American women won the right to vote 86 years ago. Though there were rumbles of discontent about women's status on this continent from the very beginning of the nation's birth, the 72 year long civil rights struggle officially began with the Seneca Falls Woman's Rights Convention in 1848.
In Seneca Falls it was resolved that: "The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her. To prove this, let facts be submitted to a candid world. . . "
Of all the resolutions passed at Seneca Falls, the resolve to demand the right to vote was thought to be by far the most radical. So radical, that Lucretia Mott feared it would make the women appear to be "ridiculous."
In the 72 years it took to win the vote, those who were dead set against the idea were many and even included The New York Times.
It was said that if women won the right to vote, it would be the death of the family and the end of civilization. In light of the present anti-woman and rabidly rightwing era, I thought it would be interesting to look at some of the propaganda from the conservatives who opposed women's right to vote.
The specific issues have changed, but the general idea is the same. That being, the fear of women's economic, social, and political independence.
Happy Women's Equality Day . . .
WHEREAS, the women of the United States have designated August 26, the anniversary date of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, as symbol of the continued fight for equal rights . . .
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