Women's Rights In The Early 20th Century

The Constitution is the living document of the well-known American rights. It starts the long list of all the respectable rules with the famous line “We the People”. What some people may not know, is that “We the People” didn’t apply to 69% of the country. The Constitution gives “the people” their rights and their power which means that the people that are left out of it, don’t have rights in America. In this case, women. Women were vital parts of America. They could do jobs and work in the workforce just like men, but they were never given the chance to. The Constitution gives people included in “We the People” rights, a voice, property, protection from the government and the right to go to court. Unfortunately, women weren’t apart of it. Throughout U.S. history women were marginalized but used activism to gain protection under the Constitution and
They weren’t allowed to own their own lives. They were considered property and since property can’t own property, that takes that out of the picture. They were forced to be fragile and dainty and they were prisoners in their own home. They would clean, cook, and sew everyday. They weren’t paid and it was expected of them. They were almost like slaves. Once they were married they would lose everything. They didn’t have a life that they could control, and that’s why things had to change. The nineteenth amendment was such an accomplishment for women because they were treated like slaves and nobodies and people finally recognized them and gave them a voice. Still, women were expected to be ladylike. The press would exaggerate and call the suffragettes names. They broke fake laws (“obstructing traffic”) just so they would be put in jail. They then had to protest that too by going on a hunger strike. They were force fed, beaten, and tortured countlessly in jail. It took struggle and competence for them to get a rightful place in