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Anne Hutchison
One of the only outspoken women in a very strict Puritan society that tried to suppress women to property of their husbands. She caused a schism in the Puritan community in the Massachusetts Bay Colony. Despite her efforts, her faction eventually lost in the power struggle for governorship, and she was exiled from the colony. -
Industrial Revolution
The IR paved the way for America’s switch from agricultural to urban society. Because of this, deskilling of labor in the factory workforce led to a need for more workers who will work for little pay. Since women beforehand very rarely worked for wages, they were prime targets for factory owners as they would work for cheap. Because of this, led huge increase in number of women in the workforce. -
Abigail Adams
Wife of John Adams, she was essentially the first feminist of the newly founded America. She became famous by telling John Adams “Don’t forget about women” when making decision as president. -
Republican Motherhood
This ideal developed shortly after America became a nation. Some people, mostly women but some men, believed that women should be educated in order to teach their children and better contribute to society. One of the earliest forms of feminism, it received mixed reactions from citizens and the religious community. -
Second Great Awakening
This movement led to the rise of New Lights thinkers and the increase of popularity of the Methodist and Baptist denominations. These churches were much more open to embracing republican motherhood and allowing women in public roles than the older Protestant faith, leading to a huge increase in Women religious participation. -
Cult of Domesticity
Widespread culture that glorified married women being housewives. Idea developed to keep women from straying from social norms and keeping them in the home. -
Walter-Lowell System
Factory system put in place to increase efficiency. Almost all workers were young farm women who would come to work for a few years, living on the factory for little pay. Had very strict discipline in order to give mothers confidence that their daughters would not do anything scandalous while on the factory. After their tenure was up, they would return home with the little money they made to get married. -
American Temperance Society
Despite having the main goal in mind to get the country to abstain from alcohol, the organization benefited from and contributed to the movements to expand women’s rights. Believed that families were been destroyed by alcohol abuse. -
Abolitionism
Many abolitionists were northern women. This is because, in addition to their belief that slavery was wrong, they thought that their fights for equality were intertwined, and if they could abolish slavery and make the black man equal, America would then be compelled to make the white woman equal. -
Grimke Sisters
Both were prominent abolitionists and women’s rights activists. They grew up in a slave-owning South Carolina family before moving north and converting to the Quaker faith. Angelina Grimke teamed up with William Lloyd Garrison who published her abolitionist letter in The Liberator newspaper. She was also the first women to speak at the Massachusetts State Legislator. First female advocates of women's rights. -
Susan B. Anthony
After not being allowed to speak temperance rallies for being a woman, she befriended Elizabeth Cady Stanton and both became women suffragists. She was a compassionate reformer who travelled and advocated for numerous reform movements including abolitionism, education reform, labor activist, temperance worker, suffragist, and women’s rights campaigner. She wanted all women to have property rights and retain their own earnings -
Dorothea Dix
Greatest advocate against inhumane treatment of the mentally challenged. She travelled all across the U.S. documenting the actions taking place, concluding that these people were often treated worse than criminals. Her studies brought more humane treatments to these individuals and helped spawn the idea that their insanity was a disease of the mind, not actions done willfully by the individual. Brought upon the creation of insane asylums. -
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Huge advocate for Women’s voting rights. She was one of the founding members of the National Woman Suffrage Association. She was also a leading speakers of the Seneca Falls Convention where she read the “Declaration of Sentiments,” declaring all men and women were created equal. -
Lucritea Mott
As a result of her party of women not recognized at the anti-slavery convention of 1840, Mott worked closely with Stanton to organize the first Women’s rights convention in New York(Seneca Falls) in 1848. -
Seneca Falls Convention
First ever meeting for Women’s rights. Put together by prominent women suffragists and feminists in Stanton and Mott. Raised great awareness for the Woman’s struggle to be equal to men. Stanton shocked listeners in her “Declaration of Sentiments” where she used the constitution to justify Woman’s God given right to be as equal to man. -
Lucy Stone
Prominent American woman suffragist and antislavery speaker. She was the first woman to receive a college degree and first woman to keep her maiden name in marriage. -
Harriet Tubman and the Underground Railroad
Tubman was a former slave on a plantation in Maryland before escaping and gaining her freedom in the North. She was crucial in her participation in the underground railroad, being the main “conductor” that helped guide slaves through their secret network of routes and hiding places, helping them escape to the North where they could be free. -
Women during the Civil War
During the Civil War, the women had to care for their wounded husbands and help rebuild their lives. Thousands helped in the Sanitary Commission and Freedman’s aid society. Also, it was a precedent for war bringing women into the wage earning workforce as the majority became nurses of the war or took over the farm tasks that their husbands left behind. -
American Equal Rights Association
Organized by Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucy Stone, and Lucretia Mott. It supported suffrage for both white women and blacks, however they did not accept that black men should get to vote before white women. -
14th Amendment
This amendment states that all citizens are to be treated equal in the law. Despite this, women were still not allowed to vote or for the most part take part in the same activities as men. This greatly angered feminists such as Stanton, who often use this amendment to argue for their equality. -
National American Women Suffrage Association
One of the halves that broke away from the American Equal Rights Association in response to the passing of the 15th amendment by congress. Its most prominent leaders were Susan B. Anthony and Carrie Chapman Catt. Them and their followers believed that universal suffrage meant equality to all. Because of this, they were unhappy with the 15th amendment and pushed for help on the national level to get women's suffrage added to the amendment. -
American Women Suffrage Association
The other half of the split of the American Equal Rights Association. Its leaders included Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and Julia Howe. Its members were dedicated abolitionists who, unlike the NAWSA, supported the 15th amendment as they believed that the 15th amendment may not pass if it included women voting rights. They sought women’s suffrage at state level rather than national level and wanted to gain support from men. -
15th Amendment
Passed by congress in February of 1869, it created great controversy between women advocates. Some believed it was a good step in the right direction by giving black men the right to vote, while others would not accept that black men should get voting rights before women. -
Women in the West
In order to develop permanent homes in the West, a woman’s role was crucial in making their homestead a success. They were necessary to the work they did tending to the garden and animals, preserving food, and helping during harvest time. Also, many single women were attracted to the freedom the West provided, and settled down by themselves. -
Women's Christian Temperance Union
Led by the pious leader in Frances E. Willard. She sought to eliminate the sale and consumption of alcohol in order to “make the world more home like.” Even though the Union’s main goal was to ban alcohol, Willard had a “do everything” attitude towards reform that encouraged members of her union to take part in other movements such as woman suffrage and abolitionism, although it was not required. -
Minor vs Happersett
Supreme court ruled that Virginia Minor could not vote even though she was granted citizenship. This ruling set the precedent that the 14th amendment had limited power and did not give all citizens equal privileges. Angered feminists. -
Helen Campbell
A muckraker who exposed how the clothing that wealthy women wore was made by poor women working in inhumane sweatshop factories. -
Jane Adams
One of the many middle class women dedicated to uplifting the urban masses. She was one of the first woman of her generation to get a college degree. Her biggest accomplishments included her establishment of the Hull House in Chicago that provided settlement homes for mostly poor immigrant families and her winning of the Nobel peace Prize in 1931. -
Ellen Gates Starr
Another middle class woman reformer who worked with Jane Addams to establish the Hull House. -
Maternalism
An idea that came into place that women have special talents as mothers, Christians, and moral guides. This is slightly straying from a woman’s cult of domesticity, however it still emphasizes the importance of women as taking care of the children. -
Daughters of the American Revolution
This organization is based on lineage-based membership for women who are directly descended from a person involved in America’s struggle for independence against Britain. They are a non-profit organization that work to promote historic preservation, education, and most of all patriotism. -
Mary Ellen Lease
Became known for his role as a speaker for the populist party. She was very outspoken and made very memorable speeches on behalf of the farmers and denounced the money-grubbing government. He also encouraged farmers to speak their discontent. -
Florence Kelley
Biggest advocate for child labor restriction. She worked at the Hull House. In 1893 she lobbied for an Illinois anti sweatshop law that protected women workers and prohibited child labor. She was successful in getting many regulations passed even though not all of the regulations worked effectively. -
United Daughters of the Confederacy
A lineage organization like the Daughters of Revolution, except they are relatives of the Confederate soldiers. They were committed to building cemeteries and monuments for the dead confederate soldiers. -
National Association for Colored Women
Majority of black women joined this organization. An independent organization, they advocated for both women’s rights and suffrage along with trying to lift the persecutions based on color. -
Education Changes for Women
Prior to the Civil War, schooling was almost exclusively for boys who hoped to enter professional managerial work. However, the plight that parents of the civil war generation had witnessed of war widows and orphans encouraged their daughters to prepare themselves through school for teaching and office jobs. By 1900, almost all schools were coeducational. -
Women's Trade Union League
Made up of both working class and upper class women. It was formed to support the efforts of women to organize labor unions and to eliminate sweatshop conditions. -
Women during WWI
Thousands of young men were sent over to fight the war, leaving a need for people to fill their places in the factories. This led to a huge increase in women in the workforce as they took the jobs that the young men left behind. During this time, factory production was at a max with the women working it. This later convinced society to give Women the right to vote as they had proved they were important. -
National Women's Party
Organization led by Alice Paul in pursuit of women suffrage. However, unlike the NAWSA and AWSA, the National Woman’s Party took a more militant strategy. They led picket riots, parades, and hunger strikes to try and persuade the government to give women voting rights. -
Carrie Chapman Catt
A powerful speaker and woman suffragist. She was a school principal and a reporter. She eventually became the leader of the National American Woman Suffrage. She was very tactical in her plan for getting woman suffrage. -
Flapper Movement
New movement for young women. They would keep short bobbed hair, heavy makeup, and short skirts to distinguish themselves. They were a new generation of “liberated” women who rebelled against the social norms and expectations for women in the cult of domesticity. Reinforcing the ideas of women freedom. -
Women in Corporate Office
After the civil war, secretarial work became a dead-end job rather than a way to move up the ranks. Because of this, corporate managers began giving these jobs to women rather than men. By the 1920’s, women held most of the stenographer and typists jobs and held half of all the low-level office jobs. -
19th Amendment
Finally ended the struggle for women's suffrage by giving them the right to vote. Met with much joy across the nation even though there were some in disagreement. -
Margaret Sanger
Leader in the movement to legalize birth control. She founded the first birth control clinic in the U.S. and the American Birth Control League, which later became planned parenthood. -
Women and the New Deal
As the depression did not seem to be persistent because of gender inequalities, FDR made little policies to bridge the gap. However, he did allow more women than any president prior president into the higher ranks of government. -
Women During WWII
Similar to women during WWI. They had to step up in the factory workforce as the young men went off to war. Production was put to a maximum by the central government, and women rose to the challenge. -
1960s-70s Feminism and Activism
The movement was largely started by Betty Friedan’s “The Feminine Mystique” which encouraged women to seek more from life than being the keeper of their husbands. This sparked a whole new set of women activism. They advocated for laws to prevent sex discrimination in the workplace, eventually getting an addition to the civil rights amendment, however the new law was not strongly enforced. In reaction, Friedman founded the National Organization for Women. -
Betty Freidan
Best selling author of “The Feminine Mystique.” Her book challenged women to move beyond the expectation of suburban housewifery and helped spark the second wave of feminism. She also founded the National Organization for Women. -
National Organization for Women
Called for equal employment opportunity and equal pay for women. They also advocated the legalization of abortion and the addition of the equal rights amendment to the constitution. -
Sandra Day O'Connor
First Woman member of the supreme court appointed by Ronald Reagan.