19th Amendment
The 19th Amendment
The majority of Americans today enjoy a comfortable lifestyle when compared to other citizens of the world. This is not a knock against them; however, it is important to note that these benefits are rarely given away freely. Throughout America’s past, brave citizens have petitioned, rallied, fought, and died for the rights that we consider “givens”. The right to vote, which many people today shirk and scoff at, was not guaranteed to anyone that wasn’t a white property-owning male until relatively recently in our country’s history. Understanding and recognizing the circumstances that led to the passage of the 19th amendment, as well as the influential persons, relevant court cases, and prominent organizations that helped enact change, is the least a competent American can do to give thanks to those that fought for their rights before they were born. The struggle for women’s rights gained steam in the mid 19th century. Undoubtedly, the Seneca Falls Convention was the wind that fanned the initial flames of change. It would be slightly preposterous to say that prior to this convention women never wanted to vote or never voiced that opinion. However, the associations that blossomed from this event were well enough organized that they had no choice than to be recognized by the opposite sex. These organizations blossomed from the abolitionist movement, which encouraged the participation of women in an effort to free the slaves. In July of 1848, Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott, two social activists, held a convention on women’s rights in Seneca Falls, New York. Over three hundred people attended the event, which spanned two days. It consisted of lectures and discussions on the social, economical, religious, and political role of women, and questioned the power structure put into place solely by those with a Y chromosome. 80 years before this convention, the revolutionary heroes of the American Revolution enumerated their problems with
The majority of Americans today enjoy a comfortable lifestyle when compared to other citizens of the world. This is not a knock against them; however, it is important to note that these benefits are rarely given away freely. Throughout America’s past, brave citizens have petitioned, rallied, fought, and died for the rights that we consider “givens”. The right to vote, which many people today shirk and scoff at, was not guaranteed to anyone that wasn’t a white property-owning male until relatively recently in our country’s history. Understanding and recognizing the circumstances that led to the passage of the 19th amendment, as well as the influential persons, relevant court cases, and prominent organizations that helped enact change, is the least a competent American can do to give thanks to those that fought for their rights before they were born. The struggle for women’s rights gained steam in the mid 19th century. Undoubtedly, the Seneca Falls Convention was the wind that fanned the initial flames of change. It would be slightly preposterous to say that prior to this convention women never wanted to vote or never voiced that opinion. However, the associations that blossomed from this event were well enough organized that they had no choice than to be recognized by the opposite sex. These organizations blossomed from the abolitionist movement, which encouraged the participation of women in an effort to free the slaves. In July of 1848, Elizabeth Stanton and Lucretia Mott, two social activists, held a convention on women’s rights in Seneca Falls, New York. Over three hundred people attended the event, which spanned two days. It consisted of lectures and discussions on the social, economical, religious, and political role of women, and questioned the power structure put into place solely by those with a Y chromosome. 80 years before this convention, the revolutionary heroes of the American Revolution enumerated their problems with