Women's Suffrage Movement

  1. Seneca Falls (1848)
    1. "Declaration of Sentiments"
      1. "We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal..."
      2. "repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman"
    2. Declaration of Principles
      1. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
      2. "Resolved, that it is the sacred duty of the women of this country to secure to themselves their sacred right to the elective franchise"
  2. Split over 15th amendment (1869)
    1. National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA)
      1. Stanton & Susan B. Anthony against
    2. American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA)
      1. Lucy Stone for
    3. National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA)
      1. 2 organizations merge in 1890
  3. The West
    1. Hope for suffrage comes from west
      1. 1869: Wyoming
      2. Utah: territory (1870); state (1896)
      3. Colorado (1893), Idaho (1896)
      4. Later round: Washington (1910); california (1911); Oregon (1912); Kansas (1912); Arizona (1912)
    2. Why?
      1. Frontier conditions undermined traditional gender roles
      2. Women proved ability to conquer difficult conditions & do "men's" work
      3. Alternative theory: politicians hoped women would help "civilize" the west
  4. Video: One Woman, One Vote
    1. 2-hr PBS special on 75th anniversary of constitutional amendment (19th; 1920):
    2. "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex."