Women’s Suffrage: Fighting for Rights to Vote

News flash.... Women weren't given the right to vote until 1920. Would you believe that it was 64 years after white men were allowed to vote? The women's suffrage movement was possible because of influential women like Elizabeth cady stanton. One of her famous quotes was, “The moment we begin to fear the opinions of others and hesitate to tell the truth that is in us, and from motives of policy are silent when we should speak, the divine floods of light and life no longer flow into our souls.” The women's suffrage movement lasted for 80 years, there were men and women for equal rights as well as men and women against equal rights.

In 1840 Lucretia mott and Elisabith cady stanton were forced to leave an anti-slavery convetion in london, this then promotes them to hold a womens convention in the us. It is now 1848 the first women's rights convention was held in Seneca falls when Elisabeth cady stanton wrote “the declaration of segments” creating women's activism for many years to come.later on in 1866 Susan b. Anthony and Elisabith cady stanton form the american equal rights association.Now it is 1871 Victoria Woodhull addresses the House Judiciary Committee, arguing women’s rights to vote The Anti-Suffrage Party is founded.1890 NWSA and AWSA merge and the National American Woman Suffrage Association is formed( Stanton is the first president) the Movement focuses efforts on securing suffrage at the state level. Wyoming is admitted to the Union with a state constitution granting women suffrage. The American Federation of Labor declares support for woman suffrage. The South Dakota campaign for woman suffrage loses.President Woodrow Wilson states his support for a federal woman suffrage amendment.In 1918 President Wilson confronts the Senate about adopting woman suffrage at the end of World War I. Finally in 1920 women win full voting rights.

The most well known women to be pro women’s suffrage were Elisabeth cady stanton, Susan B. anthony, Lucy Stone and Sojourner truth. Lucy Stone is possibly best known for refusing to change her last name when she married the abolitionist Henry Blackwell in 1855. Another great was Ida B. Wells best known for her work as a crusading journalist and anti-lynching activist, while work.ing as a schoolteacher in Memphis, Wells wrote for the city’s black newspaper, The Free Speech.Sojourner truth was born in to slavery but she is well known for her “ain’t I a woman” speech and she becam a very powerful womens activist. President Woodrow Wilson was also an important part in women's suffrage.

Anti-suffragists were a group of women who were fighting for women to not have the right to vote and they formed a group. the group consisted of Josephine Jewell Dodge, Mrs. William Force Scott and Kate Douglas Wiggin. Josephine Jewell Dodge was the president of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage for some time. “Mrs. William Force Scott in the New York Times reported the story on April 24 under the headline: 'SUFFRAGETTES MEET THE ANTIS IN DEBATE.' She was speaking for the anti suffragists side, She explained to the crowd the inherent right to vote does not exist.Kate Douglas Wiggin told a group of anti-suffragists that she would have woman strong enough to be important in the background so that women never get the public attention.”

Women’s suffrage was a long journey for women. after years of fighting, women earned the right to vote, even with the hard obstacles they faced. Without courageous women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who wrote, “The Declaration of Segments,” women’s suffrage would have probably never taken place. It is because of the dedication of these women that history was changed. Without their sacrifices and commitment- women may never have been given the right to vote.