Moreover, she established the first woman's rights paper that was ever published in the United States, "The Una," in January 1852 (Small pp). Stanton remarked that it was obvious from this paper that the leaders of the movement understood all the bearing of this question had followed the truth in all directions with boldness and considered all of woman's social and political wrongs (Small pp).
Although relatively unknown today, Paulina Wright Davis was one of the founding mother of the woman's moment and was in many instances more of a major contributor than many of the familiar names associated with the women's movement such as Stanton, Abby Kelley Foster, and Lucy Stone (Small pp). Paulina had insisted that the key to understanding why she and the other founding mothers were "roused" to "do and dare" was their frustration with that "unwritten code, universal and cruel as the laws of Draco and so subtle that, entering everywhere, they weigh most heavily where least seen" (Small pp).
In a letter addressed to Paulina, November 2, 1850, author Caroline Wells Dall thanks her for her convention address and her work, and writes "In every large city, there is a class of women, whose existence is a terror and reproach to the land in which they are born; whose name no modest woman is supposed to know; whose very breath is thought to poison the air of the sanctuary' (Caroline pp)
Although Paulina never gave birth to any children, she did adopt several sons and daughters, several in early infancy (Paulina1 pp). It is said that she had an "unusual sympathy and attraction for young people," and possessed great tenderness for the helpless and innocent, and that "motherless children, disappointed youth, and unfortunate women have ever found a shelter in her hospitable house" (Paulina1 pp).
Due to a delicate health condition, Paulina visited Europe for the first time in 1859, spending a year traveling in France, Italy, Austria, and Germany (Paulina1 pp). After spending a year visiting galleries and studying art, she returned home with renewed enthusiasm for her...
Woman's Suffrage Women in the United States made the fight for suffrage their most fundamental demand because they saw it as the defining feature of full citizenship. The philosophy underlying women's suffrage was the belief in "natural rights" to govern themselves and choose their own representatives. Woman's suffrage asserted that women should enjoy individual rights of self-government, rather than relying on indirect civic participation as the mothers, sisters, or daughters of
In 1869, Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, another prominent 19th century suffragist, formed the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to collectively lobby for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. The NWSA also focused their attention on universal suffrage for African-Americans. Their efforts toward abolition succeeded first, as the 15th Amendment passed in 1871. Also in 1869 Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and other suffragists formed a separate suffragist
Suffrage Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Amelia Bloomer were all instrumental in shifting the status of women in American society. Their writings reveal the personalities, assumptions, and values of the authors. Each of these women took incredible personal risks by challenging the underlying assumptions in the society that women were not valid, valuable members of society. The place of women in American society prior to suffrage was no better
149-150). References Balu, R. (Fall 1995). History comes alive: How women won the right to vote. Human Rights, 22(4). Retrieved March 23, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database. Colorado: Popularism, panic and persistence. (No date). Retrieved March 23, 2005, at http://www.autry-museum.org/explore/exhibits/suffrage/suffrage_co.html. Marilley, S.M. (1996). Woman suffrage and the origins of liberal feminism in the United States, 1820-1920. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Suffrage appeals to lawless and hysterical women. (30 May 1913). New York
The authors further point out that at the time, NWSA did not accept male membership as its focus was firmly trained on securing the voting rights of women nationwide. As their push for the enfranchisement of women at the federal level became more and more untenable, NWSA shifted its focus to individual states. In so doing, it planned to create a ripple effect that could ease the attainment of
Women The sphere of women's work had been strictly confined to the domestic realm, prior to the Industrial Revolution. Social isolation, financial dependence, and political disenfranchisement characterized the female experience prior to the twentieth century. The suffrage movement was certainly the first sign of the dismantling of the institutionalization of patriarchy, followed by universal access to education, and finally, the civil rights movement. Opportunities for women have gradually unfolded since the
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