Seeking the Right to Vote - Finding a Voice - Women's Fight for Equality in U.S. Society

Oct 13, 2026

Seeking the Right to Vote examines women’s struggle for equality in U.S. society, focusing on campaigns to secure voting rights. It places the story within broader political, economic, and intellectual restrictions placed on women by social conventions and law. Drawing on artifacts and historical voices, it highlights the suffrage movement’s perseverance, the milestone ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, and how the journey toward full equality continued beyond voting rights. Includes contextual tools such as notes, chronology, and resources.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryLiterature

FormatPDF

Pages72

Reading Time1 h 51 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Women in the Civil Rights Movement

Seeking the Right to Vote

6 The Nineteenth Amendment

Table of Contents

Chapter Notes

Chronology

Glossary

Further Reading

Internet Resources

Index

Contributors

# FINDING A VOICE: Women's Fight for Equality in U.S.Society SEEKING THE RIGHT TO VOTE Senior Consulting Editor:A.Page Harrington, Executive Director,Sewall-Belmont House &Museum LEEANNE GELLETLY TULSA CITY-COUNTYLBRAE 木 FINDING A VOICE:Women's Fight for Equality in U.S.Society SEEKING THERIGHT TO VOTE LEEANNE GELLETLY : ## FINDING A VOICE: Women's Fight for Equality in U.S.Society TITLES IN THIS SERIES A WOMAN'S PLACE IN EARLY AMERICA ORIGINS OF THE WOMEN'S RIGHTS MOVEMENTSEEKING THE RIGHT TO VOTE WOMEN'S RIGHTS ON THE FRONTIERTHE EQUAL RIGHTS AMENDMENTWOMEN GO TO WORK,1941-45 ## WOMEN IN THE CIVIL RIGHTS MOVEMENT THE WOMEN'S LIBERATION MOVEMENT,1960-1990THE FEMINIST MOVEMENT TODAY # SEEKING THE RIGHTTO VOTE LEEANNE GELLETLY MASON CRESTPHILADELPHIA Copyright ◎2013 by Mason Crest,an imprint of National Highlights,Inc. All rights reserved.No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmit-ted in any form or by any means,electronic or mechanical,including photo-copying,recording,taping,or any information storage and retrieval system,without permission from the publisher. Printed and bound in the United States of America. CPSIA Compliance Information:Batch \#FF2012-3.For further information, contact Mason Crest at 1-866-MCP-Book. First printing 135798642 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data Gelletly,LeeAnne. Seeking the right to vote/LeeAnne Gelletly. p.cm.一(Finding a voice:women's fight for equality in U.S.society) Includes bibliographical references and index.ISBN 978-1-4222-2354-3(hardcover)ISBN 978-1-4222-2364-2(pbk.) 1.Women—Suffrage—United States—History—Juvenile literature.I.Title.JK1898.G452012324.6'230973—dc23 2011043487 Publisher's note:All quotations in this book are taken from original sources,and contain the spelling and grammatical inconsistencies of the original texts. Picture credits:Library of Congress:3,12,16,19,20,21,23,24,25,26,27,28,30,31, 32,33,34,35,36,38,40,41,42,43,45,46,49,51,52,55;National Archives:50;Wikimeda Commons:8,14. # TABLE OF CONTENTS 6 ## Introduction by A.Page Harrington,director,Sewall-Belmont House &Museum 1 “I Hope You Voted,Too”92Divided Efforts153The Movement Reunites224A Renewed Purpose29Moderates and Militants3947Chapter Notes54Chronology57Glossary59Further Reading60Internet Resources61Index62Contributors64 5 ## 6 The Nineteenth Amendment ## INTRODUCTION s the Executive Director of the Sewall-Belmont House &Museum,which is thefifth and final headquarters of the historicNational Woman's Party(NWP),I am surroundedeach day by artifacts that give voice to the stories ofAlice Paul,Lucy Burns,Doris Stevens,AlvaBelmont,and the whole community of women whowaged an intense campaign for the right to voteduring the second decade of the 20th century.The A.Page Harrington,director,Sewall-BelmontHouse &Museum original photographs,documents,protest banners,and magnificent floor-length capes worn by these courageous activists during marches anddemonstrations help us bring their work to life for the many groups whotour the museum each week. The perseverance of the suffragists bore fruit in 1920,with the ratifica-tion of the 19th Amendment.It was a huge milestone,though certainly notthe end of the journey toward full equality for American women. Throughout much(if not most)of American history,social conventionsand the law constrained female participation in the political,economic,andintellectual life of the nation.Women's voices were routinely stifled,theircontributions downplayed or dismissed,their potential ignored.Underpinning this state of affairs was a widely held assumption of malesuperiority in most spheres of human endeavor. Always,however,there were women who gave the lie to gender-basedstereotypes.Some helped set the national agenda.For example,in theyears preceding the Revolutionary War,Mercy Otis Warren made a com-pelling case for American independence through her writin

FAQs

What is the focus of Seeking the Right to Vote?

It centers on women’s fight for equality in U.S. society, especially seeking the right to vote. The book frames this struggle within wider restrictions on women’s roles and civic participation.

Why is the Nineteenth Amendment important in the book?

The introduction explains that the suffragists’ perseverance bore fruit in 1920 with ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. It calls this a major milestone while emphasizing it was not the end of the journey to full equality.

How does the book connect historical figures to the voting rights movement?

It introduces voices and examples such as Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and other activists tied to the Sewall-Belmont House & Museum, and it also mentions earlier women like Mercy Otis Warren and Abigail Adams whose writings and counsel challenged gender stereotypes.

Oct 13, 2026

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