CH. 16-2 WOMEN AND PUBLIC LIFE AMERICAN HISTORY CH. 16-2 WOMEN AND PUBLIC LIFE

OPPORTUNITIES FOR WOMEN Late 1800s—women were finding more opportunities for education and employment Women wanted more involvement in the community They sought to use the talents and skills to make life better for others Women were becoming a greater political force

HIGHER EDUCATION 1833—Oberlin College in Ohio begins admitting women in addition to men 1870—about 20% of all college students were women 1900—about 1/3 of all college students were women Most women in college were members of the middle or upper classes

Many professional opportunities were still not available for women The American Medical Association did not start admitting women until 1915 EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES Late 1800s—women worked as teachers and nurses, bookkeepers, typists, secretaries, and shop clerks

Newspapers began hiring more women as artists and journalists According to census figures: --artists: 1870—412 1900---11,207 --journalists: 1870—35 1900—2,193 Working class women and those without a high school education found jobs in industry They tended to be paid less the men were

GAINING POLITICAL EXPERIENCE Women became the backbone of many reform movements Women learned how to organize, persuade people, and publicize their causes CHILDREN’S HEALTH AND WELFARE Progressive reformers worked to end child labor, improve children’s health, and promote education

Lillian Wald, founder of the Henry Street Settlement in NYC, believed that government had a responsibility to tend to the well-being of children She wanted an agency at the federal level 1912—Federal Children’s Bureau opens PROHIBITION Called for a ban on making, selling, and distributing alcoholic beverages

Reformers believed alcohol was often responsible for crime, poverty, and violence against women and children Two major national organizations led the organized crusade against alcohol: 1) Woman’s Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) Frances Ward led the WCTU 1879-1898 2) Anti-Saloon League

Reformers also spread the word through Protestant churches Billy Sunday, former baseball player turned Presbyterian evangelist, preached that saloons were “the parent of crimes and the mother of sins.” 1900—Evangelist Carry Nation carried a bible in one hand and a hatchet in another

She smashed up saloons in Kansas and urged others to do the same 1917—Congress proposes the XVIIIth Amendment Prohibited the manufacture, sale, and distribution of alcoholic beverages States ratified the amendment in 1919 So unpopular that it was repealed in 1933

CIVIL RIGHTS African American women fought for the same rights as white women Ending poverty, promoting child welfare, better wages, safer working conditions, fighting alcohol abuse Most African American women found they were not welcome in white organizations so they formed their own

1896—National Association of Colored Women (NACW) Members included the most prominent colored women of the time period Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Margaret Murray Washington (Tuskegee Institute), Harriet Tubman (Underground Railroad) 1916—NACW had 100,000+ members Campaigned against poverty, segregation, and lynching.

RISE OF THE WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT 1848—Seneca Falls, NY Convention promoting women’s rights 72 years of organizing, campaigning, and persuading before getting the right to vote THE XVth AMENDMENT Women thought they should be given the right to vote along with African Americans

Abolitionist Horace Greeley urged them to “remember that this is the Negro hour and your first duty is to go through the state and plead his claims.” Suffragists waited but not patiently WOMEN ORGANIZE 1869—Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony formed the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA)

NWSA campaigned for a constitutional amendment to give women the right to vote Other issues included labor organizing 1872—Some NWSA members supported Victoria Woodhull, the first female presidential candidate 1869—American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA)—Henry Ward Beecher was president

AWSA focused exclusively on winning the right to vote on a state-by-state basis AWSA aligned itself with the Republican Party 1869—Wyoming Territory became first in granting the vote to women Utah followed a year later 10 other states followed suite

SUSAN B. ANTHONY TESTS THE LAW Anthony worked tirelessly for suffrage with speeches and pamphlets She testified before every Congress 1869-1906 1872—She and 3 of her sisters staged a dramatic protest They registered to vote, and on Election Day they voted in Rochester, NY

Two weeks later, they were arrested for “knowingly, wrongfully and unlawfully” voting for a representative to the Congress of the United States Before her trial she delivered an address in which she spelled out many reasons that justice required that women be given the right to vote (p. 533)

At her trial the judge did not let her testify on her own behalf, ruled her guilty, and fined her $100 Anthony refused to pay the fine hoping the judge would arrest her to create a case that could be appealed through the courts The judge refused to imprison Anthony so no appeal

1875—US Supreme Court ruled that even though women were citizens, citizenship did not give them the right to vote. It was up to the states to grant or withhold voting ANTI-SUFFRAGE ARGUMENTS People opposed to suffrage used several arguments

1) interfered with duties at home 2) would destroy families 3) women did not have the education or experience 4) some said most women did not want to vote Business interests also disapproved Liquor businesses thought women would vote for prohibition

Others thought women would vote for more government regulation that would drive up business costs TWO ORGANIZATIONS MERGE 1890—NWSA & AWSA merged Now called the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) Leader was Elizabeth Cady Stanton 1890-1892

Susan B. Anthony served as President 1892-1900 Anthony died in 1906 Her final public comment: “Failure is impossible” Most early suffragists did not live to cast a vote Only 1 signer of the Seneca Falls declaration (1848) was still alive in 1920, Charlotte Woodward, age 92 THE END