Women And The Progressive Era
Working Women’s Hardships
 Working outside home.
 Long Hours
 Dangerous
 Wages go to men in the house
Worked in Cigar or clothing factories or as
laundresses or servants.
Cheated and bullied by employers.
NO VOTING!!!!!!!
WORKING WOMEN’S RIGHTS
 Florence Kelley National Consumers League (NCL)
 Labels on goods produced under fair, safe,
and healthy working conditions.
 Urged not to buy goods without these
labels.
 Backed laws for inspecting meat plants,
safer working conditions, and payment to
unemployed.
• Women’s Trade Union League (WTUL)
▫ Fought for a minimum wage and 8 hour
workday.
▫ 1st workers strike fund.
CHANGES IN FAMILY LIFE
 Temperance Movement
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Promoted by WCTU.
Practice of never drinking alcohol.
Caused problems with men.
Led to 18th Amendment. (prohibition)
Margaret Sanger
*Birth control movement/clinic.
*1921- American Birth Control League
Ida B. Wells
*National Association of Colored Women
*Day care centers and help less fortunate.
Margaret Sanger
Ida.B. Wells
Women’s Christian Temperance Union
Founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1874, it used educational,
social, and political means to promote legislation which dealt
with issues ranging from health and hygiene, prison reform
and world peace.
protection of women and children at home and work
women's right to vote
shelters for abused women
support from labor movements such as the Knights of Labor
the eight-hour work day
equal pay for equal work
founding of kindergartens
assistance in founding of the PTA
federal aid for education
stiffer penalties for sexual crimes against girls and women
uniform marriage and divorce laws
Women’s Christian Temperance Union
Founded in Cleveland, Ohio, in 1874, it used educational,
social, and political means to promote legislation which dealt
with issues ranging from health and hygiene, prison reform
and world peace.
prison reform, police matrons and women police officers
homes and education for wayward girls
pure food and drug act
legal aid
world peace
Opposed and worked against
the drug traffic
the use of alcohol and tobacco
white slavery and child labor
army brothels
Women’s Christian Temperance Union
Most successful work was in alerting the nation of the evils of
alcohol and promoting legislation to outlaw it.
•Passage of the 18th Amendment in 1919 to outlaw
alcohol.
Most successful and
well known WCTU
reformer was Carrie
Nation.
She would march into
a bar and sing and pray,
while smashing bar
fixtures and stock with
a hatchet.
Between 1900 and 1910
she was arrested some 30
times, and paid her jail
fines from lecture-tour fees
and sales of souvenir
hatchets.
Changed her name to
Carry A. Nation and
referred to herself as “A
Home Defender”.
CARRIE CHAPMAN CATT
 National American Women’s Suffrage
Association (NAWSA) President
 One of 1st women superintendents.
 1918- N.Y., Michigan, Oklahoma= right
to vote
 “Society Plan”- Recruit wealthy
educated women to fight for suffrage.
 Some women were against suffrage.
ALICE PAUL
 National Women’s Party (NWP)
 Used public protest marches.
 1st to march with picket signs outside of
White House.
 Many were arrested but it helped the
suffrage cause.
Jan. 10, 1917: The NWP began to picket the
White House.
19th AMENDMENT
 WOMEN’S RIGHT TO VOTE!!!!! 1920
 Tennessee passed by 1 vote.
 Tennessee made the election of
amendment OFFICIAL.
 November 2, 1920 –Many women voted
for the 1st time.
• Finally, on Aug. 20, 1920, the 19th
Amendment became part of the United
States Constitution when Tennessee
became the 36th state to ratify it
Finally, on Aug. 20, 1920, the 19th Amendment became
part of the United States Constitution when Tennessee
became the 36th state to ratify it