Women's Path to Ratification: The Passage of the 19th Amendment

After being treated unfairly by King George III, the colonists demanded independence from Britain, thus the creation of the Declaration of Independence. In this declaration it states “that all men are created equal”. It can be assumed that by the word “men” the author meant mankind, therefore all people are created equal. Since most assumptions prove to be wrong, this assumption will not leave anyone disappointed. It is widely known that in the “Land of the Free” during 1776 and in present time that this assumption is not true and may never be. From 1789 until 1869 only white men who were property owners were given the privilege, not the right, to vote. The passage of 15th amendment in 1870 granted African American men the right to vote. It was not until fifty years later that women were given the right to vote under the Constitution, though fourteen states prior granted women suffrage. Honestly, this is quite surprising to me. How could men, who after the Dred Scott v. Sandford Supreme Court decision were deemed as not human, but instead property, be given the right to vote before white women? How could property be given the right to vote before women? Now just let that sink in for a minute. Though Black men were no longer slaves, the United States government did have not to give them the right to vote (Even though most were denied the privilege to exercise it). What does this say about the way men viewed women? 

During the 1800s, women, or the “weaker” sex, were treated as second-class citizens. Women could not own property, sign a contract, and keep the wages they earned, among many other restrictions. They were also strongly discouraged to further their education or gain the proper knowledge to pursue a professional career. But, they were taught how to cook, sew, clean, and look after children. Their sole place was in the home, given very little respect outside of it. This is evident when Lucretia Mott, American abolitionist, was denied her seat at anti-slavery convention in London, though she was an official delegate, due to her sex. Mott consulted with Elizabeth Cady Stanton and pushed to organize and hold the first women’s rights convention after the incident occurred. The Seneca Falls Convention (1848) held in Seneca Falls, New York, was attended by about 300 people. 

Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony

Modeled after the Declaration of Independence, the Declaration of Sentiments states “that all men and women are created equal”, clarifying any confusion that may have been caused by the previous assumption. I love how Stanton modeled it after the same document that Thomas Jefferson, a man, drafted after the unjust treatment of King George III. While reading the Declaration of Independence, one will read it in the colonists’ perspective. While reading the Declaration of Sentiments, one will read it in a woman’s perspective. Since the second paragraph of the Declaration of Sentiments is very closely worded to the Declaration of Independence, the sentence “Whenever any form of government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the right of those who suffer from it to refuse allegiance to it, and to insist upon the institution of a new government, laying its foundation on such principles, and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their safety and happiness” becomes very powerful. If the colonists had the right to “alter or to abolish [the government] and institute a new Government… organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness” because they believed it was destructive, why can’t women? The Declaration was signed by sixty-eight women and thirty-two men, including Fredrick Douglass, marking the nationally recognized start of the Women’s Suffrage Movement. It would not be until 50 years later that women were deemed worthy enough to be granted this privilege under the Constitution.

Charlotte Perkins Gilman, author of the book Women and Economics (1898), believed that “the road to woman’s freedom lay through the workplace” (Foner 691). Her writings in 1898 would be proved to be true in years to come. Once men left their homes to go overseas to serve their country in WWI, they left their jobs too. With the decline of men in the country, women were called upon to fill in their positions. Though many women remained employed in traditional jobs, others started working in male dominated industries. Women worked on railroads and in factories, something that was unheard of before. Women now “assumed positions of doctors, lawyers, bankers, and civil servants.  Harvesting grain, running businesses, and driving trucks were all common jobs for women to take”, jobs that were reserved for men prior to the war.  vital role in the home front and warfront. Women were the ones who kept the country moving forward by taking on specialized professions and taking part in conservation efforts, while helping the war effort by supplying soldiers with ammunition made in factories and volunteering for the Red Cross. Because of their efforts, Alice Paul, the National Woman’s Party leader, asked “How could the country fight for democracy abroad, while denying it to women at home?” Without women the country would have fallen apart, the same way a family would without her. Realizing this, President Wilson stated, “We have made partners of the women in this war. Shall we admit them only to a partnership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a partnership of privilege and right?” (Forner 741).
During the war “some 22,000 served as clerical workers and nurses with American forces in Europe. Many believed wartime service would earn them equal rights at home” (Forner 741). They played a

19th amendment [soure]

Women were no longer seen as the “weaker” sex, but now someone who was capable of doing anything a man could do. On May 21, 1919 the House of Representatives passed the Susan B. Anthony Amendment 304-89. The Senate passed it 56-25 – only 2 votes above the two-thirds majority (it’s a scary thought to know this amendment was almost not passed in Congress). After ratification in Congress, it was the states’ turn. Of course, most southern states rejected it except not ratifying. The vote was 48-48 and even though the tie breaker opposed women’s suffrage, his mother convinced him to vote for ratification (even more scary how without his mother, the amendment would have not been passed). On August 26, 1920 the 19th Amendment was declared ratified. It states “The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on the account of sex.” The passage of the nineteenth amendment is the “largest expansion of democracy in American history” (Forner 708). However, this new found citizen would only benefit white (defined as “not a scientific concept at all, but part of ‘common speech, to be interpreted with the understanding of the common man’” by the Supreme Court in 1923) women and not other minorities in America, such as African Americans (Forner 794). Although women’s “freedom in the workplace” granted them the right to vote, today’s inequality in the workplace keeps them imprisoned.
Tennessee who “tip[ped] the scale for woman suffrage”, raising the number of ratifications to 35 – the two-thirds majority needed. Interestingly, Tennessee was close to

James M. Henslin, sociology professor at Southern Illinois University, claims he has inside information of how to earn an extra $1,465 a month, or $700,000 in a lifetime. The only thing someone has to do is be born male. Although both sexes advance in their careers at about the same rate, since men are given higher starting salaries than women, this “testosterone bonus” never allows women to be equal to men in their paid salary (Henslin 293). Sadly, the pay gap is “so great that U.S. women who work full time average only 72 percent of what men are paid” (Henslin 293). 

Example of gender pay gap [source]

According to Henslin, people have a greater chance of becoming a CEO if their name is “John, Robert, James, William, or Charles… Edward, Lawrence, and Richard” (294). However, names such as “Amber, Katherine, Leticia, and Maria draw a severe penalty” (Henslin 294). Only twelve women are heads of Fortune 500 companies. For example, on paper Carleton Fiorina, former head of Fortune 500 company, appears to be male, but actually “his” first name is Cara. Knowing the discrimination and cutthroat competition women face in the business world, she “dropped this feminine name to go by her masculine middle name” (Henslin 294). This leads to another barrier called the glass ceiling, an invisible blockade in place that prevents women from advancing in their careers.  The main cause is stereotypes, one being that women are only seen as being supportive and lacking leadership capability, therefore are confined to human resources or public relations. Another reason is that women lack mentors, successful executives that “teach them the ropes”.   

(video about the glass ceiling)

The strides women have made in order to be granted full American citizenship, the right to vote, have been tremendous. Although they have come a long way, the country still has a longer way to go to ensure that all men and women are equal, including equality in the workplace.

Works Cited/References

"Elizabeth Cady Stanton." National Parks Service. National Parks Service, 16 Dec. 2013. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

Foner, Eric. Give Me Liberty!: An American History. New York: W.W. Norton &, 2014. Print.

Henslin, James M. "Social Class in the United States." Essentials of Sociology: A Down-To-

            Earth Approach, Tenth Edition. Boston: Pearson, 2013. 228-36. Print.

Kim, Tae H. "Seattle General Strike: Where Women Worked During World War I."Seattle General Strike: Where Women Worked During World War I. University of Washington, n.d. Web. 15 Jan. 2014.

"Modern History Sourcebook: The Declaration of Sentiments, Seneca Falls Conference, 1848." Internet History Sourcebooks. Fordham University, n.d. Web. 14 Jan. 2014.

"Rights for Women." Rights for Women. National Women's History Museum, n.d. Web. 16 Jan. 2014.

"Signers of the Declaration of Sentiments." National Parks Service. National Parks Service, 15 Jan. 2014. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.

"Woman Suffrage before 1920." The Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History, n.d. Web. 17 Jan. 2014.