Women's Rights Movement Essay

The Women’s Rights Movement is said to have reached its peak when women were given the right to vote, but we know this is not true as women still fight for what they think is their right to abortion and equal pay. The Women’s Right Movement began at the end of the 18th Century to the beginning of the 19th century but didn’t gain moment until the 1830’s to 1840. In response to the Panic of 1837, in 1839, Mississippi was one of the first states to grant women the right to own property with one stipulation: they had to have their husband’s permission. This may have been a small step in the right direction but it still wasn’t any right that was freely a woman’s choice. Maryland followed suit in 1843 and Arkansas was next in 1846, each passing similar laws. (Speth, 2011) A large step in the right direction was taken at the Seneca Falls Convention in Seneca, New York in July 1848. This was the first large gathering of people with the sole interest in women’s rights organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. The significance of this event was the drafting of the Declaration of Sentiments that was modeled after the Preamble of the Declaration of Independence. According to the National Endowment of Humanities, the opening words of the Declaration of Sentiments stated: "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal; that they are endowed by their Creator with certain inalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness." (n.d). Although this raised awareness that women were wanting their rights, the movement lost moment in the 1850’s as racial tensions rose leading into the Civil War. Following the Civil War, the 15th amendment was ratified giving black men the right to vote. On December 10, 1869 the territory of Wyoming passed the following law: “That every woman of the age of twenty-one years, residing in this territory, may, at every election to be holden under the laws thereof, cast her vote. And her rights to the elective franchise and to hold office shall be the same …show more content…
In 1916, Margaret Sanger challenged the anti-contraception laws of New York by establishing a Brooklyn clinic which became the start of what would become Planned Parenthood. In 1918, in the case of New York v. Sanger, Sanger wins the right to advise married patients of birth control for health purposes.(NWHP,n.d.) Come World War One, men were shown just how equal women were. Men left to fight for the United States and women were left to take over the jobs that were previously held by only men as well as the new jobs that were created by the needs of the war. After women successfully proved their worth, the 19th amendment was passed in 1920 giving women the right to vote.(NWHP,n.d.) According to some people, this was the end of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. However, some women will disagree. In 1938, the Fair Labor Standards Act set the minimum wage regardless of sex. In 1963, the Equal Pay Act was passed promising equal wages for equal work with no discrimination of race, color, religion, national origin or sex. Despite both laws, the battle continues for equal healthcare access and equal pay in the 21st century.