Evolution of Women's Rights in America

The history of women's rights is not simple. In Roman times, women weren't even considered people under the law. The Middle Ages saw a decline in rights, for the leaders of the time further devalued women. At least in Rome they were still encouraged to be strong and capable. This blog post will dive into major events for women's rights in America, starting with the colonial era.

Although it seems illogical, the colonial era tightened restrictions on women. In 1769, the colonies enacted a law prohibiting women from owning property in their own name. 8 years later, every single state passed a law which took away women's suffrage. Before this, in a few colonies women were allowed to own property.

The Revolution brought minimal change in how people viewed women. While their husbands were at war, the women took over some of their responsibilities, thus gaining a little bit of respect. Also, the "Daughters of Liberty" supported the war by sewing their own clothes and cooking from their own farms, proving that they weren't so dependent on others. Feminists like Mary Wollstonecraft (who published writings on why the world needed to advance women's rights) and Hannah Adams ( the world's first female author who made a living off her books) began to voice their opinions, but they were largely overshadowed. For the most part, after the war, things went back to how they were before the war, where women were basically their husband's property.

Things started to look up in 1839, when Mississippi became the first state to grant women the right to hold property. However, they still needed permission from their husbands! A decade later, the Declaration of Sentiments was signed by men and women alike, which was a plea to end gender discrimination. The first female mayor was elected in Kansas, 1887.

At this point, more and more rights begin to creep their way into women's lives. It's crazy to think that a woman was elected to the House of Representatives (1916) before the US granted all women the right to vote in all elections in the 19th amendment (1920)! Since then, there have been many more major rights and milestones, such as equal pay, right to divorce, and sending the first woman into space.

The biggest push for women's rights came in the Women's Rights Movement from 1848-1920. It started with the Declaration of Sentiments, mentioned above. This catalyzed everyday women in households across the country to start to push for reforms, ranging from education to basic economic freedoms. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) were both formed in the wake of the Civil War. Ironically, they rejected each other's approaches on how to solve the issues. In 1890, they eventually combined to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). The overall Women's Rights Movement officially ended on August 26th, 1920, when the 19th amendment was ratified, allowing women full and equal rights. This marked the end to the 72-year struggle, although women still face unfair challenges today all around the world and in America.

Of course, all of this pales in comparison to the original native Americans' customs on women's rights. They enacted a matriarchal society where men married into the woman's family, women participated in religious ceremonies, and women contributed to society, not just the family. They had just as much freedom as men. People were equals in Native society. It was the Europeans who took centuries to catch up.

Presently, there are huge pushes to finally close the gap between men and women. Topics such as abortion, discrimination at work, and Hillary Clinton are still widely debated today. Somehow, women's rights are still controversial to the world! The history of women's rights is still being written and improved, one step at a time.