Keith Mack
The right to vote for women has been a long and arduous journey that has spanned over a century. While there have been instances of women's suffrage in certain regions, such as the Pacific commune of Franceville, the Isle of Man, and the province of Vélez in the 19th century, it was not until the 20th century that more widespread change began to occur. The first proposal to grant women the right to vote at a national level was in Greece in 1922, and countries with origins in self-governing colonies, such as New Zealand and the Cook Islands, acknowledged women's suffrage in 1893. In the United States, the 19th Amendment, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote after a lengthy struggle. However, the fight for women's suffrage continued well into the 20th century, with France granting suffrage in 1944, and Tunisia in 1957. The journey towards women's suffrage was filled with challenges, including discrimination, complex voter registration processes, and racist and anti-immigrant sentiments.
| Characteristics | Values |
|---|---|
| First country to introduce women's suffrage | The Pacific commune of Franceville (now Port Vila, Vanuatu) |
| First self-governing colony to acknowledge women's right to vote | The Colony of New Zealand |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in New Zealand | 1893 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in the Cook Islands | 1893 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in South Australia | 1895 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in the Grand Duchy of Finland | 1906 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in France | 1944 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in Greece | 1930 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in Tunisia | 1957 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in the US | 1920 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in Wyoming territory | 1869 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in New Jersey | 1807 |
| Year women's suffrage was introduced in Massachusetts | 1756 |
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What You'll Learn
The 19th Amendment
> "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."
The road to achieving this milestone was not easy, and it took decades of agitation, protest, lobbying, and civil disobedience to accomplish this radical change to the Constitution. Women's suffrage supporters faced fierce resistance, including heckling, jail time, and physical abuse. During this time, some pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in individual states, with nine western states adopting women's suffrage legislation by 1912. Others challenged male-only voting laws in the courts, and some even used more confrontational tactics such as picketing and hunger strikes.
The United States' entry into World War I in 1917 also helped shift public opinion in favour of women's suffrage, as it was argued that women should be rewarded with the right to vote for their patriotic wartime service. The formation of the National Women's Party (NWP) in 1916 and President Wilson's support for a suffrage bill in 1918 further contributed to the growing momentum. By 1919, almost all major suffrage organizations were united behind the goal of a constitutional amendment, and the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the amendment, which was then submitted to the states for ratification.
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Women's suffrage movements
The women's suffrage movement fought for women's legal right to vote in national and local elections. The struggle for women's suffrage was particularly intense in Great Britain and the United States, but these countries were not the first to grant women the right to vote. The campaign for women's suffrage was long and difficult, and it took nearly a century of conferences, protests, hunger strikes, speeches, court cases, lobbying, organising, and marches.
The first women's rights convention, held in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848, was organised by local Quakers, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Lucretia Mott. The convention earned widespread attention and inspired many similar conventions. In 1853, the Constitution of the province of Vélez in the Republic of New Granada (modern-day Colombia) allowed married women and women over the age of 21 to vote within the province. However, this law was annulled by the Supreme Court of the Republic in 1856, eliminating female suffrage in the province.
In 1869, Parliament granted women taxpayers the right to vote in municipal elections in Britain, and in the ensuing decades, women became eligible to sit on county and city councils. In the United States, Wyoming territory granted women the right to vote in 1869, and the territories of Utah, Washington, and Montana passed women's voting rights during the 1870s and 1880s. In 1881, the Isle of Man, a self-governing dependent territory of the British Crown, enfranchised women property owners, providing the first action for women's suffrage within the British Isles.
In 1893, the Colony of New Zealand became the first independent nation to acknowledge women's right to vote, largely due to a movement led by Kate Sheppard. That same year, the British protectorate of the Cook Islands also granted women the right to vote. In 1895, another British colony, South Australia, enacted laws extending voting rights to women and allowing them to stand for election to parliament. In 1901, following the federation of the British colonies in Australia, the new federal government enacted the Commonwealth Franchise Act 1902, which allowed female British subjects to vote and stand for election on the same terms as men. However, many indigenous Australians remained excluded from voting federally until 1962.
In 1906, the Grand Duchy of Finland became the first place in Europe to introduce women's suffrage. This was followed by Norway in 1913. World War I and its aftermath sped up the enfranchisement of women in Europe and elsewhere, with women in 28 additional countries acquiring equal voting rights or the right to vote in national elections between 1914 and 1939. In the United States, the 19th Amendment, passed in 1920, granted women the right to vote. However, the struggle for women's suffrage continued in many other countries well into the 20th century.
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Legal battles and protests
The campaign for women's suffrage was a long and arduous struggle, requiring nearly a century of conferences, protests, hunger strikes, speeches, court cases, lobbying, organising, and marches. The Seneca Falls Convention, held in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York, was the first large gathering dedicated to women's rights in the US. Attendees drafted and signed the Declaration of Sentiments, which called for civil, social, political, and religious rights for women. Many of the signers of the Declaration, including Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, went on to become leaders of the suffrage movement.
In the decades that followed, formal groups were established to lead the movement, and newspapers played a crucial role in raising awareness and keeping the issue in the public eye. The largest women's organisation at the time, The Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), established in 1873, joined the general suffrage movement, giving it a significant boost. At the local level, suffragists made several attempts to vote, and after being turned away, filed lawsuits hoping to bring the matter to the US Supreme Court. Susan B. Anthony successfully voted in 1872 but was later arrested and found guilty in a highly publicised trial that fuelled the movement.
Some suffragists pursued a strategy of passing suffrage acts in each state, with nine western states adopting women's suffrage legislation by 1912. Others challenged male-only voting laws in the courts. In 1875, in Minor v. Happersett, the Supreme Court upheld states' rights to deny women the right to vote, recognising the plaintiff as a citizen but stating that the constitutionally protected privileges of citizenship did not include the right to vote. Towards the end of the 19th century, many state, regional, and local suffrage groups were formed, with many of these organisations founded by Black women who were not being fully welcomed into the movement.
The entry of the US into World War I in 1917 helped shift public opinion towards supporting women's suffrage, and in 1918, a bill was introduced with President Wilson's support. The bill passed the House but failed in the Senate. With increasing pressure from the public, lawmakers in both parties were anxious to pass the amendment before the 1920 general election. A special session of Congress was called, and in the spring of 1919, the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the amendment, which was then submitted to the states for ratification.
The 19th Amendment to the US Constitution was certified on August 26, 1920, finally securing the right to vote for women after a decades-long fight. However, it is important to note that this amendment did not guarantee the right to vote for all women, particularly women of colour, Native Americans, and those who were primarily non-English speakers. It took several more decades and additional legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its extension in 1975, to address these disparities and ensure that all women had the legal right to vote.
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Voting laws and discrimination
The right to vote, or suffrage, has been a highly contested issue for women around the world. The struggle for women's suffrage in the United States, for example, was a long and arduous journey that spanned nearly a century. It involved conferences, protests, hunger strikes, speeches, court cases, lobbying, organising, and marches. The Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, the first large gathering dedicated to women's rights in the US, marked a significant turning point in this movement.
While the 19th Amendment to the US Constitution, ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote, it did not guarantee the same right to women of colour. Discriminatory state voting laws and systemic racism in the South prevented Black women and other minority women from voting. It would take several more decades and the passage of the Voting Rights Act in 1965 for all women to be able to exercise their right to vote.
In other parts of the world, women's suffrage was introduced at various times. The Isle of Man, a self-governing dependent territory of the British Crown, enfranchised women property owners in 1881, marking the first action for women's suffrage within the British Isles. The Pacific commune of Franceville (now Port Vila, Vanuatu) became the first self-governing nation to adopt universal suffrage without distinction of sex or colour in the late 19th century, although only white males could hold office. The first proposal to grant Greek women the right to vote was made in 1922, and after much lobbying, they were allowed to vote on a local level for the first time in 1930. In 1944, France became the last Western country to grant women suffrage, and in 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, enshrining the right to participate in government.
The road to women's suffrage has been paved with determination, activism, and perseverance. While significant progress has been made, it is important to acknowledge that the fight for equal voting rights is ongoing, with new restrictions and hurdles continuing to impact communities of colour disproportionately.
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International law and women's voting rights
The campaign for women's suffrage was a long and arduous struggle that took place over several decades. Women's voting rights were introduced into international law by the United Nations' Human Rights Commission, with Eleanor Roosevelt as its elected chair. In 1948, the United Nations adopted the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which stated that "everyone has the right to take part in the government of his country, directly or through freely chosen representatives".
In the United States, the 19th Amendment, approved in 1919 and ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote. However, this did not guarantee voting rights for all women, particularly women of colour, Native Americans, and those who were non-English speakers. It took several more decades and additional legislation, such as the Voting Rights Act of 1965 and its extension in 1975, to address these disparities and ensure that all women had the legal right to vote.
In other countries, the timeline for women's suffrage varied. The Isle of Man, a self-governing dependent territory of the British Crown, enfranchised women property owners in 1881, marking the first action for women's suffrage within the British Isles. The Pacific commune of Franceville (now Port Vila, Vanuatu) became the first self-governing nation to adopt universal suffrage without distinction of sex or colour in 1889, although only white males could hold office. The first proposal to grant Greek women the right to vote was made in 1922, and after several years of consultations and lobbying, it was finally enforced in 1929, allowing women to vote in local elections. In 1944, French women were granted suffrage by Charles de Gaulle's government in exile, making France the last Western country to allow women's suffrage at the municipal level.
The journey towards women's suffrage was filled with challenges, including discrimination, complex voter registration processes, and racist and sexist ideologies. However, through the tireless efforts of suffragists and activists, women's voting rights were gradually recognised and enshrined in law, both nationally and internationally.
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Frequently asked questions
Yes, in many countries, governments created laws that prohibited women from voting. In the United States, the 19th Amendment, which was passed in 1919 and ratified in 1920, granted women the right to vote after a lengthy and difficult struggle. Before this amendment, women were denied the right to vote by both state and federal laws.
Women in the United States gained the right to vote on August 18, 1920, when the 19th Amendment was ratified. However, it's important to note that this primarily applied to white women, as women of color continued to face barriers to voting due to racial discrimination and voter suppression tactics.
Yes, there were earlier attempts and limited successes. For example, in 1869, Wyoming Territory granted women the right to vote, and several western states adopted woman suffrage legislation by 1912. Additionally, in 1893, the Colony of New Zealand acknowledged women's right to vote, becoming the first self-governing colony to do so.
Activists employed a variety of strategies, including organizing formal suffrage groups, rallying at conventions and meetings, lecturing, writing, marching, lobbying, and practicing civil disobedience. They also utilized their First Amendment rights to peaceably assemble and petition the government. Some suffragists, like Alice Paul, founder of the National Women's Party, organized pickets and hunger strikes to bring attention to their cause.
