19th Amendment

Women's Suffrage

The struggle of equality between men and women has been a long-term issue. There are many reasons people decided to give women the right to vote. The women's campaign to vote began when, "most states had extended the franchise to all white men, regardless of how much money or property they had" (History.com). Women began to think that they might deserve the same rights as men, contrary to past belief. History.com says that, "Instead of arguing that women deserved the same rights and responsibilities as men because women and men were 'created equal,' the new generation of activists argued that women deserved the vote because they were different than men." This included, "maternal commonwealth." Women said that they would be able to make more pure and moral decisions based on this. The first argument seemed to be based on principle, and the second based on the practical "selling" of the idea of the Amendment. The women's suffrage movement was lead by Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. From the National Women's History Museum, "Thus, over time women began to realize that in order to achieve reform, they needed to win the right to vote."
More people opposed women's suffrage that would be thought. From the National Women's History Museum, "Anti-suffragists argued that most women did not want to vote. Because they took care of the home and children, they said women did not have time to vote or stay updated on politics."