women were oppressed by men for a long time. during the 1830's women started to become active in fighting for their rights. it was a gradual process but they came together. women's suffrage was actually a spinoff of the fight for slave rights. women fought for slave rights whom eventually got their rights with the passing of the 14th amendment. if the slaves could be fred and have equal rights as men, then why not white women have the same rights as men. it has to be understood that back then it was the belief of republicanism and people believed in civic virtue in which citizens had to sacrifice for the good of te country. therefore, the motherhood republicanism came into play in which women were supposed to be the ones who stayed at home and took care of the youth and raised them to grow up withh thhe necessary skills to go into the real world. then it was the mans' responsibility to take care of the family. women were supposed to stay home and do the cleaning and raise the children, nothing more. however, bbecause tis country cherished the idea of freedom, it is no surprise that women wanted equal rights. they started first withh just pamphlets and they sent around petitions to gain support. women began to step up and really begin to rally for women's righhts. women such as lucretuia mott, susan b. anthony, and elizabeth cady stanton. elizabeth cady stanton and susan b. anthony were probably the two most important people of the women' rights fight. they joined together to form the National Women's Suffrage Association. (NWSA) they called the seneca falls convention and they use tactics such as boycotts and rebellious acts. susan b. anthony once went and voted and she was arrested for this act. because of their work, they brought a sense of unity to the rally around women's rights. women rallied in streets and spoke out and eventually they succeeded in getting their rights. in 1916, jeannette rankin was elected as the first congress woman of the united states.
