It seems almost unreal that at one point in history, women were denied rights as basic as voting. Looking at how far the feminist movement has come since the 1920s is amazing- it shows that fighting for what you believe in is worth it. Strong, incredible women have worked so hard over the past century to help their sisters be treated as equals, and now, even more passionate feminists have taken over to educate the world and fight for this cause. Over the span of almost 100 years, the movement of feminism has come a long way. However, the fight is far from over. By continuing to campaign and raise awareness, feminists will one day be able to make a serious change in this country.
The first gathering devoted to women’s rights took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). It was lead by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, with 100 people in attendance. The crowd was mainly women with ⅓ of the attendees being male. At the meeting, Stanton composed a document similar to the Declaration of Independence- she called it a “Declaration of Sentiments, Grievance, and Resolutions.” In the document, she made sure to include the phrase “All men and women are created equal”, to further echo the Declaration of Independence (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). Three years later, Elizabeth Stanton formed an alliance as women’s rights activists with a teacher-turned-temperance activist named Susan B. Anthony (Harper). Their bond lasted a lifetime, and they spent their days fighting for basic economic rights for women. Some of their efforts include their leadership of the Woman’s State Temperance Society in 1854 and the foundation of the Women’s Loyal National League during the Civil War, the American Equal Rights Association in 1866, and the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 (Harper). Stanton and Anthony even went to Congress and tried to get women included in the 14th and 15th amendments, but, unfortunately, were unsuccessful (“Women in the Progressive Era”). In 1860, thanks to a speech given by Stanton to the New York state legislature, the Married Women’s Property Law became law. With this came the right for married women to “own property, engage in business, manage their wages and other income, sue and be sued, and be joint guardian of their children” (Harper). In May of 1869, Anthony and Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association. The NWSA was devoted to gaining women an amendment for the right to vote (Harper). In November of 1869, antislavery and women’s rights activist Lucy Stone formed an organization separate from the NWSA- she called it the American Woman Suffrage Association- AWSA. Early members of AWSA favored Stone’s new organization over the NWSA because it was racist, or so they claimed (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). Another colossal event that occurred during the suffragist movement happened in 1878. A California senator named Aaron Sargent proposed an amendment that would allow women to vote (The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). Unfortunately, the amendment did not pass. However, it is important to note that this was a big …show more content…
In the 2014 documentary She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, early NOW member Jacqui Ceballos commented that when the organization was just beginning, the women involved mainly focused on job and education inequalities and the wage gap. According to Ceballos, they educated women on how to fight discrimination in the workplace, as well as how to sue their own companies for discrimination. Since NOW has been founded, “The Foundation works to enhance the status of women in the United States and around the world through many strategies, including advocacy, litigation, and education. The litigation efforts of the Foundation seek to protect reproductive health options, as well as focusing on other areas of concern to women, such as pregnancy discrimination, employment issues, discrimination against women in the military, sexual harassment and exploitation, lesbian and gay rights, civil rights, sex discrimination in insurance, and ending violence against women” (“Foundation Mission Statement”). Clearly, the organization focuses on much different topics today, but it is important to note that NOW is still standing strong, and with over 500,000 members all across the country, it is the largest feminist organization in the United States (now.org)
The first gathering devoted to women’s rights took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848 (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). It was lead by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott, with 100 people in attendance. The crowd was mainly women with ⅓ of the attendees being male. At the meeting, Stanton composed a document similar to the Declaration of Independence- she called it a “Declaration of Sentiments, Grievance, and Resolutions.” In the document, she made sure to include the phrase “All men and women are created equal”, to further echo the Declaration of Independence (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). Three years later, Elizabeth Stanton formed an alliance as women’s rights activists with a teacher-turned-temperance activist named Susan B. Anthony (Harper). Their bond lasted a lifetime, and they spent their days fighting for basic economic rights for women. Some of their efforts include their leadership of the Woman’s State Temperance Society in 1854 and the foundation of the Women’s Loyal National League during the Civil War, the American Equal Rights Association in 1866, and the National Woman Suffrage Association in 1869 (Harper). Stanton and Anthony even went to Congress and tried to get women included in the 14th and 15th amendments, but, unfortunately, were unsuccessful (“Women in the Progressive Era”). In 1860, thanks to a speech given by Stanton to the New York state legislature, the Married Women’s Property Law became law. With this came the right for married women to “own property, engage in business, manage their wages and other income, sue and be sued, and be joint guardian of their children” (Harper). In May of 1869, Anthony and Stanton founded the National Woman Suffrage Association. The NWSA was devoted to gaining women an amendment for the right to vote (Harper). In November of 1869, antislavery and women’s rights activist Lucy Stone formed an organization separate from the NWSA- she called it the American Woman Suffrage Association- AWSA. Early members of AWSA favored Stone’s new organization over the NWSA because it was racist, or so they claimed (“The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). Another colossal event that occurred during the suffragist movement happened in 1878. A California senator named Aaron Sargent proposed an amendment that would allow women to vote (The Women’s Rights Movement, 1848-1920”). Unfortunately, the amendment did not pass. However, it is important to note that this was a big …show more content…
In the 2014 documentary She’s Beautiful When She’s Angry, early NOW member Jacqui Ceballos commented that when the organization was just beginning, the women involved mainly focused on job and education inequalities and the wage gap. According to Ceballos, they educated women on how to fight discrimination in the workplace, as well as how to sue their own companies for discrimination. Since NOW has been founded, “The Foundation works to enhance the status of women in the United States and around the world through many strategies, including advocacy, litigation, and education. The litigation efforts of the Foundation seek to protect reproductive health options, as well as focusing on other areas of concern to women, such as pregnancy discrimination, employment issues, discrimination against women in the military, sexual harassment and exploitation, lesbian and gay rights, civil rights, sex discrimination in insurance, and ending violence against women” (“Foundation Mission Statement”). Clearly, the organization focuses on much different topics today, but it is important to note that NOW is still standing strong, and with over 500,000 members all across the country, it is the largest feminist organization in the United States (now.org)