The term "suffrage" refers to the right to vote. Suffrage is an important issue to women because voting enables them to express their views on issues that are important to them. In the nineteenth century and twentieth century, women's suffrage movements developed in the democratic nations of Europe and North America. In the United States, women obtained the right to vote in 1920 when the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified. This paper will discuss the development of women's suffrage and will consider its impacts on the women's movement and on society as a whole.
The Revolutionary War in the late eighteenth century resulted in the United States becoming a nation. The key documents of the time, such as the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution, emphasized the importance of honoring the rights of all American citizens. However, it was assumed that only men could be counted among the nation's citizens. Women were denied the right to vote that had been granted to men. Some women spoke out against this state of affairs. For example, Abigail Adams, wife of the Founding Father John Adams, complained about the dangers of men giving themselves "unlimited power" (Zinn 110). Following the Revolutionary War, New Jersey was the only state to give women the right to vote. However, this right was repealed in 1807 (Zinn 110).
In 1848, the first national Women's Rights Convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York, under the leadership of Elizabeth Cady Stanton. A large number of the participants (who included men as well as women) signed a document called the Declaration of Sentiments. The Declaration of Sentiments used language that was reminiscent of the language that had been used in the Declaration of Independence. However, the Declaration of Sentiments included women along with men in proclaiming the rights of citizenship. For example, the document included the statement: "We hold these truths to be self-evident...