Women’s Suffrage Movement

A resource developed in partnership with the Library of Congress asks, “why did it take so long for women to get the right to vote?” Sex and gender are two different concepts. Sex refers to biological differences while gender relates to the roles and expectations culture assigns to each group. Every culture struggles with adjusting the roles of men and women to secure a just and harmonious society. Several factors like religion, science, tradition and technology influence gender roles. By tradition, men had near exclusive domination of politics in the United States, but that began to change in the 19th century with increasing urbanization, educational opportunities for women and changes in home responsibilities.

Reflect on the following questions:
What attitudes about their gender and expected role in society did women need to overcome to gain the right to vote?
What tactics did suffragists use to convince society they deserved the right to vote?
What impact did the 19th Amendment have on women and their government?