Women’s Suffrage Movement & The 19th

Amendment

Women’s Suffrage Movement & The 19th

Amendment

Suffrage Movement & 19th Amendment: My Q’s

How would you describe the “New Woman”?How did the tactics of Carrie Chapman Catt

and Alice Paul differ?What did the 19th Amendment do?Why did the passage of the 19th Amendment

have mixed results?

The “New” Woman

Beginning in the early 20th century, women began to adopt values that traditionally were looked down upon, especially by men.

“New” women, instead of worrying about traditional feminine styles, began to wear convenient hair styles and types of clothes that were more comfortable.

These “new” women also began to work as professionals in education, health care, and social work.

Women even began to demand the right to vote, a right that most men thought was too masculine for them.

The Fight for the Vote

As late as 1910, women could vote in only a few western states: Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho.

Although they played a prominent role in the Progressive Movement, women could only watch on with anger as black and immigrant men gained the ability to vote.

Across the pond, women in Great Britain were gaining the right to vote.

Needless to say, American women thought the time had come to fight for their ability to vote.

State Campaigns

A suffrage campaign in New York in 1915, though ultimately unsuccessful, demonstrated the fervor women had at this time.

Four years earlier, women suffragists gained the vote in California in 1911 after joining forces with male reformers and labor leaders.

“Organized womanhood” had its limits though. Most women in the movement were from the upper echelons of society. Working-class women and women of different races were hardly involved.

Going National

Momentum generated from state campaigns convinced women that a nationwide campaign might work.

Under the leadership of Carrie Chapman Catt, the women’s movement put together a winning effort.

They lobbied legislators, organized parades in cars, ran ads in the newspapers, held fundraisers, contacted the media to cover their events, and passed out playing cards with their logo.

Due to their efforts, a vast majority of Western states and New York and Michigan became suffrage states.

Not Enough!

While many women were content with the efforts of Catt, others did not think enough had been done.

Alice Paul, who watched on as women in Britain gained the vote overseas, grew impatient with Catt’s tactics and demanded an amendment to the Constitution guaranteeing the female vote.

Other than constantly picketing the White House round the clock, women suffragists who were arrested went on hunger strikes in jail and could only be force-fed.

19th Amendment

With publicity garnered by Alice Paul’s followers and tactics, male politicians became convinced that an amendment guaranteeing the female vote was necessary to ease women’s anger.

In 1920, the 19th Amendment finally passed, giving women the right to vote across the country.

Mixed Results

Once the 19th Amendment was secured, most women no longer felt the need to be heavily involved in politics; it was not feminine to be so.

Many even failed to vote for several reasons, including feeling pressure from their families to not vote, not able to leave their children at home, or they simply did not feel comfortable voting.

Despite the fact that some women did not even vote, other women took full advantage of the 19th Amendment and ran for political office. Today female politicians like Nancy Pelosi and Hilary Clinton benefited from the suffragists of the early 20th century.