Susan B. Anthony was the first women’s rights advocate. Stevens comments that Ms. Anthony’s reputation often overshadowed the fact that she defied the law in a time when this was a very unusual occurrence. She literally placed her life and reputation on the line to bring attention to the situation which existed in the lives of women in the late 18th century.

Susan B. Anthony was a militant. She literally dedicated her life to the battle of securing right equal to those which men had. Anthony began her fight for rights before the U.S. Civil War. She almost single-handedly kept the issue of women’s suffrage in the mind of the government and the public. During the Civil War, Ms. Anthony held her ground in her belief that no national problem was great enough to endanger the aban

The President had finally used his power to putting the amendment through the House. The women were hopeful that the president would follow this up by insisting upon the passage of the amendment in the Senate. The protests stopped for the time being and all the women’s energies were put towards persuading him to see that the Senate acted. At the end of seven months the women still need two more votes, and the president didn’t give them any indication that he would help get them, the women renewed their attacks on the president. The women decided upon a national protest in Washington August 6th, the anniversary of the birth of Inez Milholland. The procession of women was starting back to headquarters, the police were eagerly clearing the way for the line; the crowd was dispersing in order; the great golden banner, "Mr. President, what will you do for woman suffrage?" was just swinging past the White House gate, when President Wilson stepped into his car for the afternoon drive.

Thirty determined women were now on hunger strike, and eight of them were in a state of almost total collapse, the Administration succumbed. It could not afford to force feed thirty women and risk the social and political consequences; and could not let thirty women starve themselves to death Many pledges were made in honor of Alice Paul, Inez Milholland, Mrs. Belmont, Dudley Field Malone, and all the prisoners by the public to keep the campaign going. Immediately following the release of the prisoners political events began to happen fast. Committees in Congress acted on the amendment and President Wilson surrendered and a date for the vote was set.

TO ENVOY ROOT YOU SAY THAT AMERICA MUST THROW ITS MANHOOD TO THE SUPPORT OF LIBERTY. WHOSE LIBERTY? THIS NATION IS NOT FREE. TWENTY MILLION WOMEN ARE DENIED BY THE PRESIDENT OF THE UNITED STATES THE RIGHT TO REPRESENTATION IN THEIR OWN GOVERNMENT. TELL THE PRESIDENT THAT HE CANNOT FIGHT AGAINST LIBERTY AT HOME WHILE HE TELLS US TO FIGHT FOR LIBERTY ABROAD. TELL HIM TO MAKE AMERICA SAFE FOR DEMOCRACY BEFORE HE ASKS THE MOTHERS OF AMERICA TO THROW THEIR SONS TO THE SUPPORT OF DEMOCRACY IN EUROPE. ASK HIM HOW HE CAN REFUSE LIBERTY TO AMERICAN CITIZENS WHEN HE IS FORCING MILLIONS OF AMERICAN BOYS OUT OF THEIR COUNTRY TO DIE FOR LIBERTY.

When the 64th vote was assured two more Republican Senators announced their support, Senator Keyes of New Hampshire and Senator Hale of Maine, and on June 4th the measure passed the Senate by a vote of 66 to 30,-2 votes more than needed. Of the 49 Republicans in the Senate, 40 voted for the amendment, 9 against. Of the 47 Democrats in the Senate, 26 voted for it and 21 against. Finally the women had triumphed.

The women used the following as picket signs:

Of course the President knew the urgency of the situation. For six full years the women fought, and after delays, and lies they were still left disfranchised. The Republican Congress elected in November, 1918, would not sit until December, 1919. The women polled the new Congress and found two-thirds majority for the amendment in the House. In the new Senate they still lacked one vote.

The government resorted to force in an attempt to end picketing. It was a policy doomed to failure. This was the beginning of tactics from the Administration that would later wish they had never heard. On July fourteenth, Bastille Day in France sixteen women marched in single file to take their own "Liberty, Equality, Fraternity" to the White House gates. In the middle of a hot afternoon a thin line of curious spectators gathered across the street. The police began to gather as if from nowhere; some on foot, others on bicycles. They closed in on the women and followed them to the gates. As one woman was arrested, another stepped up to her place. The thought of women being arrested for no purpose except their beliefs, caused anger in the crowd. This is the first time most of the women in the crowd had ever seen a po

Some topics in this essay:
President Wilson, White House, Rules Committee, Ms Stevens, Ms Paul, DIE LIBERTY, President's Boston, Superintendent Whittaker, House Senate, President United, president wilson, white house, ms paul, house senate, fight rights, hunger strike, president women, inez milholland, suffrage amendment, civil war, issue women’s suffrage, women wait liberty”, dudley field malone,