The Rights of Women

• Seneca Falls Convention of 1848(Began organized women’s rights movement)

• Many states opposed women’s suffrage.

• Only 4 western states allowed it-Wyoming, Utah, Colorado and Idaho.

Women in Public Life• Before the Civil War,

American women were expected to devote their time to home and family.

• By the late 19th and early 20th century, women were visible in the workforce.

Domestic Workers

• Before the turn-of-the-century women without formal education contributed to the economic welfare of their families by doing domestic work.

• Altogether, 70% of women employed in 1870 were servants.

Women in the Work Force

• Opportunities for women increased especially in the cities. By 1900, one out of five women worked.

• The garment industry was popular as were office work, retail, and education.

Women Lead Reform• Many of the leading

Progressive reformers were women. Middle and upper class women entered the public sphere after graduating from the new women’s colleges.

Colleges like Vassar and Smith allowed women to excel

Women and Reform• Women reformers

strove to improve conditions at work and home.

• In 1896, black women formed the National Association of Colored Women (NACW).

• Suffrage was another important issue for women.

The Rights of Women

• A Crusade against Alcohol

• In 1874, the Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, led by Frances Willard spoke of the evils of alcohol. She worked to get a ban on the sale of liquor.

• Carry Nation

The Rights of Women

• Congress passed the Eighteenth Amendment in 1917, this was prohibition, and it prohibited the sale and consumption of alcohol

During the Progressive Era, many women took the lead and played important roles as reformers

Florence Kelley helped bring

about child and women labor laws

Jane Addams created the

first settlement house

Muckraker Ida Tarbell exposed

corporate monopolies

The WCTU fought for prohibition

laws

Three-Part Strategy for Winning Suffrage

• Suffragettes tried three approaches to winning the vote:1. Convincing state

legislatures to adopt the vote.

2. Pursuing court cases to test 14th Amendment.

3. Pushing for national Constitutional amendment.

By the early 1900s, most western states allowed women to vote but women in the East could not vote

The Rights of Women • By the early 1900’s,

support grew. Carrie Chapman Catt had a plan to get states to allow women to vote.

• This happened one by one.

• Women called for a change to make it so they could vote in federal elections. When a suffragist, Alice Paul, met with Woodrow Wilson and he eventually pledged his support for an amendment.

• By August of 1920, 3/4th of the states had ratified the Nineteenth Amendment giving women the right to vote.

Women Win Suffrage• Native-born,

educated, middle-class women grew more and more impatient. Through local, state, and national organization, as well as vigorous protests, women finally realized their dream in 1920.