Womens Rights

Women's Suffrage

When America was founded woman had no rights, it wasn't until 1842 when a women named Elizabeth Cady Stanton told a few woman that women had just as much rights as men. After several years of planning in 1948 she held the first meeting for woman's rights. In 1851 she was introduced to Susan b. Anthony where from there became lifelong friends. Susan b. Anthony was a more radical type and when she was 18 got arrested for illegal voting. When her trial was held she pleaded not guilty claiming that it is not illegal for a citizen of the United States of America to vote. Though she did not go to jail she was charged with a $100 fee which she refused to pay and no one enforced her to. Another woman named Isabella Baumfree was sold when she was nine years old she sold with a flock of sheep that for her and the sheep sold for $100. After living a very hard life, being beaten and raped daily, and accused of murder. She was set free. Soon after she started speaking publicly about woman's rights her most well known speech is 'Ain't I a Woman?'. Another very important person in the woman's suffrage was Annie Wittenmyer was founder of the woman's Christian temperance union. Not only did they fight for woman's rights they fought for all things un-pure such as no drinking, prostitution, abortion, etc. The woman's trade union league (also very important) pushed several groups to being pro-suffrage such as the American Federation of Labor.

When woman proposed this bill it took several years to pass. The bill for woman's rights was first proposed in 1878 and took until August 18 of 1920(42 years) that is a long time. The reason it took so long is because it has to go through a process. First a person (in this case would be the woman) makes the bill and sends it in. The bill then goes to the senate there are 100 senators (two for each state) but the bill only has to pass fifty votes in order to go to the next step. The next step is the House of Representatives the House of Representatives have no set number because it varies with the population of each state 200 or so to pass to the next step. The next step is the president, the president can v-tow the message or can pass the bill and then it becomes a law the bill was not passed until 1920 when Woodrow0 Wilson was in office and it became the 19th amendment. There are several other women that had involvement in the woman's suffrage. Such as Carrie Chapman Catt who became the leader of organizing for the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Or like Charlotte Woodward was the only participant in the 1848 Convention who was still alive to be able to cast a vote, though she was apparently too ill to actually cast a ballot. Somewhat like Alice Duer Miller who used humor tactics to fight for her rights. Women are still fighting to this day for the same rights as men.