US Marks 100 Years Since Women Gained Right to Vote
2020-08-18
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1A little over a century ago, feminists tirelessly campaigned for women's suffrage in the United States.
2They organized marches and other events in hopes of increasing public support for the campaign.
3One hundred years ago this month, women were finally given the right to vote through the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
4The amendment was first introduced to Congress in 1878.
5It took more than 40 years for it to be passed and then approved by three-fourths of the states.
6On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the much-needed 36th state to ratify the amendment.
7At the time, the country had 48 states.
8The fight for voting rights goes back to the country's first women's rights convention in 1848.
9The meeting was held at Wesleyan Methodist Church in Seneca Falls, New York.
10An estimated 300 people attended the conference.
11One of them was abolitionist Frederick Douglass.
12No women of color were present.
13Attendees included Elizabeth Cady Stanton.
14She was the lead writer of the Declaration of Sentiments, a document calling for equality with men, including the right to vote.
15Today, the old building where the convention took place is part of the Women's Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls.
16Andrea DeKoter is the park's acting superintendent.
17She told VOA that the Declaration of Sentiments is modeled after the U.S. Declaration of Independence.
18But the words - "all men are created equal" - were changed to, "all men and women are created equal."
19African American men were given voting rights in 1870 through the passage of the 15th Amendment.
20Women continued to fight for their own suffrage.
21However, DeKoter said there was "racism in the women's rights movement."
22White suffragists did not include Black women in their movement, she said.
23Martha S. Jones is a history professor at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland.
24She said the exclusion led Black women to "form a parallel movement within their own organizations."
25Jones said these included religious conferences, civil rights organizations, and antislavery groups.
26Some states passed their own women's suffrage legislation.
27But women's rights activists wanted a national amendment.
28As the lives and expectations of women were changing in the early 20th century, a new generation of young women continued the struggle.
29By 1916, these suffragists increased their protests.
30They organized marches, silent gatherings, and hunger strikes.
31Critics harassed and shouted at the women.
32Renewed energy in the movement, along with President Woodrow Wilson's 1918 decision to support the amendment, helped lead to its passage two years later.
33A century later, many women still face voter suppression, notes the League of Women Voters.
34This, the group says, includes "forcing discriminatory voter ID and proof-of citizenship restrictions on eligible voters, reducing polling place hours in communities of color, and illegally purging voters from the rolls."
35Inequalities like these and others may be reduced through passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, supporters say.
36The ERA was introduced to Congress in 1923, three years after American women gained voting rights.
37It was approved by the House of Representatives in 1971 and by the Senate in 1972.
38But it was only ratified by three-quarters of the states in January 2020 - many years after the target deadline.
39Eleanor Smeal is president of the Feminist Majority Foundation.
40She argues that if the deadline were removed, the amendment could become a part of the Constitution.
41Like women who fought for voting rights, Smeal said, "the Equal Rights Amendment is very important because it establishes that all women must be treated equally under our Constitution."
42Among other things, she said, it would end discrimination in areas such as pay and education, and help prevent violence against women.
43I'm Ashley Thompson.
1A little over a century ago, feminists tirelessly campaigned for women's suffrage in the United States. They organized marches and other events in hopes of increasing public support for the campaign. 2One hundred years ago this month, women were finally given the right to vote through the passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution. The amendment was first introduced to Congress in 1878. It took more than 40 years for it to be passed and then approved by three-fourths of the states. 3On August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the much-needed 36th state to ratify the amendment. At the time, the country had 48 states. 4The fight for voting rights goes back to the country's first women's rights convention in 1848. The meeting was held at Wesleyan Methodist Church in Seneca Falls, New York. 5An estimated 300 people attended the conference. One of them was abolitionist Frederick Douglass. No women of color were present. 6Attendees included Elizabeth Cady Stanton. She was the lead writer of the Declaration of Sentiments, a document calling for equality with men, including the right to vote. 7Today, the old building where the convention took place is part of the Women's Rights National Historic Park in Seneca Falls. 8Andrea DeKoter is the park's acting superintendent. She told VOA that the Declaration of Sentiments is modeled after the U.S. Declaration of Independence. But the words - "all men are created equal" - were changed to, "all men and women are created equal." 9African American men were given voting rights in 1870 through the passage of the 15th Amendment. Women continued to fight for their own suffrage. However, DeKoter said there was "racism in the women's rights movement." White suffragists did not include Black women in their movement, she said. 10Martha S. Jones is a history professor at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. She said the exclusion led Black women to "form a parallel movement within their own organizations." Jones said these included religious conferences, civil rights organizations, and antislavery groups. 11Some states passed their own women's suffrage legislation. But women's rights activists wanted a national amendment. 12New activists 13As the lives and expectations of women were changing in the early 20th century, a new generation of young women continued the struggle. By 1916, these suffragists increased their protests. They organized marches, silent gatherings, and hunger strikes. Critics harassed and shouted at the women. 14Renewed energy in the movement, along with President Woodrow Wilson's 1918 decision to support the amendment, helped lead to its passage two years later. 15A century later, many women still face voter suppression, notes the League of Women Voters. This, the group says, includes "forcing discriminatory voter ID and proof-of citizenship restrictions on eligible voters, reducing polling place hours in communities of color, and illegally purging voters from the rolls." 16Inequalities like these and others may be reduced through passage of the Equal Rights Amendment, or ERA, supporters say. The ERA was introduced to Congress in 1923, three years after American women gained voting rights. It was approved by the House of Representatives in 1971 and by the Senate in 1972. But it was only ratified by three-quarters of the states in January 2020 - many years after the target deadline. 17Eleanor Smeal is president of the Feminist Majority Foundation. She argues that if the deadline were removed, the amendment could become a part of the Constitution. 18Like women who fought for voting rights, Smeal said, "the Equal Rights Amendment is very important because it establishes that all women must be treated equally under our Constitution." 19Among other things, she said, it would end discrimination in areas such as pay and education, and help prevent violence against women. 20I'm Ashley Thompson. 21Deborah Block reported this story for VOA News. Ashley Thompson adapted it for Learning English. George Grow was the editor. 22_______________________________________________________________ 23Words in This Story 24feminist - n. someone who believes that men and women should have equal rights and opportunities 25suffrage - n. the right to vote in an election 26introduce - v. to present (something) for discussion or consideration 27abolitionist - n. a person who wants to stop or abolish slavery 28parallel - adj. very similar and often happening at the same time 29harass - v. to annoy or bother (someone) in a constant or repeated way 30eligible - adj. able to be chosen for something : able to do or receive something 31polling place - n. a building where people go to vote in an election 32purge - v. to remove people from an area, country, organization, etc., often in a sudden or violent way 33deadline - n. a date or time when something must be finished