Free
Seventy-two years after the Seneca Falls convention, the 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote.
Here are some of the highlights of the women’s suffrage movement.
1790
New Jersey grants the vote to “all free inhabitants” of the state. ▶
1648
◀ Margaret Brent asks for the right to vote in Maryland. Even though Brent is wealthy and owns property, her request is denied.
1807
New Jersey women lose the vote. How did that happen? A politician who nearly lost an election because of a female voting bloc (women who all voted the same way) sponsored its repeal.
1839
Mississippi passes the Married Women’s Property Act. It is the first state that gives married women the right to own property. ▶
1848
◀ More than 300 men and women attend a women’s rights convention in Seneca Falls, New York. The Declaration of Sentiments is read and approved here.
1850
The first National Woman’s Rights Convention is held in Worcester, Massachusetts. More than 1,000 delegates come, some from as far away as California. ▶
1869
The National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association are formed.
1871
Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman to speak before a committee of Congress. She argues that women already have the right to vote, because the 14th and 15th Amendments gave that right to all citizens. She says Congress just has to pass a declaratory act to make it law. Congress rejects her claim. ▶
1869
◀ The territory of Wyoming passes a law that gives women the right to vote.
1872
About 150 women attempt to vote in the presidential election. Susan B. Anthony and 14 other women are arrested for voting. ▶
1872
◀ Victoria Woodhull becomes the first woman to run for president of the United States.
1878
◀ An amendment to give women the vote goes before Congress but fails to pass. Supporters vow to introduce it every year until it passes. It becomes known as the Anthony Amendment.
1882
The Massachusetts Association Opposed to Further Extension of Suffrage to Women is established. Headed by seven women, it is the first antisuffrage organization. ▶
1890
◀ The National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association join forces. They create a new organization. It is called the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).
1890
Wyoming becomes a state, making it the first state to allow women to vote.
1918
The Anthony Amendment passes in the House of Representatives but not in the Senate. ▶
1916
◀ Jeannette Rankin of Montana becomes the first female member of Congress.
1920
On June 4, the Senate passes the Anthony Amendment, which is now called the 19th Amendment. On August 18, Tennessee becomes the 36th state to ratify the amendment. That makes it a U.S. law.
