Sociology
instructions
Social movements are group actions that push for some type of change. Choose a social movement that has helped to shape the lives of women today. Research it through its stages and then discuss the background of the movement, including when it started. Explain why the group decided that change was needed. Describe the key players in the movement, including any leaders of the group, and explain how or why they took on the leadership role. Next, discuss whether the movement was successful. Provide evidence of the success or failure. Who was most impacted by the results of the movement? Is this a movement that you would take part in if you had the opportunity? Why or why not?
Submission:
Must be 600 – 800 words (within the paper) with standard 1-inch margins in Times New Roman or Garamond font.
Must be double-spaced.
Must address the topic of the paper with critical thought.
Must include in-text citations and references in APA style.
Upload as a .doc or .docx.
ANSWER
Women’s Suffrage movement
Introduction
The women’s suffrage movement was a long struggle for women to gain their rights to vote in the United States. The social movement began in the late 18th century, where it grew with much popularity and strength after the civil war by women such as Alice Paul, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony focused on fighting for women’s voting rights (Lange, 2020). This paper will focus on the Women’s suffrage movement as one of the social movements that helped shape women’s lives today. Women’s suffrage is a great success since it resulted in the channel of the nineteenth constitutional adjustment that finally permitted women to vote, promoting human welfare and democracy in the U.S.
The support for women’s suffrage began years before the civil war. Throughout this time, between the 1820s and ’30s, all kinds of reform groups thrived within the U.S right from religious, anti-slavery groups, and moral-reform societies where most women played a significant role (Wayne, 2020). The reform groups led to a novel way of thinking about the role of women as citizens of the United States. In the 1850s, the women’s suffrage movement began to gain power but lost momentum after the civil war. After the end of the civil war, constitutional amendments raised questions about citizenship and voting. Some women’s suffrage advocates argued that this was an opportunity to push lawmakers for genuinely global suffrage.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony then established National Women Suffrage Association in 1869, which they used to fight for a widespread suffrage amendment to the United States Constitution (Addams et al., 2018). The activists argued that women deserve to vote since they were not the same as men. The movement fought over the fifteenth amendment that led a lobbying effort to assure that voting rights for women were in the legislation.
Suffrage is the privilege or right of voting, which is frequently included in the rights of citizenship. However, in the United States, not all citizens are granted voting rights. Throughout the times past of the U.S, certain persons have been denied their voting rights depending on their race, sex, age, and income. This is due to the lack of widespread suffrage that has historically resulted to protest, debates, and advocacy for political changes. The suffrage movement fought for women’s voting rights, which was necessary to influence the priorities of the state.
Women were required to gain full citizenship to take part in political reform. Rather than promoting gender equality, the suffragists believed that women’s rights to vote were essential to change the roles and responsibilities of women, thus making them better mothers and wives. The women activists said that allowing women to vote would bring their domestic expertise and moral dominance to matters of public concern (Addams et al., 2018). Ideally, there was a widespread belief that women voters would have less influence to change the legislation as well as the political system. The women’s suffrage movement changed the country towards equality and democracy since it built liberal, conservative, pragmatic, and idealistic women, thus changing the country.
In 1920, the 19th constitutional amendment allowed American women to vote and participate in the political system (Porter and Munn, 2019). This right was fought for by four women leaders that struggled to acquire success. Considerably, after launching the women’s suffrage movement in 1848, the suffrage leaders led the need for equality. The four women leaders, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, were the passionate, pioneering women and the movement’s founders. Their main aim was to contribute to improved quality and equality of American lives across the United States. After 21 years of independent operation, they merged with Lucy stone and others that had formed the American women suffrage association. The leaders began introducing some tactics used by the suffrage movement in Britain, which included parades, demonstrations, picketing, and mass meetings. They were the masters behind the scene organizing and were responsible for putting the social movement on the map with conventions and lectures.
The women’s suffrage movement led to the single largest extension of democratic voting rights for women after the 19th constitutional amendment (Porter and Munn, 2019). Women are allowed to vote today due to the women suffrage movement, a persistent and courageous social movement that advocated for women’s voting rights over 72 years. The movement involves women and men that led to enfranchising one-half of citizens within the U.S. The movement was inspired by sacrifice and grounded by idealism, which made enormous social and political significance.
The movement included individuals that felt that they had abilities and talents that made them prime candidates in political office had opportunities in the political system been equal (Lange, 2020). The suffrage movement shows an emergence of activity. Intelligent and politically oriented women in the American political system had been denied the right to participate in national politics. This is a movement that I would take part in if I had the opportunity since it fights to solve social problems, fight for equality, and all citizens’ rights, which played a great role in the American democracy.
In summation, the women’s suffrage movement achieved in granting women voting right. The story of the suffrage movement entails democracy and how the powerless class within the United States wins concessions from those in power without the threat of death or violence. The social movement has covered historical figures and unique personalities that show colorful experiences in American history. Generally, the suffrage movement holds a certain relevance of how it has led the country’s democracy and what people are today.
References
Addams, J., Stanton, E. C., Harper, I. H., Shaw, A. H., Gage, M., Anthony, S. B., … & Blackwell, A. S. (2018). VOTES FOR WOMEN: Complete History of the Women’s Suffrage Movement in the U.S. (Including Biographies & Memoirs of Most Influential Suffragettes): Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Alice Paul, Lucy Stone, Carrie Chapman Catt, Susan B. Anthony, Anna Howard Shaw, Jane Addams. e-artnow.
Lange, A. K. (2020). Picturing Political Power: Images in the Women’s Suffrage Movement. University of Chicago Press.
Porter, C., & Munn, K. (2019). Forging a Path to the 19th Amendment: Understanding Women’s Suffrage. Social Education, 83(5), 248-255.
Wayne, T. K. (Ed.). (2020). Women’s Suffrage: The Complete Guide to the Nineteenth Amendment. ABC-CLIO.
