The Decades Long Quest for Equality: The 19th Amendment Explained.
22The 19th Amendment to the United States Constitution, ended the decades long movement to have women gain the right to vote in this country. Yet, as with all cultural movements, it doesn't start and stop at once, and a long list of historical events occurred, that pre-dated and made the passage of such an amendment even possible. And in this video, we will be looking at the history of the women's suffrage movement, in the United States.
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However, this changed by the start of the 19th century. Following Republican Thomas Jefferson’s victory over Federalist John Adams in the 1800 presidential elections, Federalists came to believe female voters benefited the Republican cause. More Republicans lived in towns, and as it was easier to engage voters in urban areas, then the more spread out rural areas of the states. Federalists thus thought, that female disenfranchisement would limit the number of votes, Republican candidates received, without hurting their own party. This push for disenfranchisement, was pushed by bullshit arguments that women were poorly suited for political participation and didn't have the mental falcalties to understand political matters.. As New Jersey was still a Federalist strong-hold, it's Constitution got modified in 1807, that limited the ability to vote, only to adult, white males.
It would be three decades before any real movement on women's voting rights occurred in the United States. Kentucky would be the first to give sorta state-wide suffrage in 1838, but with more asterisks attached to it then being a member of the EU. It allowed female heads of house in rural communities to vote in elections deciding on taxes and local school boards for public schooling, with women in the cities of Louisville, Lexington and Maysville being exempt, because these cities already had public school boards in them.
Else-where in the country. Women became a very vocal part in the anti-slavery movement in the United States, with many propping up in the 1830's. By 1837, Female Anti-Slavery societies had become numerous and strong enough that they held their first national convention in New York City, preceded by Maria Weston Chapman. These societies and conventions, would continue to grow in size, as calls for emancipation grew across the country, and many so called radicals at the time, would find allies within these circles, who would later come back to aid them in their time of need. A number of women were present during the first national anti-slavery convention in London in 1840, although, they were not allowed to vote or speak. Even still, their mere presence, signaled a small amount of change that would gradually expand.
In 1848, New York and Pennsylvania, passed laws that were pushed by citizen incentives, known as the Married Woman's Property Act, giving women the right to retain the property they brought into a marriage, as well as property they acquired during the marriage, effectively separating the per-desoption of married women being unable to own wealth. This change, in combination with some minor political parties, ran presidential candidates that were calling for universal women's suffrage, started to bring hope of bright changes in the coming years. The same year, the first female rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. A Quaker hot-spot.
The particular group of Quakers in the area, had long held to the believe of equality between men and women, with the recent passage of the property laws. A group of five Quaker women, called for a convention to take place on July the 18th. The convention itself, drew an audience of nearly 400 during those two days, with many predominate speakers in the Women's suffrage, Temperance, and abolitionist movements, having time on the floor to give speeches. From this time, many more women's suffrage conventions would take part across the United States, growing in number as they continued on an annual basis. Many women would attempt to vote in various states during the 1850's as well. However, they were pretty much all ignored, and their ballots tossed, with some even being arrested. Well-known names would appear during this time, such as Susan B Anthony, Victoria Woodhull, and a handful of others. However. This expansion in public support would be put on hold, as war began to brew in the nation.