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Women's Rights In American History

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In the years following its acknowledgement as a nation free from England, what would come to be known as the United States of America released a collective breath. That word, freedom, brought to light the dream that for many of its people had been just that. With the drafting of the Constitution 1787, many of the nation’s freedoms as well as the guidelines that accompanied them were explicitly introduced. While this document was a profound and necessary step forward for the country, the government, and many states, did not extend these rights to all persons. Minorities, especially blacks and women, were most often left out.
The campaign for women’s suffrage, or the ability to vote, began in earnest in the decades before the civil war. At the …show more content…

On these days, the Seneca Falls Convention was held in upstate New York, organized and led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott (source). They called it “a convention to discuss the social, civil, and religious conditions and rights of women”. Of the one hundred people who attended, two-thirds were women. It was here that Stanton drafted the “Declaration of Sentiments” following a framework that closely resembled that of the Declaration of Independence. The document contained 13 resolutions, the goal of which was to achieve the right of franchise for women. Initially, reformers addressed social and institutional barriers that limited women’s rights: including family responsibilities, a lack of educational and economic opportunities, and the absence of a voice in political debates …show more content…

During the 1880’s, the two wings of the women’s rights movement struggled to maintain momentum. The AWSA was better funded, and the larger of the two groups, but it only had a regional reach. The NWSA, located in New York, relied on its state wide network, but also drew recruits from around the nation, largely due to the extensive speaking circuits of Stanton and Anthony. Unfortunately, neither group attracted broad support from women, or persuaded male politicians and voters to adopt its cause

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