Introduction
The place of women in politics was a controversial topic in the nineteenth century. Although women could vote in some states in the late 1700s and early 1800s, their rights were later revoked due to the perceived lack of financial contribution to society (Wayne, 2020). In the 1840s, the view that women should be able to vote became more apparent in the United States. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 was considered a significant turning point and a start for the women’s suffrage movement (Wayne, 2020). The right to participate in elections, otherwise known as suffrage, became the center of the women’s rights movement almost a century following this event. However, some group members viewed the initiative’s outcome differently, pursuing the views of temperance, racial inequality, and family protection. The suffrage movement was strongly affected by anti-suffrage beliefs and fears of racial equality, which contributed to the splintered message from advocates for the Nineteenth Amendment.
Analysis
The attention to women’s voting rights increased in the 1840s and later due to several factors. First, the abolition of slavery became a strong catalyst for change, as it centered on considering the equal rights of black people and their recognition as U.S. citizens. This role was linked to the ability to vote, and some abolitionists expanded their message to improve women’s status in society (Wayne, 2020). Such groups as the American Anti-Slavery Society (AAAS) had female members who could organize and speak on behalf of the organization (Wayne, 2020). Second, the start of the official movement for women’s rights brought the struggles of female activists to light, encouraging other people to support suffrage. Later, the end of World War I shifted societal priorities and expedited the process of ratifying the Nineteenth Amendment (Wayne, 2020). As women gained more independence and became the solely responsible members of their households, the perception of them in society changed, allowing for a better reception of the new voting rights change.
The events leading to the development of the Nineteenth Amendment demonstrate the essential role of abolitionists and black suffragists in advancing the movement. Some early abolitionist supporters were Sarah Grimké and Lucretia Mott – the two women were advocates and speakers in the AAAS while also highlighting the need for gender equality (Wayne, 2020). Their work contributed to the creation of the first women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls in 1848, which is seen as the start of the suffrage movement in the U.S. (Wayne, 2020). At the convention, the attendees debated the inclusion of women’s suffrage into the list of resolutions for the group to promote. With the influence of Douglass – a prominent abolitionist and supporter of women’s suffrage – this resolution was approved to be signed by the members (Wayne, 2020). As a result, the fight for women’s voting rights became a major advocacy movement.
However, following the events of the Civil War, the sentiments supporting slavery abolition and women’s suffrage changed. On the one hand, the war required women to divert their energy to participate in the conflict (The U.S. Senate, 2023). On the other hand, the sentiments of the war created a rift between the suffrage movement members. The division was further strengthened when the Fifteenth Amendment was introduced in 1869, as it was promised to give black men the right to vote (Wayne, 2020). Some suffragists feared racial equality would meddle with their efforts to improve women’s place in society. Among the opposers to black people’s voting rights were Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, two of the suffrage movement leaders and significant contributors to the Seneca Falls Convention (Thomas, 2020). Referring to the Fifteenth Amendment, they believed that middle-class white women were more deserving of getting voting rights than black men (Thomas, 2020). At the same time, such rhetoric was a chance to shift the message away from racial equality toward equality for all white Americans.
Another critical and controversial suffragist group was supported by the temperance movement. In 1874, Annie Wittenmyer created the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), which argued for women’s suffrage to gain leverage in the fight against alcohol consumption (Wayne, 2020). This organization appealed to conservative people who did not want to take part in politics but wished to introduce liquor bans. Wittenmyer also appropriated a rhetoric that negatively described black people and their consumption of alcohol, emphasizing the role of women in the ability to stop intemperance (Wayne, 2020). As can be seen, the suffrage movement had many separate groups that pursued their interests while advocating for voting rights for women. Nonetheless, the discrepancy between their advocacy did not lead to its failure, and the Nineteenth Amendment was adopted in 1920 (The U.S. House of Representatives, 2023). After almost a century of advocacy, women gained the right to vote, although black women and men still faced problems with suffrage despite both amendments being enacted.
The consequences of women’s suffrage are seen to this day. First, women gained the right to participate in elections and referendums, which allowed women to continue pursuing equality and affecting the course of political change. Politicians, encountering a new wave of voters, shifted their priorities to social changes that interested women, including health, children’s safety, reproduction, and school issues (Thomas, 2020). Furthermore, women started participating in elections as candidates and taking positions in the government. As a result, women’s place in politics has evolved significantly, introducing a way of legally affecting national and international policy. However, it also became a point of contention for black women living in southern states (Thomas, 2020). The ratification of the amendment did not simplify the voting process for them due to the obstruction of black voters (Thomas, 2020). As such, the history of the Nineteenth Amendment reveals the lack of attention to the needs of black women and the focus on white women’s rights, as can be seen through the assumed roles of such advocates as Anthony and Stanton.
Conclusion
Women’s suffrage is important to me because it was a major event in political and social history and was a significant step toward equality. Simultaneously, I chose to investigate the suffrage movement in connection to the Nineteenth Amendment to see the underlying issues connected to these events. Some records display only the positive outcomes of the suffrage activism while negating to show the major conflicts that contributed to racism and voter obstruction that lasted for several decades after the amendments’ establishment.
Researching this event and looking at various sources has enriched my understanding of the narratives that described women’s suffrage in the U.S. I still believe that the movement was foundational for women’s rights, but I see that it did not account for all women equally. To further research the proposed thesis statement, a historian would expand on it by looking at additional primary and secondary sources. The next steps would be to find the speeches that all activists made in relation to the amendments, abolition, voting rights, and equality. Furthermore, one could trace the timeline of how different events led to divisive statements and their effects on the public’s view of suffrage.
References
The U.S. House of Representatives. (2023). House Joint Resolution 1 regarding the 19th Amendment. DocsTeach. Web.
The U.S. Senate. (2023). Petition from Women Voters Anti-Suffrage Party of New York to the Senate. DocsTeach. Web.
Thomas, T. (2020). Reclaiming the long history of the “irrelevant” Nineteenth Amendment for gender equality. Minnesota Law Review, 105, 2623–2657.
Wayne, T. K. (Ed.). (2020). Women’s suffrage: The complete guide to the nineteenth amendment. ABC-CLIO.