Brief History of Women's Rights in America
Women's suffrage has roots in the abolition and temperance movements of the 19th century. In 1848, the first Women's Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. Over the next 70 years, many generations of women would fight for equality in a variety of ways, including educational campaigns, lectures, parades and protests.
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Background
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When abolitionists Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott attended the World Anti-Slavery Convention in London in 1840, they were not allowed to participate in the proceedings because they were women. Upon returning home, Stanton and Mott began planning the first ever Women's Rights Convention.
Organization
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The convention was held July 19-20, 1848 at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls, New York. Three hundred men and women, including famous abolitionist Frederick Douglass, spent two days examining the social, civil and religious condition of women.
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Mobilization
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The convention delegates signed a document called the "Declaration of Sentiments," which was modeled after the Declaration of Independence. It outlined the ways in which men had oppressed women by not allowing them to vote and laid the groundwork for the women's movement of the 19th century.
Effects
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After the Civil War, women were bitterly disappointed when former male slaves were given the right to vote through a constitutional amendment, but women were not. Two organizations moved forward to achieve women's rights--the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association.
Advancements
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By 1890, the two groups had merged into one. In 1900, Carrie Chapman Catt led the new combined group with her "winning plan." The focus shifted from education to agitation, and women became more vocal and more visible.
Results
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In 1916, Jeanette Rankin was elected to the House of Representatives and opened the debate on women's suffrage. In 1919, the 19th amendment was passed, finally granting women the right to vote.
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