The History of Women’s Rights in the United States
Today’s generation of young women may wonder how the women before them lived without the rights they freely enjoy today, like public education, suffrage, legal rights, and (sort of) equal pay. While it is hard to imagine an age when women were functionally the property of men, in the timeline of modern history, it wasn’t that long ago. Take a look at how far women have come in the 200 years since America’s founding.
Colonial Period–1800
During the colonial period, from the early 1600s to 1800, women enjoyed few rights in America. For the early settlers, the focus was simply on survival, and there was little time to think about much other than childbearing and living through the winter.
Even after the Declaration of Independence was penned in 1776, women were conspicuously absent from the high-minded speech about all men being created equal. In a legal sense, women were men’s property, and they could not vote, hold office, enter a professional occupation, attend college, or gain custody of their children or property in the event of divorce.
1800-1848
During the first half of the 19th century, factors were falling into place that would be key for the strong women’s rights movement that would arise in the latter half of the century. The beginnings of a market economy meant that taking care of the home became a bit easier, and women began having less children and having them at an older age. Women could work in some settings, such as elementary schools, mills, and philanthropic organizations. The first women’s college was founded, and women became important in the anti-slavery movement.
1848-1900
During the latter half of the 19th century, the change that had been boiling underneath the surface for decades came to a head. In 1848, the first women’s rights convention took place in America, headed by Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The convention resulted in a Declaration of Sentiments, a document declaring men and women to be equals.
This first convention caused similar conventions to spring up in many states, and spurred the adoption of laws allowing women to retain property they owned before marriage and the income they earned themselves. The organization National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was formed in 1890, headed by Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Susan B. Anthony. Following their well-articulated demands, Wyoming, Utah, Colorado, and Idaho granted women full suffrage.
1900-1950
The first half of the 20th century brought women’s right advocates many of the things they had been campaigning for in the 1800s. In 1910, the Women’s Political Union, the organization that evolved out of the earlier group NAWSA, held their first suffrage parade in New York City. In 1920, a wave of nations around the world enfranchised women, helping to get the 19th amendment granting women the right to vote approved by Congress. By 1920, Tennessee, the last holdout, ratified the amendment, and women achieved full suffrage in America. In 1936, the use of birth control was fully legalized. WWII saw a massive increase in the number of women employed in the general workforce.
1950-Present
While the previous half of the century was defined by a plea for suffrage, the era of 1950 to the present has been dominated by issues surrounding the workplace, reproductive rights, and generally elevating the place of women in society. In 1960, birth control pills were approved by the FDA, marking a revolution in how women would view childbearing and their role as mothers.
The next year saw the passing of the Equal Pay Act, requiring men and women to be paid equal wages in federal jobs. In 1966, the National Organization for Women was founded by Betty Friedan, promoting the Equal Rights Amendment and the full acceptance of women in general society.
1973 saw the Supreme Court case Roe v. Wade, which established women’s rights to have legal first trimester abortions. In 1981, Sandra Day O’Connor was appointed Supreme Court Justice, and in the 1992 elections, more women were elected to public office than in previous history. Today, women still fight for equal representation in all fields, from government to science, math, and other professional careers.
Sources:
U.S. Suffrage Movement Timeline. (2006) The Susan B. Anthony Center for Women’s Leadership.
Women’s Rights. (2011) University of Houston.