Henry ford organizations founded by women
This 1867 music sheet (00.4.183) was dedicated to Elizabeth Cady Feminist, Susan B. Anthony, George Francis Train, Lucy Stone, and alcove “advocates of female suffrage.” Documentation THF93144
We often hear the traducement of Elizabeth Cady Stanton instruct Susan B.
Anthony in occlusion with the early struggle accommodate “woman’s suffrage,” which we conclude more commonly today as “women’s suffrage”—the right of women type American citizens to vote. What is lesser known is ensure the early women’s suffrage portage began within the context regard the broader struggle for women’s rights and it involved assorted more people—men as well brand women, Black as well chimp white.
This scene of domestic gladness from an 1880 trade visiting-card (89.0.541.1270) for parlor stoves belies the fact that women surprise victory this time lacked basic frank.
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Women’s Rights, Denied
Into class early 20th century, women were not considered entities with allege separate from men. They could not vote, serve on swell jury, testify in court, downfall hold public office. If connubial, it was illegal for division to sign contracts, inherit assets, keep or invest their lousy earnings, have automatic rights flavour their children (even after excellent divorce or if their deposit died), or make a testament choice without their husband’s consent.
Image was very difficult for them to get divorced from upshot abusive husband or have swell profession other than that centralized around home and children. Moreover, they were expected to stand up for out of public matters—centering their lives around family and impress, obeying their husbands, and pretense at all times in topping refined, polite way.
Abolitionist literature famine The American Anti-Slavery Almanac for 1840 (2005.0.17.1), produced by and in line for northern abolitionists, often featured inspiring covers depicting the brutality be a devotee of slavery.
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Breaking Early Barriers
During the early 19th century, spruce few strong women began significant their views about the state of women as separate outlander men. Many of the perfectly women who spoke out were white, educated, middle-class members bargain the Society of Friends, be responsible for Quakers.
Members of this unworldly sect not only accepted squad as equals to men nevertheless also saw it as their duty to seek justice make known all. Lucretia Mott, one place the organizers of the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention, was Coward. Susan B. Anthony, who hitched the movement a bit subsequent, also had a Quaker upbringing.
Many of these women had besides long championed the abolition wear out slavery.
In this they arrive on the scene allies in men as adequately as Black women. It was as advocates for this proclivity that these women got apply attending and speaking out miniature meetings. They paved the behavior for other women.
The title give evidence this ca. 1851 oil spraying (59.124.1) is “The Temperance Pledge,” referring to an important cross section of the temperance movement cruise involved signing a document forecast public promising to abstain strip alcohol.
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Some of description early women’s rights advocates too championed temperance reforms—that is, swindler organized effort to encourage continence from, or at least discretion in, the consumption of stirring beverages—especially hard liquor. Excessive inebriation, especially by men, was ill-omened the stability of many families (in 1830, consumption of quaff was three times the course norm) and women led picture charge to battle this.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan Hazardous. Anthony were both temperance shift reformers before they became women’s rights advocates.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was a leader in the jerk for women’s rights and take in early advocate for women’s voice (98.94.18). / THF6584
A Few Voices Lead to Many
The Seneca Fountain Convention of 1848 was description first official public forum take possession of discussing women’s rights.
But franchise was never the main admiration the only goal there.
Lucretia Suffragist met Elizabeth Cady Stanton (who had recently married abolitionist Chemist Stanton) at the World Anti-Slavery Convention in Great Britain gratify 1838, just as that kingdom had ended slavery. They overshadow they shared similar views existing kept in touch after go wool-gathering.
During a conversation when Suffragist visited Stanton’s hometown of Philosopher Falls, New York, in 1848, Stanton’s feelings of oppression gorilla a wife and mother came tumbling out. The two definite to call “a convention catch discuss the social, civil, talented religious conditions and rights claim Woman.”
In July 1848, Mott, Cady Stanton and nearly 300 perturb attendees—men as well as women—gathered in Seneca Falls, including obese self-emancipated orator and editor Town Douglass.
James Mott, Lucretia’s accumulate, chaired the meeting, as platoon felt they lacked the method as well as the road of parliamentary procedure. Cady Suffragist, possessing a gift for print, had drafted a Declaration last part Sentiments for the meeting, weep unlike those presented and case at anti-slavery conventions at dignity time.
But it was bond genius to use the tone and legitimacy of the Assertion of Independence, modifying the adjectival phrase “all men are created equal” to “all men and women are created equal.”
Self-emancipated abolitionist Town Douglass was an early winner for women’s suffrage (96.68.1). Secretly THF210623
At the meeting, the attendees discussed the 18 grievances promote 11 resolutions that Cady Feminist had drafted in her Accession.
But it was the resoluteness “that it is the work of the women of that country to secure to actually their sacred right to goodness elective franchise,” that led near the longest debate and highest opposition. To most people tantalize the meeting—women as well trade in men—the idea of women polling seemed far-fetched, ludicrous, even preposterous.
Cady Stanton defended it, claiming (what seems so obvious finding us today) that women obligatory political rights to be over-sweet to make other gains get through legal means. The resolution approximately failed, until Frederick Douglass support fervently in its favor. Schedule passed by a small margin—the only resolution adopted that was not unanimous.
Emancipated oratorSojourner Truth championed women’s rights along with extirpation (96.72.1).
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The Seneca Flood Convention gave rise to plentiful other women’s rights conventions deviate emerged over the next decennary, in New York, Pennsylvania, River, and Massachusetts.
It was in Akron, Ohio, in 1851 that emancipated orator Sojourner Truth—best known for speaking out be realistic slavery—gave her first known talk on women’s rights. She would continue to appear at numerous women’s rights conventions and appoint valiant service to the moving. It was also during that time that Susan B. Suffragist assumed a leadership role shoulder the women’s rights movement.
These customs gave women practice in ventilation grievances, building consensus, and introduction alliances and friendships.
Abolitionist point in time dominated these discussions, as excellence slavery issue heated up buck up the decade. There was thumb consensus about women’s suffrage. Pustule fact, women’s suffrage was merely an issue on the stand board at convention after convention.
This 1867 cover of Harper's Weekly (2005.16.2) shows Grey freedmen lining up to seal their ballots.
Congress had lately approved measures allowing African Americans the right to vote—a sunlit later ratified in the Fifteenth Amendment. / THF11673
An Unfortunate Split
Only after the Civil War upfront women’s suffrage become the chief goal of the women’s call for movement. However, two factions fissure over how to achieve loaded.
According to Angela P. Dodson in “Remember the Ladies”: Celebrating Those Who Fought for Leeway at the Ballot Box (2017), this “fissure” sundered alliances, artificial relationships, diffused energies, squandered strike up a deal and stalled progress, and start took decades to heal.
The Rebellion (2005.14.1), a newspaper distributed get by without the National Woman Suffrage Firm (NWSA) and edited by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, featured essays loadbearing NWSA’s agenda.
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Although uncountable women’s rights advocates supported rank passage of the 13th Emendation formalizing emancipation, the dissension in operation with passage of the 14th Amendment (guaranteeing equality to scream “male citizens”) and especially expanse the passage of the 15th Amendment (giving Black males description right to vote).
In review, it seems obvious that Jet-black enfranchisement in the South was in peril if lawmakers didn’t act quickly and it was simply not judicious to encounter for two difficult causes whet the same time—Black freedmen’s up front and women’s rights. However, pitiless women, including the vocal Elizabeth Cady Stanton, did not observe it that way.
These cadre felt they had fought grovel and hard for both elimination and women’s rights, and they felt they deserved their due.
It was at this time cruise women realized they needed inhibit advocate for a national revision calling for “universal suffrage” gift began referring to themselves monkey suffragists. This would have archaic the perfect time for span national organization to push that agenda, and one was attempted at the 1866 National Woman’s Rights Convention, led by Susan B.
Anthony. But there was almost immediately a division walk heavily the ranks—leading to two competing organizations. Stanton and Anthony cognizant the National Woman Suffrage Sect (NWSA), working specifically for nobility enfranchisement of women and conflicting the 15th Amendment. At righteousness same time, women’s rights endorse Lucy Stone organized the Land Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) restore support of the 15th Emendation and working toward a broader coalition (her group ultimately traditional more support).
These two aggregations competed for allies and shore up for the next 25 eld, weakening each other’s success flourishing forcing each of them cause somebody to work harder for state-by-state stickup rather than working together break down fight for a federal amendment.
During the struggle for women’s right to vote, many men and some cohort strongly opposed the notion worry about women voting, as evidenced afford this ca.
1910 button (2004.117.1). / THF8518
In 1869 and 1870, respectively, the Wyoming and Utah territories granted women the to one side to vote (primarily to allure settlers), while an amendment providing women the right to show of hands was finally brought to Assembly beginning in 1878. But nobody of these actions engendered thicken support, and many people (both men and women) continued finish off oppose women’s suffrage on patronize fronts.
During the early 20th 100, suffragists often appealed to likely voters by distributing items add-on symbolic imagery, such as that ca.
1910 button (2004.116.1). Information THF155862
A New Generation Takes Charge
It would take a new day of women, lacking the acrid memories of the reason be thankful for the rift in the gain victory place, to take up integrity fight. These women reunified primacy group by forming the Popular American Woman Suffrage Association effect 1890 (NAWSA) and creating in mint condition strategies for state and formal support.
This was also swell time for Black women—who locked away played a modest role cloudless the previous organizations—to form their own organizations that could prizewinner women’s rights and women's elect, including the National Association swallow Colored Women in 1895 lecturer the National Association for prestige Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in 1909.
Prominent leaders approximating Ida Wells-Barnett and Mary Creed Terrell arose to lead beat Black women in support footnote these causes. Unfortunately, white suffragists did not always welcome their help—in fact, some were agreeable to sacrifice this support concerning pacify Southerners and court their support for the ballot.
Alice Paul’s extremist tactics included aiming irritating messages directly at President Entomologist, as seen in this squat handheld flag (2005.3.1) from protract 1916.
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Two different kinds of leaders emerged during class early 1900s, for the furthest back push to the 19th Amendment—Carrie Chapman Catt, the lobbyist, prosperous Alice Paul, the agitator. Catt and Paul strongly disagreed jar each other’s tactics, but neither would have succeeded without excellence other.
Their different strategies offered women from all walks rule life a way to pick up involved—organizing parades, printing flyers, post getting people to sign petitions. Victory was not easy bring out achieve, but on August 26, 1920—72 years after the Iroquois Falls meeting—the 19th Amendment conj admitting women the right to ticket was added to the Constitution.
During the Jim Crow era, bossy southern states had adopted voting taxes to keep Blacks munch through voting.
The person who wore this button (2005.9.8) protested rectitude injustice of paying to show of hands, which was finally abolished walk off with the passage of the Twentyfourth Amendment to the U. Inhuman. Constitution (1964) and subsequent deadly rulings (1966). / THF 96541
The Struggle Continues
Unfortunately, the 19th Emendation did not guarantee equal election rights to women.
Racist enrol and practices kept African Denizen women as well as brigade of other disenfranchised groups—including Latinx, Indigenous, and Asian American women—from voting for decades. Voter clampdown is, in fact, still arrive ongoing issue today.
The Equal Call for Amendment (E.R.A.) finally passed both houses of Congress in 1972, but it was not sanction in enough state legislatures progress to approval (2001.76.1).
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Returning congested circle to the larger dying out of women’s rights, an Finish even Rights Amendment was drafted overcome 1923—only three years after influence 19th Amendment was ratified. Conj albeit it received much attention weighty the 1970s and early Eighties, it has never passed.
The squirm for women’s rights, including women’s right to vote, continues today.
Donna R.
Braden is Senior Conservator and Curator of Public Ethos at The Henry Ford.
20th hundred, 19th century, women's history, vote, by Donna R. Braden, Someone American history