Mirana Chen
HIS 100
Mathew Cambell
February 11, 2023
Women's Suffrage Movement
In July 1848, women did not have the same rights as men, with the exception of one
important principle: the capacity to vote In 1869, Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton
led the founding of the National Woman's Suffrage Association, which became the beginning of
the Women's Suffrage movement. Significant figures from history joined this movement, which
aimed to give women the right to vote in each of their states. In order to gain the right to vote,
these strong women were willing to give up everything, and it turned out that this was a long-
lasting event. See how the women's rights movement brought the 19th Amendment into play
during this nearly century-long struggle.
The first-ever Women's Rights Convention was organized in July 1848 by Elizabeth Cady
Stanton and Lucretia Mott to promote women's voting rights and equal rights with men. This
two-day debate was the culmination of a seven-decade battle for women's voting rights. Clearly,
there were a number of significant historical occurrences, one of which was the American Civil
War in 1850, during which women persisted in their fight for equal rights in spite of the
existence of a convention. Even though equal rights did not immediately take off, this was a key
factor in the increased number of conventions held annually to highlight how important the issue
of women's rights was. The National Woman's Suffrage Association was established by Susan B.
Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton in 1868 and 1870, respectively, in response to the passage
of the 14th and 15th amendments, which granted the right to vote to Black men and expanded
protections to all male citizens.
If women had been granted voting rights under the 15th Amendment, which kept them
out, the movement might not have happened. The American Woman Suffrage Association, which
sought to advance women's voting rights in a manner that was more peaceful than the National
Women's Suffrage Association, was founded by significant figures like Lucy Stone, Julia Ward
Howe, and Thomas Wentworth Higginson. A petition was started to make things move a little
faster so that more steps could be taken to make this possible and help them achieve their goals.
Because they shared the same goal, the two organizations decided to join forces in 1890 to make
a stronger organization. They evolved into the National American Women's Suffrage Association
as a result. Significant actions were required, which ultimately had significant effects, as the
petitions were no longer effective.
In spite of the fact that she was aware that she was not permitted to vote, Susan B.
Anthony was imprisoned indefinitely in 1872 for knowingly and illegally doing so. Despite her
declaration that she would never pay the fine, she was nonetheless assessed a $100 penalty and
found guilty. Because she believed that both her conviction and the fine against her were unfair,
she submitted a petition to Congress requesting that the fine be waived. Regardless of whether
they were wealthy women or women of color, learning about this led women all over the world
to form additional groups with the same goals. It would appear that the actions of these well-
known people inspired more women to work for equal rights.
The Women's Suffrage movement had a significant impact on how women obtained the
right to vote and to be treated equally with men, as shown in the conclusion. Consequently, the
19th Amendment was enacted in August 1920, giving all American women the right to vote. All
of the women who were a part of this movement struggled a lot and gave up a lot, but in the end,
everything worked out in their favor and they got what they fought for. This significant victory
for the women's movement showed how strong these women were and how committed they were
to achieving equal rights and the right to vote, even though not everyone survived.
References
The Woman Suffrage Movement - Texas Woman’s University. (2020, August 25). Texas
Woman’s University. Retrieved December 5, 2021, from https://twu.edu/institute-womens-
leadership/the-woman-suffrage-movement/History.com Editors. (2021, February 23). Women’s
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Editors. (2021b, July 19). Seneca Falls Convention. HISTORY. Retrieved December 5, 2021,
from https://www.history.com/topics/womens-rights/seneca-falls-conventionCauses and Effects
of Women’s Suffrage in the United States. (n.d.). Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved December
5, 2021, from https://www.britannica.com/summary/Causes-and-Effects-of-Womens-Suffrage-
in-the-United-StatesWoman Suffrage and the 19th Amendment. (2021, June 2). National
Archives. Retrieved December 5, 2021, from
https://www.archives.gov/education/lessons/woman-suffrage#background
Alvernia University. (2020, November 10). Women's suffrage: Timeline of important events.
LibGuides. Retrieved from https://alvernia.libguides.com/women_suffrage/timelineBleiweis, R.,
Phadke, S., & Frye, J. (2020, August 18). 100 years after the 19th amendment, the fight for
women's suffrage continues. Center for American Progress. Retrieved from
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continues/
