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APUSH Women's Rights DBQ

From 1890 to 1945, the women's suffrage movement in the U.S. utilized various strategies, including advocacy for fairness and equality, public demonstrations, and civil disobedience, to secure voting rights for women. Organizations like NAWSA and the National Woman’s Party played crucial roles in mobilizing support and challenging societal norms, culminating in the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Despite achieving suffrage, many women of color continued to face discrimination, highlighting ongoing struggles for equality.

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22 views3 pages

APUSH Women's Rights DBQ

From 1890 to 1945, the women's suffrage movement in the U.S. utilized various strategies, including advocacy for fairness and equality, public demonstrations, and civil disobedience, to secure voting rights for women. Organizations like NAWSA and the National Woman’s Party played crucial roles in mobilizing support and challenging societal norms, culminating in the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920. Despite achieving suffrage, many women of color continued to face discrimination, highlighting ongoing struggles for equality.

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APUSH​

4 November 2024

2.1.8 Practice: Women's Rights Movements: Keys to Success


From 1890 to 1945, the United States of America went through a transformation period
in which it began as a largely agrarian society and turned into an industrial and military
powerhouse throughout the two world wars and the Progressive Era. Furthermore, this era was
characterized by huge economic swings, from the roaring twenties to the sudden Great
Depression, and also resulted in World War II, which affected women’s role in the country to a
large extent. In addition to this transition in economy, the fight for women’s suffrage, or the right
to vote for women, was a huge part of this time period with organizations like NAWSA and the
National Women’s Party doing everything they could from peaceful protests to holding massive
conventions to secure the vote for women. And, with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in
1920, they succeeded, although still many women of color were discriminated against and not
allowed to vote. In order to get to that point, however, women ultimately achieved suffrage by
the suffragists' use of coordinated advocacy, public demonstrations, and alliances with other
social reforms; in other words, women achieved suffrage by using strategies that adapted to and
countered social and political resistance.
One key strategy was making women's suffrage an issue of fairness and equality, as
shown by the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) in their pamphlet,
Votes for Women! The Woman’s Reason​(Document 2). The NAWSA argued that since women
obeyed laws, paid taxes, and were affected by government policies just like men, they deserved
equal participation in governance. This argument was particularly compelling to many logical
everyday Americans, the intended audience, because it appealed to the fundamental democratic
principle of equal representation. In addition, the suffragists talked about economic concerns,
saying that many women were wage workers whose health and safety were put in jeopardy by
poor working conditions that only proper legislation could address. Claims like that showed the
real need for suffrage for women because it showed how women needed a direct say in what
laws affected their lives. In contrast to that, anti-suffragists, represented by the National
Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, believed that equality in the government (giving
women the right to vote) would destroy women’s traditional societal roles and destabilize the
political system that they claimed had worked well (Document 1). The suffragists then counter
argued by emphasizing that voting would not necessarily destroy women’s traditional role, like
dealing with the family, but rather it would enable them to advocate for social welfare and
reform further, making the country a better and more just society.
Another significant approach that suffragists used was their participation in public
demonstrations, as shown in the 1912 New York suffragist parade where even young girls
marched for the cause. The image of the "Youngest Parader" shows how suffragists included all
generations, using the innocence and determination of young participants to resonate with a
broader audience and soften public opposition to women's voting rights ​(Document 6). Similarly,
in the illustration titled "Election Day!,” the artist, most likely someone who is against the idea
of women having the right to vote, makes fun of the notion of women voting, showing the
skepticism women faced in their attempts for equality in political representation. Even though
they were mocked, suffragists were consistent and understood that any publicity, no matter good
or bad, kept their cause in the public eye​(Document 4). Such demonstrations were not only a
show of numbers but also a large effort to make the fight for suffrage as a movement about
inclusivity, something that appealed to both families and politicians to support women's overall
civil rights and of course the women’s right to vote.
Besides parades and public gatherings, suffragists also partook in civil disobedience to
directly try and gain civil rights. For example, the 1917 "First Picket Line" image shows college
women picketing the White House, a bold move that showed their willingness to challenge
authority to get what they wanted. These pickets, organized by the National Woman’s Party,
marked a turning point in the suffrage movement, as they used their education and youth to
project an image of sophisticated, determined activists who demanded and deserved political
respect​(Document 7). Such tactics were essential in overcoming institutional resistance, as these
educated women used their voices to challenge patriarchal assumptions about the abilities of
females with regard to political participation. By doing public demonstrations and engaging in
direct action like picketing the White House, suffragists were able to eventually shift the public
opinion in their favor, eventually leading to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
In conclusion, women used a range of strategies, from peaceful parades to direct
confrontations, each used to overcome the societal and political resistance they were facing. By
appealing to the public’s morality and engaging in bold activism, suffragists (after a very long
fight) successfully garnered support and placed pressure on policymakers. Ultimately, these
efforts showed the movement’s resilience and unity, which led to women’s civil rights and the
beginning of more civil rights for previously discriminated groups, showing a shift in American
governmental representation.

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