100th anniversary of Women’s right to vote, but not all
Today marks the 100th year anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote in the United States. The Women’s suffrage movement was lead by ladies like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul in the early 1900s.
Even earlier, women were fighting for equal rights. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton joined forces to make the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848. This was the first convention for women's rights in America. Mott was a prominent speaker on women's rights and anti-slavery, and she even went to the London Anti-Slavery convention in 1840. However, she was not allowed to participate because she was a woman. Stanton is known for leaving the word "obey" out her marriage vows making her be seen as a radical feminist for her time. The Seneca Fall Convention hosted feminists to discuss the bias against women. At the end of the convention, a document called the "Declaration of Sentiments" was created to say " all men and women are created equal". The was inspired by the Declaration of Independence.
However, the fight for equal rights for women didn’t mean all women could exercise this right. The 19th amendment says, “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”, but does not guarantee the right to black women voters. Black women and men were still fighting to exercise their constitutional right. States had practices like literacy tests, poll taxes, and the grandfather clause in place that helped in the disenfranchisement of blacks. Nevertheless, black women still went out to register to vote after the ratification of the 19th amendment.
With today being the 100th anniversary of the 19th amendment, I will leave you with a quote from the most notable leaders of the Women’s Suffrage movement, Susan B. Anthony:
“There never will be complete equality until women themselves help to make laws and elect lawmakers.”
Be Amazing! 🍋