Origins of Suffrage Movement
The suffrage movement began before 1848, rooted in the abolitionist movement. Women's rights activists, like Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, were initially barred from abolitionist meetings, prompting a new feminist movement.
Seneca Falls Convention 1848
The first women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York, was a pivotal event. The Declaration of Sentiments, modeled after the Declaration of Independence, demanded equal social status and legal rights for women.
The Suffrage Split
Post-Civil War, the movement split into two factions over the 15th Amendment, which granted African-American men the right to vote. Some, like Stanton, opposed it without women's suffrage; others, like Lucy Stone, supported it.
International Suffrage Efforts
Women's suffrage was not purely an American effort. New Zealand granted women the right to vote in 1893, followed by Australia in 1902. This international progress influenced suffragists worldwide.
Silent Sentinels' Protest
The National Woman's Party, led by Alice Paul, organized the Silent Sentinels in 1917. They picketed the White House, an unprecedented act, leading to their arrest and even forced feedings during hunger strikes.
1920: The 19th Amendment
The Nineteenth Amendment, ratified in 1920, prohibited any U.S. citizen from being denied the right to vote on the basis of sex. This victory took over 70 years of activism to achieve.
Continued Global Struggles
Even after 1920, many women worldwide still fought for suffrage. In Switzerland, women didn't gain the right to vote until 1971. In Saudi Arabia, women voted for the first time in 2015.Unexpected Ally
Wyoming granted women the right to vote in 1869, becoming the first U.S. territory to do so, well before many states and countries.
What predated the suffrage movement?
The abolitionist movement
Seneca Falls Convention
Silent Sentinels protests
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