Introduction to the Movement
The leading cause of the Women’s Suffrage Movement and the introduction of the Nineteenth Amendment was the inequality between men’s and women’s rights. It is stated that “married women couldn’t own property and had no legal claim to any money they might earn, and no female had the right to vote. Women were expected to focus on housework” (History.com Editors, 2022a, para. 5).
In other words, there was sex inequality on the Constitutional level, which made American society highly oppressive and discriminatory against women. It is worth noting that the movement persisted in demanding equality for a century, as it began in the 1820s, and the last state to allow women to vote was Mississippi in 1984 (History.com Editors, 2022a). Therefore, the underlying causes were the inability of women to vote, own property, and have legal claims over their earnings.
The immediate cause was Susan Anthony’s Amendment, which focused on granting women the right to vote. According to the primary source, “the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) was led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony—they opposed the 15th Amendment because it excluded women” (The National Archives and Records Administration, 1872, para. 3). The merging of NWSA and the American Woman Suffrage Association (ASWA) into NASWA was an additional immediate reason why the Amendment was passed.
Movement Events
The Women’s Suffrage Movement began in the United States before the Civil War. In other words, the first voices were expressed in the 1820s, but the war halted progress, as it became a higher priority (History.com Editors, 2022b). Two leader reformists emerged by 1848, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott (History.com Editors, 2022b). They discussed the issue of women’s rights at the Seneca Falls Convention, where an agreement was reached that “American women were autonomous individuals who deserved their own political identities” (History.com Editors, 2022b, para. 7). The Civil War sparked an addition of new amendments to the Constitution.
The war was the catalyst that led women to voice their demands for rights. Subsequently, “in 1869, a new group called the National Woman Suffrage Association was founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony” (History.com Editors, 2022b, para. 13). The American Woman Suffrage Association was supportive of the 15th Amendment, and both groups merged into NAWSA in 1890 (History.com Editors, 2022b). Although the efforts were slowed during World War I, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified on August 18, 1920 (History.com Editors, 2022b). Thus, the key participants were AWSA, NWSA, NAWSA, Elizabeth Stanton, and Susan Anthony.
They consolidated their efforts to push for equality despite the stalling from pushbacks due to wars. This is the reason why the organizations kept promoting women’s rights.NWSA advocated universal equality, whereas AWSA pursued a state-by-state method (History.com Editors, 2022b). For example, according to a primary source, “opposed the 15th amendment (that granted black men the right to vote) because it excluded women” (The National Archives and Records Administration, 1871, para. 2). However, they had many core similarities and overlapping interests, which is why they merged.
Immediate and Long-Term Consequences
The immediate consequence of ratifying and passing the Nineteenth Amendment was that women could participate in the voting process for the first time in American history. It was a significant power transition and redistribution on societal, political, and economic scales. It is stated that “on November 2 of that year, more than 8 million women across the United States voted in elections for the first time” (History.com Editors, 2022b, para. 27). Therefore, as soon as the Amendment was introduced, millions of women began expressing their political voices and concerns.
The long-term consequences were even more profound since it was the starting point of the second-wave and third-wave feminism movements. The Amendment itself did not resolve the inequality issues and discrimination against women. Still, it opened a gateway of opportunities to combat the problem. Thus, the impact on American society was profound and transformative because it almost unilaterally enabled greater equality and social justice.
Historical Evidence
It should be noted that historical evidence can be provided on three fronts: political, social, and economic. On the political front, the specific evidence is that eight million women voted after the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment (History.com Editors, 2022b). On the economic front, women’s participation in the labor market as a powerful workforce increased drastically between the 1930s and 1970s (O’Neill, 2017). In other words, women became more financially and socially independent, strengthening their strength.
A specific example of social transformation is that second-wave feminism emerged to combat inequality and discrimination in the 1960s.The American economy boomed due to women entering the labor market just as skilled and competent as men, which allowed enterprises to scale and new industries to grow (O’Neill, 2017). Therefore, the phenomenal growth of the U.S. economy post-WWII was not only due to the victory over Germany but also to the doubling of the workforce.
Conclusion
In conclusion, the Nineteenth Amendment and the Women’s Suffrage Movement were introduced primarily to address the fundamental inequality between men’s and women’s rights. American law was highly discriminatory, placing constitutional restrictions on women, most notably denying them the right to vote, own property, or control their own wages.
Although the Suffrage Movement began before the Civil War, real progress didn’t happen until after. Key figures in the movement successfully merged their efforts and organizations, using their shared goals to push for change despite delays caused by various wars. The eventual ratification of the 19th Amendment immediately granted women the right to vote for the first time. While this created an opportunity to combat discrimination, it did not resolve all inequality issues alone.
Over time, this legal victory sparked the second- and third-wave feminist movements, leading to greater financial and social independence for women. It also significantly boosted the post-World War II U.S. economy, as women entered the labor market at competitive rates, essentially doubling the available workforce and allowing new industries and businesses to scale.
References
History. Editors. (2022a). 19th Amendment. History. Web.
History. Editors. (2022b). Women’s suffrage. History. Web.
O’Neill, W. L. (2017). Feminism in America: A History. Routledge.
The National Archives and Records Administration. (1871). Letter to Congress from Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony and others in support of Women’s Suffrage. Web.
The National Archives and Records Administration. (1872). Memorial to Congress from the American Woman Suffrage Association. Web.