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Shortly before the Declaration of Independence was drafted, Abigail Adams wrote her husband, John, urging that the new nation protect women's liberties.
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The first National Women's Rights Convention takes place in Worcester, Mass., attracting more than 1,000 participants. National conventions are held yearly (except for 1857) through 1860.
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Delegates to the historic Seneca Falls Convention, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, issue a bold declaration calling for equal rights for women.
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Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and others form the American Woman Suffrage Association. This group focuses exclusively on gaining voting rights for women through amendments to individual state constitutions.
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The women that lived in the Wyoming Territory became the first American women to win the right to vote.
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The National Women's Trade Union League (WTUL) is established to advocate for improved wages and working conditions for women.
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Alice Paul and Lucy Burns form the Congressional Union to work toward the passage of a federal amendment to give women the vote. The group is later renamed the National Women's Party. Members picket the White House and practice other forms of civil disobedience.
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The federal woman suffrage amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony and introduced in Congress in 1878, is passed by the House of Representatives and the Senate. It is then sent to the states for ratification.
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The Ninteenth Amendment is ratified, guarenteeing women the right to vote.
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The Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor is formed to collect information about women in the workforce and safeguard good working conditions for women.
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The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.
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Congress approves the women's Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, but it fails to win ratification by the required 38 states.