NAWSA
The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), was an organization composed of the National Woman Suffrage Assoctiation (NWSA), headed by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), headed by Lucy Stone.
Suffrage for women was opposed constantly. The liquor industry believed that women would support prohibitions and the textile industry feared that women would support restrictions on child labor. Most opposition was simply men fearing women's changing role in society.
Suffragists tried three different ways to achieve their objective:
Suffrage for women was opposed constantly. The liquor industry believed that women would support prohibitions and the textile industry feared that women would support restrictions on child labor. Most opposition was simply men fearing women's changing role in society.
Suffragists tried three different ways to achieve their objective:
- They attempted to get state legislatures to allow women to vote. This worked in Wyoming (1869) and Utah, Colorado and Idaho by the 1890s. However, after 1896, all efforts in other states failed.
- They also pursued court cases to test the bounds of the 14th Amendment, which stated that states that denied male citizens the right to vote would lose congressional representation. They argued that since women were citizens too, then they should also have the right to vote. The Supreme Court ultimately ruled in 1875 that women WERE citizens, but that their citizenship did not automatically give them the right to vote.
- Their final method was to push for a national constitutional amendment to give women the right to vote. Stanton did succeed in having the amendment introduced in California, but it was shot down later. For the following 41 years, women tried to get it reintroduced but it was continually voted down.