Women's Rights In The Progressive Era

During Progressive Era, there were many reforms that occurred, such as Child Labor Reform or Pure Food and Drug Act. Women Suffrage Movement was the last remarkable reform. This movement was fighting about the right of women to vote, which was basically about women’s right movement. Many great leaders – Elizabeth Cad Stanton and Susan B. Anthony - formed the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Although those influential leaders faced hardship during this movement, they never gave up and kept trying their best. This movement was occurred in New York that has a huge impact on the whole United States.

Suffrage means to have the right to vote in political elections. This concept is an ideal meaning for women throughout history, especially for the women population between late 1800’s and early 1900’s. Women suffrage commenced at the Seneca Falls, which later on had escalated to Unions, then led to the 15th and 19th amendment. Of course, the men of that time had belittled the women who believed that they were more than merely the traditional mothers and wives. Although, suffrage is not only just for females, but to the Black population too; both males and females. With determination and the passion burning within them, women and African Americans alike, had reached the right for suffrage.

During the Progressive era women had to endure a lot of suffering due to poor living conditions, illness, earning wages no matter what age or race they were. Women activists decided it was time to start speaking out and protesting to receive more equality in society. Different groups of activists, made up of women, fought for women’s rights socially, economically, and politically. Some activists were better known for women’s sexuality. Jane Addams was one of the first women activists who fought for equal wages for women. From Jane Addams speech in 1908, “Possibly the first step towards restoration is publicity as to industrial affairs, for we are all able to see only those things to which we bring the informing mind." Jane Addams and Florence Kelly are two women who were for African American rights especially for voting.

Why did it take so long for America to allow women’s suffrage during the Progressive Era? Progressives in America did analyze and attempt to solve the unjust and unfair problems that emerged with the increasing number of immigrants, unregulated businesses, urban cities, and economic disparity. There was exploitation of people by the rich and powerful. Even though women contributed behind the scenes during wars and started to represent in work forces, there was still opposition towards their right to vote. At that time, men of the country probably had the notion that women were still not educated enough to be involved in politics. Similar to children, they weren’t wise and wouldn’t be able to make radical decisions. The women’s fight for suffrage

The early women’s rights organization was developed based upon the standards and experiences of different endeavors to promote social justice and to enhance the human condition. These efforts are known as change. Among these were the Abolition and Temperance movements. The personal and historical connections that united, and on occasion divided the movement for women’s rights existed before 1843, have advanced over the subsequent century and a half. The 1877 Woman’s Suffrage amendment had been initially brought into U.S. Congress.

The crisis of the 19th century brought about a movement known as Progressivism. The progressive movement in the South was urban and middle class in nature. Western progressives supported humanitarianism and regulation. Just like in the North and the East black and white women made important contributions to progressive causes. Progressives wanted to end abuses of power, replace corrupt power with humane institutions and apply specific principles and efficient management to economic, social, and political institutions.

The Women’s Suffrage Movement was the seventy two year fight and movement leading up to the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment that granted women the right to vote. Before the nineteenth century, women were seen as property of their father or husband, and it was not until the mid-1800’s that women began to gain rights similar to men. Women had sought to obtain additional rights held already by men. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Susan B. Anthony, and Alice Paul were among the many women that led and fought for equal rights and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Women in the United States had little to no rights in comparison to men until 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment was signed, giving women their deserved rights that allowed

During the suffrage movement after 1890, women activists from various backgrounds, started to tackling with various social problems dealing with industrialization and other important topics during that time era. Women wanted to focus on topics that appealed to them as women, and mothers. The campaign to get women’s suffrage took over twenty years to get women the right to vote just like the men around them. In these two decades, women had over 480 campaigns in legislatures, over 200 campaigns in state party conventions and almost 20 campaigns in congress before the women got the same right as men. Women's work in the abolitionist movement played a particularly important role in the creation of an organized women's rights movement. This movement during this era was important because women started to have change in their status and became more active in the political aspect. The changing nature of women's lives helped create the circumstances that allowed them to begin to act politically, on their own behalf and for others.

The early twentieth century brought many people who were looking for a change in the way America was handling their government and politics. Many people, such as women and industrial workers, noticed that their rights given to them by the government did not give them the freedom that they had hoped for. Significant figures and groups of people tried to induce change in the system and some of them found success, changing the way the government and politics would be handled forever. This era of change came to be known as the Progressive Era. Muckrakers exposed the ill conditions of industrial and urban life, unions bonded workers together to create industrial freedom, women created settlement houses and spread female activism, and Progressive

In the 1800’s women didn’t have half the rights that they do today. They were not educated, couldn’t own property, and were passive to men. Susan B. Anthony helped lead the women’s suffrage movement and in 1852, dedicated her life to fighting for women’s rights. Without Susan B. Anthony, that women gained after her death wouldn’t have been accomplished for a couple more decades. Understanding the beginning of the movement, the involvement of Susan B. Anthony, and the involvement of others is important in extrapolating how the rights of women have evolved.

Throughout American society, Women have been downgraded in the face of men. In america’s past, women were seen purely as housewives, and had no place in a higher position. Today women have many more rights, putting them on much more equal terms as men. With this, women have shown their capabilities and their worth to society, leading its progression, and proving that the arguments of the anti-suffrage movement were initially the opposite of what women could really do. The arguments that women’s place is only at home and that men have the sole job of running government and society has been proven wrong by women in contemporary society.

Today, most would think that all humans have equal rights. Unfortunately, though, women are still not treated as equal as men. Women do not get paid as much as men do, they are expected to stay home and take care of the children, and they do not have as many job opportunities as men do. All of this is in spite of the fact that women have been fighting for their rights in this country since the 1800s. Two of the most widely known speeches are “Ain’t I a Woman” and “Speech at Seneca Falls Convention.” Sojourner Truth, author of “Ain’t I a Woman,” and Elizabeth Cady Stanton author of “Speech at Seneca Falls Convention,” use multiple rhetorical devices to convey the message that women should have equal rights.

Have you ever thought about women 's rights and equality? It’s not as pretty or memorable as you think it is. But just like Shirley Chisholm said “at present, our country need’s womens idealism and determination, perhaps more in politics than anywhere else.” Which is true but back then it certainly wasn’t. Let me take you way back to when women and men were not equal, and when men had more power over women.

First Wave Feminism, or Liberal Feminism, is often times summarized as the Women’s Suffrage Movement, but it fight for much more than the right to vote. First Wave Feminism is better summarized as political and financial equality for women, but it also helped and fought for civil rights. Women’s suffrage was the major accomplishment from the First Wave but isn’t the movement itself. Alice Paul stated after the ratification of the 19th Amendment; “It is incredible to me that any woman should consider the fight for full equality won. It has just begun.” Alice Paul inspired Second Wave Feminism, or Radical Feminism, which started approximately 40 years after Liberal Feminism. Radical Feminism shifted the gear from political rights to social equality. Radical Feminism starts with the premise that women’s oppression is the most fundamental oppression. In particular, the movement asserts that males are always privileged in comparison to females. So Radical Feminism proposed the Equal Rights Amendment, which never passed. Moreover, it challenged the compulsory heterosexuality, a woman can only be successful in society if she is married to a man and be a good ‘housewife,’ which consolidates patriarchy. Radical Feminism challenged many social ideas from reproductive rights to workplace which inevitably led them to examine the traditional gender roles. Finally, Third Wave Feminism, or Transversal Feminism, ultimately seeks to overthrow essentialism, that there exists a single definition of man-ness and woman-ness. Instead, gender is a spectrum of

The 20th century saw a major increase in women’s rights, getting a step nearer to gender equality. It is defined as the act of treating men and women equally, having the same access to right and opportunities no matter the gender. Although it is not a reality in our world, we do have advanced in comparison to the last century. At the begging of the 20th century women still were considered the weak gender. Their education consisted on learning practical skills such as sewing, cooking, and using the new domestic inventions of the era; unfortunately, this “formal training offered women little advantage in the struggle for stable work at a liveable wage” (1). Their role in society was believed to be that of wife and mother but our mind was changing. Women started to fight for some rights such as the access to the labour force during World War I, the improvement in education allowing women to attend university, and the equality within the marriage, in order to avoid subordination of women. Probably their greatest achievement was the access to the electoral process in the United States of America. Earning the right to vote meant a recognition of women power and intelligence, as well as their ability to participate in politics. This essay will analyze how women fought for their right through some feminist movements.