The Women's Rights Movement: Moving Toward Equality (Social and Political Reform Movements in American History)

The women's rights movement in the United States grew out of the temperance and antislavery movements of the first half of the nineteenth century. Inhibitally banned from joining the male-only organizations that supported these movements, female leaders such as Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton not only pushed for inclusion but also set out to promote the rights of women. During the next few decades, Stanton and fellow women's rights advocate Susan B. Anthony became the leaders of a movement that supported a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. Although they would not live to see the enactment of this amendment, their hard work laid the groundwork for the next generation of reformers. Carrie Chapman Catt, the president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and Alice Paul, who helped found the National Woman's Party, carried on their legacy. In August 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified, and women finally had the right to vote. Having earned this right, American women now could work for equal rights through political advocacy. About the Author: Author Shane Mountjoy is associate professor of history and dean of students at York College in York, Nebraska Children's Literature High school students may know that women did not have the right to vote in most states until 1920, but they most likely are unaware that in 1776 Abigail Adams was already asking her husband to "Remember the Ladies." The battle for women's rights was a long fight with many different women acting as generals throughout American history, and Mountjoy successfully highlights those key figures while exploring the legal steps that were necessary to amend the constitution. This edition of "Reform Movements in American History" begins with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in Tennessee in 1920. But in the next chapter to demonstrate how long women have been denied equality by the law, the author reverts to an overview of women's rights, or the lack thereof, in Western Europe prior to American colonization. He then explains the influence of the Temperance and Abolitionist movements that ran concurrently with the push for women's suffrage. Readers will recognize many names, including those of Susan B. Anthony, Frederick Douglass, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and this text flushes out these historical figures with biographical information as well as details about their parts in these major movements of the 19th and 20th centuries. Beyond his well-detailed explanation of exactly how the 19th amendment came to be ratified, Mountjoy also simplifies the controversy surrounding the proposed Equal Rights Amendment and where it stands today. While the book does occasionally employ unnecessary repetition to explain the build-up to suffrage for both sexes, it is an engaging overview of the history behind American equality and a very useful text for educators who wish to explore this movement furtherin their classes or assign their students research projects related to women's rights. The text's bibliography and list of relevant websites are alone worth perusing, but reading the entire text will give young and mature readers alike an appreciation for the tireless work that went into giving women their due. Reviewer: Michele DeCamp The Women's Rights Movement Grew Out Of The Women's Suffrage Movement Of The Mid-1800s. The Second Wave Of The Movement, Which Promoted Economic, Political, And Social Equality, Gained Momentum In The 1960s And '70s. This Work Gives An Introduction To One Of The Most Prominent Reform Movements Over The Years. Contents: "Be a good boy"--Women's rights throughout history--Temperance and abolition--The life of a leader: Elizabeth Cady Stanton--Revolution--Temperance, abolition, and suffrage--The right to vote--Carrie Chapman Catt and the Nineteenth Amendment--The Equal Rights movement--Women's rights today The women's rights movement grew out of the women's suffrage movement of the mid-1800s and also addressed other women's legal rights issues