20th Century Blog

At the start of the 19th century, women had severely limited rights. Women had no control over their job earnings, had no claim of property, could not speak at public meetings, but most importantly, women couldn’t vote. Then, along came the Women’s Suffrage Movement that changed the lives of women.
The women’s suffrage movement began in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. Suffragists that were led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott drafted a Declaration of Sentiments that demanded the right to vote for women. The Declaration of Sentiments, which was based on the Declaration of Independence, was signed by 68 women and 32 men. In 1869, the suffrage movement split into the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, and the American Women Suffrage Association (AWSA) led by Lucy Stone and her husband Henry Blackwell. The NWSA was seen as more liberal than the AWSA. Along the way the suffrage movement passed the 15th amendment in 1870, which gave black men the right to vote, but didn’t mention women. In 1890, for the best interest of the movement, the two organizations merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). In 1893, Colorado became the first state to adopt an amendment that granted women the right to vote. As years went by 15 other states followed.
In 1914, Alice Paul went to Washington and worked for the NAWSA’s committee. After she was jailed for her suffrage activities, the NAWSA asked her to leave the organization because of her tactics. Not wanting to give up hope, she formed the National Woman’s Party. In her own organization she had put together mass marches and hunger strikes, which eventually led to victory. On January 10, 1918, the house approved the 19th amendment, which stated that the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any other state on account of sex. A year and a half later, the senate passed the amendment on June 19, 1919. The 19th amendment became part of the US Constitution on August 26, 1920.
Although Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton devoted 50 years to the woman’s suffrage movement, neither live to see women gain the right to vote. Their work and the other suffragist’s work they all successfully contributed to the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920.
“Woman must not depend upon the protection of man, but must be taught to protect herself.” – Susan B. Anthony