Women in American History
By: Maggie Anderson
How have women struggled to have their
unalienable rights recognized?
For a long time people thought that
women (and black people) were
lower than men. Therefore they
only let white men own property.
Or vote, or hold a position in
government. They weren’t paid as
much as men if they worked.
Women were expected to stay
home to clean, cook, and raise
children. Lots of women didn’t
like that idea. Women can now
own property, vote, and hold a
position in government.
How has the federal government responded
to these struggles?
The government kind of
ignored the people fighting
for women’s rights at first.
Then they became to loud
to ignore. The government
didn’t like it, but their were
to many people arguing for
women’s rights, so the
government gave in.
How can current civil rights activists learn
from past successes and failures?
They can learn what to do, if
it worked and what not to do
if it failed!
Susan B. Anthony
Susan B. Anthony was
a rights activist who
focused on women's
suffrage. She was a
very dedicated to this
cause, but also
campaigned against
slavery. She became
an activist in 1852.
Helen Keller
Helen Keller was born blind and
deaf. But that didn't stop her
from expressing her thoughts
and feelings about women's
suffrage. In 1924 she openly
advocated women's suffrage
and argued against child labor,
and capital punishment. She
also strongly supported the
NAACP, or National Association
for the Advancement of Colored
People.
Elizabeth Stanton
Elizabeth Stanton played a
major role in the fight for
women suffrage. She spoke
at the First Women’s Rights
Convention in 1848, which
she helped organize. Unlike
many others involved, who
mainly addressed voting
issues, she addressed
women's parental and
custody rights, property
rights, employment and
income rights,and divorce.
Lucretia Mott
Lucretia Mott was a woman
who was very involved in
women's suffrage. She
attended the First
Women’s Rights
Convention in 1848 and
the world Anti-Slavery
Convention in London
with Elizabeth Stanton in
1840. Lucretia Mott is the
sister of Martha Coffin
Wright. Both of them and
Elizabeth Stanton
organized the 1848
Martha Coffin Wright
Martha Coffin Wright also
attended the First
Women’s Rights
Convention in 1848. She
now has a statue where it
took place, in Seneca
Falls. Elizabeth Stanton
and Lucretia Mott also
have statues there.
Mary Ann M'Clintock
Mary Ann M'Clintock was a
women's activist who,
along with Lucretia Mott,
the Grimke sisters, and
many others, formed The
Philadelphia Female AntiSlavery Society or
PFASS.
The Grimke Sisters
The Grimke Sisters lectured
against slavery in America
in the 1800s. People
ridiculed them for being
women abolitionists. They
quickly became activists
in the women's rights
movement. The Grimke
Sisters also helped found
the PFASS.
Citations
• http://www.utne.com/Politics/Helen-Keller-Political-Leftist-Radical.aspx
• http://susanbanthonyhouse.org/her-story/biography.php
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Elizabeth_Cady_Stanton
• http://www.quakersintheworld.org/quakers-in-action/183
• http://www.nps.gov/wori/historyculture/mary-ann-mclintock.htm
• http://womenshistory.about.com/cs/suffrage/a/martha_wright.htm
• http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grimk%C3%A9_sisters