men the right to vote. Prominent figures in the suffrage movement had contrasting views over this development. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) in opposition to the 15th Amendment. The National Archives states that both women opposed the amendment because it "excluded women." The women butted heads with Frederick Douglas as they felt he abandoned the women's suffrage cause after the 15th Amendment was passed. Another organization formed that was in favor of the 15th Amendment. This organization was known as the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), "founded in 1869 by Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and Thomas Wentworth Higginson." Furthermore, the suffrage movement split into two groups due to different strategy techniques. According to the Library of Congress, "NWSA favored women's enfranchisement through a federal constitutional amendment, while AWSA believed success would be more easily achieved through state-to-state campaigns." It was not until 1890 that the two rivals put their differences aside and merged into the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), using both techniques to secure the vote for women. The National Archives has a resource titled, "Woman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment," and explains that NAWSA "became the largest woman suffrage organization in the country and led much of the struggle for the vote through 1920."
The suffrage movement endured some years of solidarity with the formation of NAWSA, however, it did not take long for the movement to endure another rift between members. Alice Paul and Lucy Burns were both on the Congressional Committee of the NAWSA, however, they had a different vision from the organization. The women wanted to use militant tactics that were used in the British Suffrage Movement, however these tactics were not encouraged by the NAWSA. Their aggressive techniques were at odds with those of NAWSA, and the ladies split from the organization to form the Congressional Union (CU) in 1913. The Library of Congress states that the CU used assertive tactics such as "street meetings, the distribution of pamphlets, petitioning and lobbying legislators, organized parades and pageants, and speaking tours." In 1917 the CU became known as the National Woman's Party (NWP).
The NWP was known for its bold tactics and the organization became synonymous with picketing the White House. With the start of WWI, some women felt it was unpatriotic to picket and left the organization. Undettered, the rest of the women continued their protests. The National Park Service states that these protesters were known as the "Silent Sentinels" because they "held up banners demanding the right to vote for American women." These women wanted to highlight the irony of supporting democracy and freedom abroad through America's involvement in WWI, while at home, not everyone enjoyed these same freedoms. The protests of the "Silent Sentinels" led to the arrest of many women. The women further protested by going on hunger strikes within the jails, causing authorities to force-feed them. The hunger strikes were used to increase the awareness of the women's suffrage movement. The Library of Congress states that "through constant agitation, the NWP effectively compelled President Woodrow Wilson to support a federal woman suffrage movement." The sheer determination and steadfastness these women had pressured Congress and the president to pass the 19th Amendment.
Important Figures in the Suffrage Movement
Elizabeth Cady Stanton- Library of Congress
- "President of NAWSA from 1865-1893"
- Author of the "Declaration of Sentiments"
- "First to demand the vote for women"
Susan B. Anthony- National Park Service
- "Icon of the woman's suffrage movement"
- "Traveled the country to give speeches, circulate petitions, and organize women's rights organizations."
- President of NAWSA in 1892
- Died in 1906; the 19th Amendment is commonly refered to as the "Anthony Amendment" to honor her
- President of NAWSA in 1900
- Addressed Congress in regards to women's suffrage
- "Helped organize the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA) in 1902"
- "An African American civil rights advocate, journalist, and feminist"
- Founded the National Association of Colored Women
- Founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in Chicago in 1913
- Marched in a suffrage parade in 1913
- "Work done by Wells and the Alpha Suffrage Club played a crucial role in the victory of woman suffrage in Illinois on June 25, 1913 with the passage of the Illinois Equal Suffrage Act."
For More Information
Library of Congress- Elizabeth Cady Stanton Papers
Library of Congress- Tactics and Techniques of the National Woman's Party Suffrage Campaign - Tactics
National Park Service- The 19th Amendment: A Crash Course
National Park Service- 20 Suffragists to know for 2020
National Park Service- Symbols of the Women's Suffrage Movement
National Park Service- US Women's Suffrage Timeline 1648 to 2016
National Reconnaissance Office- Timeline of Women's Suffrage
National Park Service- Ida B. Wells overview and video
~by Emily Hancz
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