Fight for Women’s Suffrage: Reflections on the Passage of the 19th Amendment

On June 4th, 1919, the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed by the United States Congress. It was validated on August 18th, 1920. The amendment granted American women the right to vote and hold elective office. It is hard to imagine what my life would be like living at this time, although it happened only a century ago. If I was living in 1919, this is what my life would be like…

Last month, the teacher asked us who our role models were.

It was hard to choose, as I have so many people to look up to, like Abigail Adams. She was the first woman to speak publicly about the women's movement. She also wrote one of the most famous movement letters. Adams was born on 1744 November 11th and passed away on October 28th, 1818.

Two weeks ago, I learned about the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848. It was important because it launched the Women's Suffrage Movement. Mother was proud when I told her what I had learned and told me about the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU). It was founded in 1874. By 1890, it had 150 000 members, making it the largest female organization in America. Frances Willard was the leader of the group. The WCTU pushed towards fighting for the right to vote.

One week ago, I learned about Susan B. Anthony, an American women's rights activist born on February 15th, 1820. She was a Quaker with a family determined for social equality. When she was 17 years old, Susan B. Anthony collected anti-slavery petitions. Sadly, she passed away on March 13th, 1906.

Yesterday, Mother brought the exciting news to the dinner table. On June 4th, 1919, the 19th Amendment was passed! It stated: 'The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or any state on account of sex. Congress shall have the power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. It was required for all states to let women vote."
Mother was crying tears of joy.

Father was pretending to be happy, but I knew he wasn't because when Mother wasn't home, I heard him shout something along the lines of, "This is outrageous! Women do not have the brains to vote!" He isn't the only one with this opinion. I hear it every time I go into town. Even some women don't support the 19th Amendment; they don't have a problem with being a housewife. I do get why some people are against granting women the right to vote. There are pros and cons to this situation. For example, a pro of this situation is the voting system will be more accurate and fair as more voices are heard. A con to this situation would be all the protests and outbursts of the women before the amendment was passed. Another con is that it would cause problems with people that are against it, like a father.

Currently, both my mother and father are working, so I have a lot of time alone. Father works in construction, and mother works at a sweatshop, though she complains about it not being a job at all. At first, she was ecstatic to work somewhere other than home. Mother thought it was a step towards gaining freedom. But soon, she realized she was wrong as the women were treated horribly. They were locked in rooms all day! Mother wants to protest. She was appalled by the tragic factory fire that happened a while ago, where many women were burned because they couldn't escape. But we're getting better. By the 1900s, almost 5 million women worked for wages in places such as domestic service or light manufacturing, like the garment industry. I am so thankful that my generation will have various jobs to choose from out of the home.

However, it doesn't make sense to me how it took so much time and effort for women to vote. We do so much to support society. 25% of the women's workforce works as office workers or telephone operators; Besides, some states have already granted women the right to vote.

Another role model of mine is Alice Paul. She and Lucy Burns formed the National Woman's Party. Paul arranged parades and protests for women's suffrage. Her first and largest protest was in Washington, DC, on March 3rd, 1913, where around eight thousand women marched with banners and floated down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Capitol to the White House.

On March 17th, the women met with President Woodrow Wilson. He informed them it was not yet time for an amendment to the Constitution. Later, on April 7th, Paul founded the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage.

In January 1917, Paul and over a thousand "Silent Sentinels" blockaded the White House for eighteen months, standing at the gates while holding signs, which got them arrested. Alice Paul was sentenced to jail for seven months, but that didn't stop her. She organized a hunger strike in protest, which led to her being force-fed. Because of her actions, Paul threatened to be sent to an insane asylum. However, Paul's actions gained sympathy and support from citizens. Last year, even President Woodrow Wilson also announced his support for women's suffrage.

But after all this work, we still aren't perfect. I believe women are now starting to gain respect for our work, and I believe things will progressively get better. But I don't believe women have the rights we deserve, even though we are granted the right to vote. Perhaps in 1923, there will be another amendment for equal rights. Perhaps a century later, people will not get discriminated against for their gender. The women of this generation won't get the rights we deserve, but perhaps our grandchildren will.

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