For the second time in eight years, the United States has a woman candidate on the Presidential ballot. But not many know that in the oldest democracy in the world, women didn’t have the right to vote until just over 100 years ago. The American women’s struggle for the right to vote was a long and arduous one spanning several decades before the 19th Amendment was passed in 1920.
This movement not only transformed the political landscape of the nation but also laid the groundwork for future generations to continue advocating for gender equality and civil rights.
The roots of the suffrage movement can be traced back to the early 19th century, alongside the fight against slavery. Women like Lucretia Mott emerged as advocates within the anti-slavery movement. When Elizabeth Cady Stanton aligned herself with these antislavery efforts, she and Mott recognised that both women’s rights and the rights of enslaved individuals required urgent attention and reform.
They issued a call for a convention to address women’s rights in 1848. The gathering took place in Stanton’s hometown, Seneca Falls, New York, on July 19 and 20, 1848. The convention produced a declaration, advocating for women’s suffrage and their right to educational and employment opportunities. It also marked the beginning of a formalised effort to secure voting rights for women and ignited a passionate debate about gender equality in the US.
Throughout the latter half of the 19th century, women suffragists employed various strategies to advance their cause. They organised rallies, wrote articles and lobbied legislators to gain support for their movement.
Notable figures such as Susan B. Anthony – a dynamic suffragist leader – and Sojourner Truth – a former slave, and an outspoken advocate for abolition, temperance and civil and women’s rights – emerged. They highlighted the injustices women faced and argued for their right to participate in US elections.
Anthony, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, co-founded the National Woman Suffrage Association. They also launched a weekly publication called The Revolution for Women’s rights. The publication’s masthead read: “Men, their rights, and nothing more; women, their rights, and nothing less.”
Anthony was arrested in 1872 for casting her vote in the US elections, despite it being illegal for her. Following her act of defiance, she was arrested and put on trial, where she fought against the charges but ultimately faced conviction. She was fined $100, a penalty she refused to pay.
World War I provided a major turning point for the suffrage movement. As women took on roles traditionally held by men in the workforce, their contributions during the war further highlighted the importance of their participation in US elections. The societal shift contributed to a growing acceptance of women’s suffrage.
The tireless efforts of suffragists finally bore fruit when the 19th Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920. On August 26, the Nineteenth Amendment was officially declared by the Secretary of State as part of the Constitution of the United States. This announcement enfranchised women, granting them the right to vote in the US elections on an equal basis with men.
