Learning about the women who were the catalyst for the progression of women’s rights and whose plight is responsible for my rights today was very eye-opening and inspirational. Starting but not limited to the 1800s, women were viewed as nothing more than an extension of their husbands. Something to be seen and not heard. They weren’t allowed a say in their education, reproductive systems, or suffrage. It is insane to think about an individual not having a say in a system that directly impacts them in so many ways.
In “One hundred years of Suffrage”, a timeline compiled by E. Susan Barber. They share that in 1776, whilst our second ever president of the United States, John Adams was aiding in writing the Declaration of Independence, his wife, Abigail Adams, wrote to him asking that he and the other men at work with the document, “Remember the Ladies.” Now, think of what a slap in the face it must have been to Abigail, who was not only the First Lady of the United States, the woman to represent all women, but she was also John Adams closest advisor must have felt when she saw the phrase, “all men are created equal” on a document depicting the triumph and moral code of her country. I thought it was amazing that Abigail asked her husband for representation, as women in the 18th century are stereotypically viewed as shy and reserved. That is certainly not the case for the women I learned about in class this week. Once the fifteenth amendment was ratified, granting black men in the United States the right to vote in the late 1800s, suffrage became a movement for women, led by women. “In 1866 Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B Anthony from the American Equal Rights Association, an organization for white and black women and men dedicated to the cause of universal suffrage.” (One Hundred Years of Suffrage) In the video, “Untold Stories of Black Women in the Suffrage Movement” I learned about the 22 college-aged women who founded Delta, Sigma, Beta sorority incorporated. These women knew that it was important to have a voice as they marched, albeit all the way in the back, in the women’s suffrage march. They are an inspiration to all that join the sorority today, and to all the women who understand the bravery, it took for these women to take a stand.

In Erika’s snapshot, there is a picture of Ida B. Wells included. Her tragic upbringing and amazing role in black women’s suffrage should never go unnoticed as she is nothing short of inspiring. She founded the Alpha Suffrage Club in 1913 in order to rally more women to insert themselves into politics. She marched in the Women’s suffrage parade in Washington DC and even refused to march in the back after the parade leader’s white suffragette told her to. It is because of women like Ida that women of color were able to gain power during this time. Having someone spearhead this movement with such velocity and passion as Ida B. Wells certainly served in many women becoming inspired and gaining the confidence to join in on politics, marches, and the overall rhetoric of women’s suffrage.