Susan B. Anthony And Alice Paul: Fight For Women’s Rights
Franklin D. Roosevelt once said, “Democracy cannot succeed unless those who express their choice are prepared to choose wisely. ” For centuries, people have fought for rights to be considered equal in this nation. The 19th Amendment allowed women to represent themselves without the help of Men. This amendment, which was ratified in 1920, explains that no citizen shall be denied or abridged by the United States or any state the right to vote on the account of sex. Because of suffragists like Susan B. Anthony and Alice Paul, women are not only allowed the right to vote but also the right to work within the government and be taken seriously. This was one of the greatest turning points in women's history and is the reason why some hold such great power today.
The fight for women’s rights started back in 1848 at a convention called Seneca Falls in New York. A group of men and women were invited by reformers, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott to discuss the mistreatment and lack of rights given to women. At this time, women were seen as property of their husbands and fathers. They had a set role in society which was to be a good, respectful housewife and mother, take care of the household and do what is told of them. Luckily, some women did not find this fair and started to campaign as a group called suffragists. It wasn’t until years later when the groups were finally being heard. During World War I, men were sent off to fight while women had to take over the jobs their fathers and husbands couldn’t do. Women now had to run the house as well as bring home an income. It was around this time that women were able to come together and start working harder in their movement. They started arguing it was unfair to keep women from voting when men were working equal to them.
Women like Lucy Stone, Millicent Fawcett, and Emmeline Pankhurst were all incredible influencers in the fight for women's rights but one of the greatest known women's rights leaders was Susan B. Anthony. Anthony was a women’s right activist and one of the creators of the women's rights newspaper, revolution. Unfortunately she died before she was able to see the 19th amendment pass, however doesn’t take away all the work she did to get the rights for women for future generations. Along with Susan B. Anthony, another women who had a great influence on women's history was Alice Paul.
Paul was one of the main leaders for the campaign for the 19th amendment. Paul actually started her work with National American Woman Suffrage Association, also known as “NAWSA. ” She ended up leaving and confounded the Congressional Union which proved to be the wise choice in the end. Without women who were brave enough to stand up for what they believed in, our nation today could easily have been very different. Many women themselves were against this fight because they were scared of what men would think or do to them. They proved that individual voices do matter and without it we would not be living in a democracy based government. In the movie Iron Jawed Angels, Dr. White makes a statement to Alice Paul, “. . . courage is often mistaken for insanity. ” However in the film, the suffragist leaders seem to have insane courage. Based on the true story of the fight for the 19th amendment, this movie shows what lengths and obstacles women had to face in order to turn their dream, into a reality. The movie centers around Alice Paul, a determined American suffragette who is willing to put her freedom on the line for a change in women’s rights. This movie takes place around the 1910’s, continuing during and even past World War I. At this time many people’s priorities were on the war, but for suffragists, that was the least of their concerns. Throughout the movie, you see some women continuously campaigning for the amendment, and others were either to nervous or didn’t care. In this documentary style movie, you see many women putting everything second, even themselves, for the respectable treatment of women.
Alice Paul, had to put aside her love and longing for a male companion in order to focus all her energy on the campaign. Looking back, he could have even helped her if she so desired to spend so much time with him but knowing it would cause a distraction she did make a wise choice and put the women of this nation before herself. Because there was already so much going on in the world, many didn’t pay attention or even care for this issue, including women. At first, they just spoke to anyone that would listen about the situation, and how that did help, it wasn’t making much progress. Sometimes, the best way to get people's attention is to get people mad, and that is exactly what they did. Not having much money or connections, getting ahold of the media wasn’t going to be easy. The activists then turned to marching and protesting where camera’s and reports would already be, including president Wilson’s inauguration. They continued their march in front of the white house, but because of the anger of men, they were eventually arrested for “obstruction of traffic. ” However, the fight did not stop once arrested. Inside the prison all the suffragists who had been arrested, including Alice Paul, went on a hunger strike. The officers and officials inside the facility ended up with no choice but having to force feed the women raw eggs and milk. The newspapers ended up being informed about the mistreatment which ended up putting pressure and stress on the president to go through with passing the new amendment which was finally adopted on August 18th, 1920. However, even after attaining this right, it was a struggle to keep it.
In 1923, Alice Paul proposed the Equal Rights Amendment, also known as “ERA”, to the constitution. This was designed to “guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex; it seeks to end the legal distinctions between men and women in terms of divorce, property, employment, and other matters. ” It wasn’t until 1972 when congress would decide to pass it but it would ultimately fail due to three states of 38 needed for ratification by the deadline in 1982. This movie was a great representation of the struggles these women and suffragists had to face. Along with inspiring future generations and giving them hope to believe even the craziest ideas of 1 person can change the course of history and create a whole new world. This movie did not hold back any disturbing or uncomfortable parts and made many realize what people truly may go through in order to see a day where everyone is equal. Women’s rights have come along way over the last 100 years, however there still is much more growing to do. Whether it’s in the workplace, school or their own home, some women will still face violence and discrimination due to their gender. To some, women may still even be seen as fragile flowers who must be protected and watched over when in reality, today’s women have all the strength needed to take care of themselves.
One of the greatest debates people have been faced with over the last few years is the topic of abortion. Everyone can agree that it is the women who carries the baby, but what about the person who helps create? Some may argue that the father of the baby should have a say, others think it should be a mutual understanding, but to women’s right organizations believes since it is the women’s body, it should be her choice. Associations and organizations such as ultraviolet and campaign zero all argue that allowing women to make decisions for herself is a step towards total gender equality. Another issue we had in the past has improved, it is still not where itshould be. Women today work the exact same job as men and are even the primary income in half of american families but yet still are not making the same amount as men. Statistics also show women earn higher degrees than men, but because of old age thinking, many think men can do something better than a women, even if less qualified. This tends to happen in almost every job, whether the work is hands on of just sitting in an office. One major place we see it happening today is in entertainment and media.
A huge quote being thrown around today is the phrase “Sex Sells” and unfortunately they don’t seem to be lying. Whether it’s a sex scene in a movie or just a song about sex, it is that which brings in the most money. The movie and book series “Fifty Shades of Grey” is one of the top examples of this topic. One of the three movies made as much as $571 million dollars in the box office. Some may argue this is just pure entertainment but others believe it belittles women and feeds to the male imagination. The only way to gain respect is to respect ourselves first. Just because sex sells, doesn’t mean someone needs to buy it. From the first equal rights conference in 1848 - to today’s women being able to hold a position in office, America has surely come a long way. It has and is continuing to make progress and and as long as strong, powerful women are able to stand up and speak out, it will cause change for the better. Because of women like Alice Paul and Susan B. Anthony, women today are able to voice their opinion freely and safely with the constitution to back them up. Ever since, women and even men continue to fight for the rights of everyone and will not stop until everyone as seen as equal and united.
