Women in History: Be the Change
by Hope Davids
Building where the Seneca Falls Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York
““Men and women are like right and left hands; it doesn’t make sense not to use both.””
Infographic by Ashley Simpson
and Stacy Comeau
Women’s Suffrage
The pursuit of women’s suffrage began with a meeting known as the First Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls, New York in 1848. “The First Women’s Rights Convention…drew a crowd of more than 100 women and men. The document that was drafted for this meeting, the ‘Declaration of Sentiments,’ startled the nation by expanding on Thomas Jefferson’s words to declare that ‘all men and women are created equal” (Dekoter 14). The road to allowing women the right to vote consisted of many struggles and setbacks, and required a lot of effort. This journey consisted of “…480 campaigns to persuade state legislatures to adopt suffrage amendments to state constitutions; 56 statewide referenda among male voters; and 47 campaigns to convince state constitutional conventions to adopt women’s suffrage provisions” (Mintz 47).
There were two different organizations competing with each other to allow women the right to vote. Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton led the National Woman Suffrage Association that favored a constitutional amendment for women’s suffrage and also fought for other rights for women such as divorce reform and property rights. Lucy Stone led the American Woman Suffrage Association that favored a state-by-state approach to women’s suffrage. Ultimately in 1890, both associations united to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association, in order to combine their efforts for the greater good (Mintz 47). The five main women who organized the Seneca Falls Convention unfortunately did not live to see the Nineteenth Amendment ratified in 1920, but their legacy lives on today.
For information on those women who did not receive the right to vote in 1920, indigenous woman and others unjustly deprived of this important right, we encourage you to read further: https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/vote-not-all-women-gained-right-to-vote-in-1920/
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Woman in Political Power
by Hannah Denis
While we may take the ability for a woman to vote and serve in political offices for granted, there was a long and hard path for women to be able to serve in government the way they do now. To this day we have not had a female President or Vice President, and a long road is still ahead to ensure equality across the nation and government. In 2016, when Donald Trump was elected to office, women across the country banded together to protest having a man accused of many sexual misconducts on the seat leading the country. In that same election, we saw Hillary Clinton come the closest a woman has been to the presidential office, winning the popular vote but losing the electoral vote, leading to the presidency being awarded to Donald Trump. That same year many women of color were elected to the Senate and Congress, representing a Democratic shift against the Republican Trump Administration.
Before women could vote nationally, there were not many female government officials, except for Jeannette Rankin who was the first female elected to Congress in 1916. Thirteen years after the women's suffrage movement in 1933, Frances Perkins was the first female elected to the president’s cabinet, and she was instrumental in helping Franklin Delano Roosevelt (FDR) with the New Deal. In 1940, Margaret Chase Smith, a Republican from Maine, became the first woman to serve in both the House and Congress; she served until 1973 after running for the presidency as the republican's majority vote in the 1964 election. And our own state of New Hampshire is known for sending the first all-female delegation to the U.S. Congress and having a female governor in 2012: Gov. Maggie Hassan, Sen. Jeanne Shaheen, Sen. Kelly Ayotte, Rep. Carol Shea-Porter, Rep. Annie Kuster.
When white women gained the right to vote in 1920, it led to the gradual integration of women of color gaining the right to vote. Charlene Mitchell was the first African American woman to run for President, she was also the first to get valid votes in the general election of 1968. In 1972 Shirley Chisholm was the first black female major-party presidential candidate and was the first woman to run for the Democratic Party nomination. In 1984, Geraldine Ferraro, a Democrat, became the first woman to secure a Vice Presidential nomination on a major ticket. Condoleezza Rice became the first African American woman to serve as the US National Security advisor (2001), and she also became the first woman to serve as the U.S. Secretary of State (2005-2009). In 2008 Sarah Palin became the first female vice-presidential nominee. Soon after Hillary Clinton, former Secretary of State and former first lady, became the first female to win the nomination of major political party.
The year is 2020, and both success and setback have occurred on the road to electing the first female president. While many women, such as Kamala Harris and Elizabeth Warren, dropped out as nominees in the 2020 election, current Democratic nominee Joe Biden has pledged to have a woman serve as his vice president if he beats Donald Trump, who is seeking a second term. As time goes on, women must remember their right to vote and their right to hold political office, and hopefully society will someday soon choose for a woman to hold that high office.
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Women’s Rights Movements in History
On August 26th, 1970, the Women’s Strike Day march occurred in Washington, D.C. It was for equal employment and educational opportunities, as well as accessible child care.
Women’s rights movements, which were also called women’s liberation movements, were diverse social movements largely based in the United States during the 60s and 70s. They were to promote equal rights, opportunities, and personal freedom for women.
Women who took part in women’s rights movements, or that piece of history, include: Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Abigail Adams, Lucretia Mott, and many more. Hilary Clinton was also the first female nominee for president by a major political party.
On July 19-20th, 1848, a total of sixty-eight women and thirty-two men (including Frederick Douglass) signed the Declaration of Sentiments, which sparked decades of activism as a result. This would eventually lead up to the passage of the 19th Amendment, which would grant women the right to vote.
Sojourner Truth was a slave turned abolitionist and women’s rights activist. In Akron, Ohio, she gave her “Ain’t I a Woman?” speech at the Women’s Rights Convention.
On May 20-21st, 1932, Amelia Earhart became the first woman to fly solo nonstop across the Atlantic. She was the second pilot to do so, since Charles Lindbergh was the first, but she was the first woman to do it.
On December 1st, 1955, Rosa Parks refused to give up her bus seat to a white man in Montgomery, Ala. This also furthered the Civil Rights Movement.
On June 18th, 1983, Sally Ride became the first American woman in space and flew on the Space Shuttle Challenger.
There are many women in history who have changed the world in some way, shape or form. Some have already been mentioned, but more women include: Marie Curie, Margaret Thatcher, Princess Diana of Wales, Mother Teresa, Joan of Arc, and many more. Here is why some of them were important:
Marie Curie changed the world twice because she founded the new science of radioactivity - and even the word was created by her - and brought effective cures for cancer.
Margaret Thatcher was Britain’s first female prime minister. She was in this position during the time where the country was facing disharmony and economic recession.
Princess Diana of Wales married Prince Charles of Wales. However, she got divorced in 1996, but afterwards participated in charity work for sick children, banning landmines, and raising awareness for people who had cancer, HIV/AIDS, and mental illness.
Mother Teresa founded the Missionaries of Charity in 1950. The work her order undertook in 130 countries, and included managing the homes of people who were dying, soup kitchens, orphanages, and schools. Although she was criticized for her beliefs on abortion, her work changed the lives of anyone who was most vulnerable in the world.
Joan of Arc was a martyr and military leader. She convinced the future French King Charles VII that religious visions had instructed her to support him. At age 17 she led the Siege of Orleans, and shortly after doing so, became a religious figurehead for the renewed French offensive, helping to achieve more French victories and advising on military strategy. She became a French martyr and canonised (made a saint) in 1909.