The Push for Equality: Woman Suffrage: The Push for Equality: Woman Suffrage


Rights Revoked : Rights Revoked Women had the right to vote in the United States until 1787 when the Constitutional Convention revoked their suffrage (for all states except New Jersey, but that state denied women voting rights in 1807). Arguments for keeping women away from the polls included, “Men can represent their wives better than they can do it themselves,” as well as, “Women aren’t as intelligent as men, and thus couldn’t possibly make proper political decisions.”


A Spark is Lit . . .: A Spark is Lit . . . An anti-slavery convention was held in London in 1840, but women in attendance were not allowed to speak. Lucretia Mott (pictured) and Elizabeth Cady Stanton were two of the American women denied participation at the convention. This blatant discriminatory act ignited a spark with women in the movement to end slavery, and the foundation was laid for a new movement. . .Woman Suffrage.


An Afternoon Tea Fans the Flame: An Afternoon Tea Fans the Flame Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton (pictured), and two other women met for tea on July 13, 1848. The conversion was not of household matters and motherhood, but instead of the great injustices facing women at that time. The four women concluded that a gathering should be called in order to allow a larger group to voice their opinions on the matter of women’s rights.


The Movement Gains Momentum : The Movement Gains Momentum Within days of the tea that gave birth to the movement, a date had been set for the convention. The now-famous Seneca Falls Convention was held July 19-20, 1848 at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, NY. Elizabeth Cady Stanton drafted the “Declaration of Sentiments,” based upon the text of the “U.S. Declaration of Independence.” This document listed the injustices facing American women, and it called for “Immediate admission to all the rights and privileges which belong to them as citizens of the United States.” The group hoped to achieve equal rights for women in education, property, and voting. More than one hundred men and women signed the document (only one of the signers would live to see women achieve the right to vote). Backlash quickly came to the new movement, and specifically to the declaration calling for a woman’s right to vote.


Not Just Words: Not Just Words For women to achieve equality with men, some felt the need to dress more like them. Around 1850 Amelia Bloomer, a newspaper owner, promoted in her paper “The Bloomer Costume” (pictured). The outfit consisted of short dresses over loose-fitting pantelettes. This was one of the first times that women’s fashion included “pants.” Although the Bloomer costume was popular at first, many suffragists stopped wearing the ensemble. They felt that too much attention was given to their attire and not their message.


Indiana Joins in the Fight for Suffrage: Indiana Joins in the Fight for Suffrage October 14-15, 1851, Indiana hosted its first woman’s rights convention in Dublin, Indiana. In 1852, the Indiana Woman’s Rights Association (IWRA) was formed. The IWRA was most active in the east-central and central sections of the state. The Indiana organization focused its attention on improving married women's property laws and woman suffrage, improved access to a quality education, and enhanced employment opportunities. The IWRA presented a formal petition to the Indiana General Assembly in 1859 asking for an amendment to the state constitution that would give Hoosier women the right to vote.


Groups Drive the Movement: Groups Drive the Movement In 1866, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony (pictured) established the American Equal Rights Association. After the 14th and 15th amendments were passed, the women’s movement split into two factions. In May of 1869, the National Woman Suffrage Association was established by Anthony and Stanton. This group was quite radical. Six months later, the more moderate American Woman Suffrage Association was established Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and Julia Ward Howe.


Groups (continued): Groups (continued) In 1873, the Indianapolis Woman Suffrage Society formed. The Women’s Christian Temperance Union, a close ally of the suffrage movement formed in 1874. Former Indiana First Lady Zerelda Wallace and May Wright Sewall established the Indianapolis Equal Suffrage Society in 1878. After eleven years of working separately, the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) merged to work as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in 1890. Elizabeth Cady Stanton served as its first president. In 1911 the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage (NAOWS) was formed. It consisted of wealthy, influential women, as well as some members of the clergy. Alice Paul broke from the NAWSA in 1916 to form the very radical National Women’s Party. Hoosier women established the Legislative Council of Women in 1917 to increase support for enfranchisement in the state.


Trailblazers and Lawbreakers: Trailblazers and Lawbreakers In 1870, Angelina and Sarah Grimke attempted to vote, along with 42 other women, in Massachusetts. The ballots cast by the females were ignored. Susan B. Anthony and others attempted to vote in 1872, and were arrested (Anthony’s bail was set at twice that of the others). In 1884 Belva Lockwood (also the first woman admitted to practice law before the Supreme Court) ran for the United States’ presidency. Helen Gougar of Lafayette, Indiana attempted to vote in that community during the elections of 1894. She was denied and proceeded to sue the election board for the denial. In 1916, Jeannette Rankin of Montana was the first woman elected to Congress. In 1917, Alice Paul and other radical protestors demonstrated outside the White House. The women were arrested, and they conducted a hunger strike while in custody.


Early Victories in the States: Early Victories in the States In 1869, Wyoming territory was organized with provision of woman suffrage. Utah territory enfranchised women in 1870 (Utah women later lost this right in 1887). In 1896, Idaho granted women the right to vote. In 1910 and 1911 Washington and California allowed woman suffrage, respectively. Arizona, Kansas, and Oregon permitted women to vote in 1912. In 1914 Montana and Nevada both allowed for woman suffrage. In 1917 women in North Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, Michigan, Arkansas, New York, South Dakota, Ohio, Rhode Island, and Oklahoma permitted women to vote in certain races.


A Goal Achieved!: A Goal Achieved! The Suffrage Amendment almost came to fruition in 1918. The U.S. House of Representatives passed the measure with the necessary 2/3 majority. However, the U.S. Senate defeated the legislation with a margin of two votes. A Congressional Joint Resolution passed out of both chambers in 1919. The measure was then sent to the states for ratification. In January 1920, a special session of the Indiana General Assembly ratified the 19th Amendment. On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the 26th and final state necessary to ratify the amendment. The margin of victory. . . 1 vote! Finally, after 72 years of work, the Constitutional amendment allowing women the right to vote became law on August 26, 1920. It is known as the Susan B. Anthony Amendment.


Ways to Celebrate Women’s Equality Day (August 26)(suggestions from the National Women’s History Project): Ways to Celebrate Women’s Equality Day (August 26) (suggestions from the National Women’s History Project) Celebrate at your workplace by honoring women who have made contributions to your company or to your field. Celebrate at your women's club or civic organization with a luncheon, a speaker, or a video. Decorate with timelines or posters celebrating the contributions of women to American life. Honor outstanding women in your community at an inspiring evening event. Put together a display at your local library, bookstore, or community center. Put together a scrapbook or memory book about significant women or events for women in your community or workplace.


Sources: Sources Boomhower, Ray (editor). “Woman’s Suffrage Timeline.” http://www.in.gov/judiciary/education/special/sbatrial/suffrage_timeline.pdf 20 June 2003. “By Popular Demand: ‘Votes for Women’ Suffrage Pictures 1850-1920.” The Library of Congress Web site. http://memory.loc.gov/ammem/vfwhtml/vfwhome.html 3 July 2003. “Living the Legacy: The Women’s Rights Movement 1848-1998.” Legacy ‘98 Web site. http://www.legacy98.org/move-hist.html 20 June 2003. Mann, Laurie. “History of Woman Suffrage in the United States.” http://www.dpsinfo.com/women/history/timeline.html 20 June 2003. “Seeking the Right to Vote: The History of Women’s Suffrage.” World Book, Inc. Web site. http://www2.worldbook.com/features/whm/html/whm010.html#beginnings 20 June 2003. “U.S. Suffrage Movement Timeline: 1792 to 1920.” The Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership Web site. http://www.rochester.edu/SBA/timeline1.html 20 June 2003.


Other Helpful Resources: Other Helpful Resources The American Experience - One Woman, One Vote http://www.pbs.org/onewoman/one_woman.html Distinguished Women of Past and Present http://www.distinguishedwomen.com History of Women in America http://www.geocities.com/wellesley/1013/ History's Women: The Unsung Heroines http://www.historyswomen.com Indiana Women's History Association www.iwh.iupui.edu National Women's History Project http://www.nwhp.org Women in American History, Encyclopedia Britannica http://www.britannica.com/women/