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In the United States, women were first allowed to participate in politics in the early 1800s. This right was gained slowly and incrementally, with various states and territories extending voting rights to women at different times. The first major breakthrough came in 1869 when the Wyoming Territory granted women the right to vote. This event paved the way for other states to follow suit, and by 1920, all women in the United States had the right to vote.
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The Progressive Era
In the late 1800s and early 1900s, the United States was undergoing a period of reform. One of the aspects of this reform was women’s suffrage, or the right to vote. Women had been fighting for the right to vote for many years. Finally, in 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution was ratified, and women were given the right to vote.
Women gain the right to vote
Women gain the right to vote
In the early 1900s, women in the United States were fighting for the right to vote. This was called the women’s suffrage movement. The progress of this movement was slow at first. But, by 1920, all American women had won the right to vote.
The women’s suffrage movement started in 1848. That is when Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott held a meeting in Seneca Falls, New York. They wanted to discuss the problems that women faced in America. More than 300 people came to this meeting! After this meeting, Stanton and Mott became leaders of the suffrage movement.
In 1869, Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA). The goal of this organization was to get a law passed that would allow women to vote. But, NWSA did not want just any law passed. They wanted a constitutional amendment passed that would guarantee women the right to vote. This was a very difficult task because it required approval from two-thirds of Congress and three-fourths of state legislatures.
In 1890, another woman’s suffrage organization was formed. It was called the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). AWSA took a different approach from NWSA. They believed that it would be easier to get state laws passed that would allow women to vote instead of trying to get a constitutional amendment passed . Lucy Stone was a leader of AWSA .
By 1900, some states had passed laws that allowed women to vote in presidential elections . These states were Wyoming , Colorado , Utah , and Idaho . In 1916, Jeannette Rankin from Montana became the first woman elected to Congress . Two years later, she voted against declaring war on Germany .
The 19th Amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote was finally ratified on August 18th, 1920 . This was a huge victory for all American women!
The Civil Rights Movement
Women have always been involved in politics, but it was not until the Civil Rights Movement that they were truly allowed to participate and have a voice. This movement allowed for a more equal society, and gave women the opportunity to fight for their rights. Let’s take a look at how this all started.
Women gain more political rights
In the late 1800s, a movement to grant women more political rights, known as the women’s suffrage movement, gathered momentum in the United States. During this time, women were not allowed to vote and had very few political rights. The women’s suffrage movement was a long and difficult struggle that took many years to succeed.
In 1848, a group of activists convened the first-ever women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. At this convention, attendees adopted the “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions,” which called for equal treatment of women under the law and advocated for women’s suffrage. Over the next several decades, activists worked tirelessly to promote the cause of women’s suffrage. In 1920, their efforts finally paid off when the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was passed, granting women the right to vote.
although women had gained the right to vote, they still faced many obstacles when it came to participating in politics. It wasn’t until much later that women began to be elected to political office in significant numbers. In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro became the first woman to be nominated for vice president by a major political party. And in 2016, Hillary Clinton became the first woman to be nominated for president by a major political party.
The Modern Era
It wasn’t until the early 1900’s that women in the United States were allowed to participate in politics. Prior to this time, women were seen as property of their husbands and were not allowed to own property or vote. This all changed with the help of some very strong and influential women.
Women gain even more political rights
In the years following the Civil War, the United States saw a significant expansion of political rights for its citizens. One of the most important groups to gain greater political equality was women. Although women had been active in reform movements prior to the Civil War, they did not gain the right to vote until after the war ended.
During the Reconstruction era (1865-1877), many southern states passed laws that granted women increased political rights, including the right to vote and hold office. However, these laws were later overturned by conservative white lawmakers during the Jim Crow era (1876-1965). It wasn’t until 1920 that all American women were guaranteed the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.
Despite winning this important political victory, women continued to face discrimination in other areas of public life. It wasn’t until 1964 that women were guaranteed equal protection under the law with the passage of the Civil Rights Act. And it wasn’t until 1972 that all American women were guaranteed access to abortion with the passage of Roe v. Wade.
Although women have made great strides in achieving political equality over the past century, there is still more work to be done. Today, women make up only a small fraction of both state and federal elected officials in the United States. And while a record number of women were elected to Congress in 2018, they still only hold a little over 20% of seats in both chambers. There is also a significant gender pay gap in both politics and other professions, with women often earning less than their male counterparts for doing equal work.
