Women Suffrage and Civil Rights Movement Research Paper

Women Suffrage and Civil Rights Movement - Research Paper Example The suffrage movement of women represented many issues which till date appeared trivial but they surfaced when it was realized that it was the right to vote which could resolve the problems faced by the women in the patriarchal society where the father and the husband dominated and controlled a woman’s life. This gradually led to anti-discriminatory movements, which was renowned as the Civil Rights movement. The paper traces the development and importance of both these movements in American history. The women’s suffrage movement commenced in order to advocate the right for women towards voting. Abigail Adams could be recalled as the first female personality of the suffrage movement. Ladies were not given the power to make decisions after marriage according to the New Jersey’s law only single women could be eligible to vote since after voting all rights went into the hands of their husbands. Divorce was even more painful by law and since they had no right to vote, the lawmakers paid hardly any attention to their problems (Durrett, 25-27). The spark was initiated when the 15th Amendment was passed after the Civil War to ensure ‘voting rights for all â€Å"citizens of the United States â€Å" regardless of race or color’.... The members of the conference were previously associated with other processes of reform such as Lucretia Mott (associated with anti-slavery movement) and this also included some male personalities like James Mott who took over the role of chairperson and Frederick Douglass, the secretary. Issues like equal position of women in the eyes of law and access to quality education were picked up. (The Beginnings of the Women's Suffrage Movement) Stanton was introduced to Susan B. Anthony in the Seneca Falls and turned out as a significant leader of the movement. Stanton was a powerful writer, which Anthony delivered her influential speeches along with the support of her husband and Mott provided the essential wisdom to the movement. Initially the leaders worked in favor of property right of women after marriage and gathered signatures of 60 women in support of the Married Woman’s Property Act which was finally passed. Then came the dress reform and suffragists began wearing the loose fitting pants instead of the uncomfortable gowns. (Keller, 17-20) The woman suffrage movement’s history stands for an important period in American reform. The faith in republican citizenship status as derived from the American Revolution was the key to the demand for the right to the ballot. The evolution of the suffrage movement might be categorized into three stages. Prior to the Civil War the movement was more of a reform targeting the universe. During the Reconstruction period, the reform group got divided into divided groups and after 1885 the movement came up as a well-knit organization at the national level. The split occurred with respect to the 15th Amendment where Stone (Anthony’s husband) and others believed that the Amendment