The Women's Suffrage Movement: The Progressivist Movement

This movement fought for the right for women to vote because women were denied the democratic rights that were given to men and were forced to focus on the cult of domesticity. The movement started in the late eighteenth century however it was renewed during the Second Great Awakening when reform movements started gaining popularity. The suffrage movement was aided by the abolition movement because slavery gave women a reason to unite for a separate cause. This was a new reform movement, unlike women’s suffrage and abolition, which both had roots that were as deep as those of the country’s, and was unique because of the unusually undemocratic responses that society and its people reacted with. Unlike abolition and women’s suffrage, the asylum and penitentiary reform movement did not gather popularity

Women Suffrage movement began more active after 1894. For example, “In New York City, Josephine Shaw Lowell and Mary Putnam Jacobi formed the Woman Municipal League." (Dubois, 189) This organization was primary focusing on the corruption of public. “By the early 1900s, moreover, the spirit of political reform in New York City spread beyond the elite.” (Dubois, 189) For instance, African American women also began their suffrage by forming the National Association of Colored Women in 1903. "…with links to the Democratic Party and the labor movement, A Women's Henry George Society, and a female wing of William Randolph Hearst's Independence League."

Considering all of this, it can be seen that the creation of W.S.P.U. and the emergence of the suffragette movement promoted the idea rebel women, in a society which had fix ideals about women and their role within society. The struggle for women’s suffrage was not easy to pull off and the achievement of the vote took several years. The very first achievement in terms of the vote for women came in at 1918 when women over the age of 30 were allowed to vote, but the fully to vote women came in the year 1928 in the United

Stemming from some of the Populist party’s ideas and following the turbulent times of the Reconstruction Era and Gilded Age, the Progressive movement arose in the 1890s in the United States as a means of utilizing the federal government to achieve national development. This was a huge step forward for the common man, as the industrialization of the nation and rise of big businesses, which exploded around the 1860s, left him robbed and mistreated. But this backtrack no longer reigned with the development of the Progressive Era, which brought prosperity through major reforms. This movement was a nationwide event, not bound to any singular political party or social class, but rather a mix, demonstrating its widespread success. The Progressive

Pankhurst in Defense of Militancy During the Suffragette Movement 1916 was the year the first woman was finally elected to Congress. This was not from disinterest or a lack of qualifications, but because women had no rights. During the early 20th century, while men relaxed in the comfort of their homes, women waged a war. The fight for equality influenced women like Emmeline Pankhurst to become soldiers on the front lines in the fight for suffrage. Her speech, “Freedom or Death,” outlines the necessity of her militant methodology.

August of 1920, the year that became a remarkable change for women, allowing them to vote. Before that, women weren’t allowed to vote and women such as Susan B. Anthony fought for that right. In her letter “On Women’s Right to Vote”, she furthers her purpose by telling all the citizens of the United States that women are people too and are entitled the right to vote just as their male companions. Throughout the speech, Anthony uses pathos, ethos, logos and other rhetorical devices to push her point across. In her letter, her second paragraph she states the US Constitution., giving her major credibility.

These words were stated by 20th century women’s activist and philanthropist, Betty Friedan. Betty was one of the most well known women’s rights activists by sharing her opinions about a woman 's capabilities in the workplace. In 1872, the American Woman Suffrage Association gathered to help start the fight for women 's rights. Supporters Susan B. Anthony and Cady Stanton are considered the earliest influences of the first wave of women’s liberation. Women struggled with the limited clothing options, few job opportunities, had unrealistic beauty standards, and did not have the ability to achieve a higher education.

The Progressive era, between the years 1895-1920, involved a group called the Progressives, who were single-cause crusaders, incredibly diverse, middle-class female reformers who wanted a better society. They focused on urban societies who wanted to preserve democracy and a free market. They wanted to “Americanize” the citizens of the United States; they also thought that the political parties were corrupt and were very protective of women and children. What began as a social movement came to be a political movement. Many of the Progressives lived in the cities and believed that the government had some impact on the changes that they want go through.

Though with the stereotype of the spinster and old maid, many were still afraid to remain single. Especially due to the fact that at this time women who were unmarried were unable to obtain bank loans and credits cards. Even in terms of employment, jobs that were aimed at women would request for specific physically attractive appearances. Greater opportunities for women began in the early 1960s, due to significant changes taking place on a political level. Eleanor Roosevelt headed The Commission on the Status of Women issued a report in 1963, which found that in America discrimination against women did exist and laws needed to be introduced in order to achieve better gender equality.

Locking her up in town and coming out here and trying to get her own house to turn against her! Mrs. Peters. But Mrs. Hale, the law is the law" (Trifles 142). As initially stated the women justice movement was initiated by a few, and these a few such as Mrs. Hale as an example, were the ones that transferred this domino effect gradually to the rest of the women in the society. Similarly, Mrs. Wright who in the beginning is pretending to be very unmistakable about the true judgment of the male dominated Justice System, eventually, expresses her true belief to Mrs. Hale by sharing her past memories with Mr. Hale after finding out that Mr. Wright's bird has been strangled by her husband, and the bird cage has been broken:” Mrs. Peters.

Between the 1890s and World War One, reform efforts started taking place by the progressives. The progressives were not a single unified group and even had some contradicting goals. They were middle class urban dwellers and some were women. The progressives wanted to end prostitution, Americanize immigrants, antitrust legislation created, women’s suffrage, and the start of prohibition. An example of a group of progressive women who wanted to start prohibition is The Women’s Christian Temperance Union.

The origins of the push for an equal rights amendment go back to the women’s suffrage movement of the late nineteenth and early twentieth century. Most American women of the nineteenth century didn’t want to be equal to men. They believed in the traditional gender roles and family structure, where the husband worked to support his family, and the wife was in charge of domestic affairs, such as cooking, cleaning, and raising the children. The early women’s movements for voting rights and temperance were parallel to this idea of the woman’s role in society, as they were intended to give women more control over household affairs such as

They fought for basic economic freedoms for women and even lobbied against Congress to include women in the provisions of the 14th and 15th Amendments. However, in 1861 the women’s rights movement had to take a back seat because America Civil War began. The Civil War ended around 1865. The women’s movement was in a good advantage point to attack some key issues, since they worked hard to support the war effort. As a result the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Equal Rights Association was founded.

Between 1865 and 1900, immigration, government action, and technology impacted the social, cultural, and economic realms of the American Industrial worker. Immigration increased greatly to America because the industry was booming, and news of this new, industrial America was spreading throughout Europe. The government took actions to help the average industrial worker, such as the Chinese Exclusion Act, the Interstate Commerce Act, and the Hatch Act. Technology affected the industrial worker through inventions, reinvented landscapes, and convenience. Immigration largely affect the American industrial workers in many ways.

“Divorce rates increased because some educated women shunned marriage and believe only remaining single could they play roles they envisioned in the public world (Brinkley, Pg. 481).” Women of the progressive era felt they were being left out from developing careers. “So some women enrolled in new women colleges, some middle class women had become physicians, lawyers, engineers, scientist and managers. But moreover women jobs that society felted were suitable for them such as