19th Century Suffragists

In the early part of the 19th century, the major suffragist movements were for the abolitionist and temperance movements, but women were unable to have the impact they could have due to antifeminist prejudices. An example of this was at the London Anti-Slavery Convention of 1840. The right of women to take part was debated bitterly, as international clergymen said, “equal status for women was contrary to the will of God” (Woman Suffrage 2017, Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia). Eventually two American feminists, Lucretia Coffin Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, were shielded from view and denied the right to speak behind a curtain. Because of multiple instances like this, American suffragists created a separate movement specifically
The suffragists were called unfeminine and accused of immorality. They were subjected to physical violence, and meetings were disrupted by gangs of street bullies. Despite these actions, the movement continued to grow. At the time of the Civil War, Susan B. Anthony, a Massachusetts teacher, recommended a temporary suspension of suffragist activities. After the war, meetings continued and abolitionists and suffragists began disagreeing. The abolitionists were worried that their campaign to enfranchise male ex-slaves would be stalled by the demands of the female suffragists. It was suggested for the women to postpone their campaign. This was unthinkable, and Elizabeth Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, who were particularly frustrated, broke away from the abolitionists. Stanton and Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association in May 1869. Its main objective was to acquire voting rights for women with a federal suffrage law. In November of 1869, another division was founded, the American Woman Suffrage Association. Established by Lucy Stone and Henry Ward Beecher, its mission was to gain voting rights for women with a state-by-state
These votes were ignored. Susan B. Anthony and a dozen other women voted in 1872 at a national election in New York. They were all arrested and Anthony was put on trial, which is what Anthony was hoping for. She wanted the opportunity to test Victoria Woodhull’s strategy, that as citizens, women couldn’t be deprived of rights protected in the constitution. When he suspected a vote in her favor, the judge dismissed the jury and found her guilty. Susan refused to pay the fine. The trial drew national attention and publicized the women’s suffrage