Nicole McCray Dr. Davis POL-100 10/08/12 Alice Paul Alice Paul was one of the most significant figures in the movement to secure women’s rights in America. As educated, Paul used radical political strategies to produce favorable results for the Women’s Suffrage movement. Her militant actions eventually led to the ratification of the 19th amendment which secured women’s right to vote. Alice was born in Paulsdale on Jan 11, 1885 to William and Tacie Paul who eventually had two more children after Alice. Alice’s parents were Quakers, and instilled their religious beliefs into her.
Fighting for a cause The women’s suffrage movement, symbol of nineteenth and early twentieth century feminism, is the one most visible manifestation of women’s emancipation. From the birth of the nation to a Constitutional Amendment passed in 1920, suffrage for women had been batted aside, ignored, criticized, and denied. Those who attacked women’s suffrage were attacking much more than the idea that women as well as men should enter the polling booth. Across America women living in the 1900’s were angry and tired of feeling betrayed and treated as an unequal second class citizen. However these brave remarkable women decided to take action that helped forever changed American history, the right to vote.
Anthony – founding member of American Equal Rights Association 1866. 1872 voted illegally in presidential elections in protest. Against abortion – bad for women’s health. Lucy Stone – studied for a degree, gave lectures against slavery and supporting women’s suffrage. 1869 founded American Woman Suffrage Association American Woman Suffrage Association – 1869 by Lucy Stone, focused on male suffrage, moderate views on women’s suffrage National Women’s Suffrage Association – 1869 by Stanton and Anthony, wanted constitutional amendment giving women the vote National American Woman Suffrage Association – 1890, merging of AWSA and NWSA 1905 had only 17,000 members, 1915 = 100,000 (only half the women involved in temperance and prohibition) Carrie Chapman Catt became president 1900 – moderate campaign lobbying politicians, distributing leaflets, marches and public meetings Congressional Union for Women’s Suffrage 1913 (National Women’s Party as of 1917) – breakaway group led by Alice Paul inspired by militant British suffragettes.
However women's rights movements started way before the 60's. The beginning of women's suffrage is normally dated back to the “Declaration of Sentimens” this was produced at the first womens rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y. In 1848 ("women’s movement." Encyclopædia Britannica). When she claims that her generation “broke these rules”, she makes it sound as if her generation paved the way for women's rights.
Not For Ourselves Alone: The Story of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton Not for Ourselves Alone is a documentary film on the life and relationship of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, produced by Ken Burns and Paul Barnes. The film tells two stories in part, one the women’s suffrage and the biographies of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. The film starts with showing the journey and accomplishments of the fight for women’s suffrage; it devotes a few minutes to decades after Anthony and Stanton’s death. It then opens with a quote by Stanton saying “In writing we did better work together than either could alone. While she is slow and analytical in composition, I am rapid and synthetic.
In the Essay “Pc is Ridiculous!” by Alison, the purpose of this essay is to state her opinion on the fact that she believes Political Correctness (pc) is ridiculous to her! She finds it to be so ridiculous that she begins to insult the people who participate in pc. The thesis of this statement begins in paragraph two, although paragraph one does not state much of a thesis because of the way she begins to vent and ramble on how ridiculous it is. But in paragraph two she states the purpose of why we or the populous participate in pc. She states that if we continue to participate we will be a “repressive society” which to me seems very one sided, she speaks to everyone in this essay, because she wants everyone to know that if you participate in the pc, we are not only being ridiculous but we are being a “repressive society.” This essay, or what seems to be an essay, is not an effective argument because of the way she argues, she does not see things from both sides, but she chooses to voice her side and why she thinks it is ridiculous!
It quotes an “enthusiastic” but anonymous reporter as being favourably impressed by the protest march. These two articles give the impression that the British press was not entirely so critical of the campaigns for women suffrage; this source provides evidence in which it shows support and positive commentary on the matter. However, when compared to other forms of the press during the time, it reinforces the issue of the British press being divided in terms of their attitude towards the campaigns. Source 2 presents a different attitude towards the suffrage’s campaigns as it is more critical. The tone of the article is of firm disapproval for “law breaking” and disorder as the magazine deems it as “unfit for politics”.
Although there was changed tactics and a greater push from suffrage organisations to achieve the vote, it in some cases in fact alienated politicians and the public. As source 13 states “we have been told that we cannot have the same political rights which men have won unless we convert the whole country to our side”. This source being written by Emmeline Pankhurst means it very useful as it shows how people directly involved felt about what the suffrage movement had achieved, and from the implications of this source that was very little. If the leader of the WSPU claims herself that the movement is not making ‘substantial progress’ then it is very difficult to argue against this. They were beginning to make headway however this was still a long way to go before the movement had made substantial enough progress to gain the
Susan B. Anthony also opposed abortion, which she saw as another instance of a "double standard" imposed upon women. In the nineteenth century, the decision to undergo an abortion was very often decided by men. There were none of the standard contraceptive options available to women today. Antibiotics had yet to be invented, and abortion was a life threatening and unsanitary procedure for the woman. Anthony wrote that "when a woman destroys the life of her unborn child, it is a sign that, by education or circumstances, she has been greatly wronged,” Susan B. Anthony encouraged women to register to vote and then vote, using the Fourteenth Amendment as justification.
It would have been simply unreasonable to deny women the right to vote, especially now that women had more of a presence in society. However, some historians argue that the war was not actually as important as previously assumed because the women that were enfranchised were not the women who had been working for the war effort. Rex Pope, when discussing changing attitudes towards women says “Attitudes to