
Born in 1852 and married a prominent abolitionist Henry
Stanton.

The exclusion of female delegates from the floor of the London slavery convention prompted her to begin a life long crusade for gender equality.

With others called for and presided over the first women’s rights conference in 1848.

Became the leader, with Susan B.
Anthony, of the National Women
Suffrage Association in 1869. This organization rejected the 14 th and
15 th amendments because they excluded women. This caused a break between the women’s and abolitionist movements.


Born in 1828 to a New England family.

Mother converted to Mormonism in 1844 and the family made the migration to Illinois and then again to Utah, settling there in 1844.

Was the seventh wife of her husband, David Wells and in 1862 became politically active.

In 1877 became the editor of The
Women’s Exponent a Mormon women’s magazine. From this position she advocated for women’s suffrage and defended plural marriage.

In 1870 Utah granted women the right to vote, but Congress stripped them of this right in 1887. In 1896
Utah was admitted to the Union with a provision in the constitution that offered women the right to vote.


Born in Kentucky in 1849 to a wealthy plantation family, she was a cousin to Henry Clay.

After the divorce of her parents in 1878 Clay saw how the laws favored men, for women had no claim to property.

She gained economic freedom by renting the estate from her father and leasing out the 300 acres of property. This left her time to pursue women’s equality.

In 1888 founded the Kentucky
Equal Rights Association with
Josephine Henry.

She also became the south’s leading suffragette as she sat on the
NAWSA council and held other positions on the board.


Women’s movement splits as a result of the 14 th and 15 th amendment.

Those who split with Anthony and
Stanton became known as the more radical.

Each region agitated for suffrage, often worked together, but had varying degrees of success.

In 1890 the National Women
Suffrage Association merged with the American Women Suffrage
Association, creating one of the largest suffrage organizations since before the civil war.