Today, voting is extremely crucial when it comes to expressing your voice and your values. Voting can allow United States citizens to elect officials who they believe align with their values and who that citizen believes is the right candidate for that specific position in government. Since the majority of readers on Her Campus are female, I decided to create a list of women’s suffrage activists that you should know and feel proud of.
1. Susan B. Anthony
Anthony is most known for being an avid suffragist, but she was also an abolitionist, educational reformer, labor activist and women’s rights campaigner. In the year 1866, Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton founded the American Equal Rights Association. I believe Susan B. Anthony was an extremely driven woman who believed in equality for everyone, and deeply wanted women to gain the right to vote.
2. Elizabeth Cady Stanton
Elizabeth Cady Stanton was yet another woman during the 1860s who advocated for the right to vote for women. Stanton, alongside Anthony (mentioned above), created the Women’s Loyal National League that gained roughly 400,000 signatures in order to pass the 13th amendment, to end slavery. Yet, Stanton and Anthony wanted to gain universal suffrage as well as to abolish slavery. Stanton wanted guaranteed rights to vote for all citizens, not just the right for men.
3. Lucy Burns
Lucy Burns co-founded the National Women’s Party in 1916 with another suffragist, Alice Paul. They created this group after “being ejected from the National American Women’s Suffrage Association” (source) due to a difference in opinion in regards to demand change on the national level. She yearned to advocate for the right to vote for women. She was even arrested for her activities. Burns knew that “being able to participate in a democracy by voting was an essential way to express our human dignity.” I think it was incredibly brave of her to understand the need for democracy to be seen when it comes to voting.
4. Frederick Douglass
Not only was Frederick Douglass a known abolitionist whose speeches were extremely powerful and spoke volumes for the African-American community, but he was also a women’s suffrage activist. Douglass attended the first Women’s Rights Conference held in Seneca Falls, New York. Douglass proclaimed that, “In respect to political rights, we hold woman to be justly entitled to all we claim for man.” By stating this, he believes that women should have the same political rights to men in regards to voting.
5. Alice Paul
Last, but certainly not least, Alice Paul. Personally, I believe Alice Paul was the reason why women in the United States are able to vote today. Paul created innovative ways to petition the government in order for the 19th amendment to be enacted. Paul began assembling/picketing along with 1,000 other women at the White House holding signs that said, “Mr. President, how long must women wait for liberty?” I believe by peacefully assembling, it’s an empowering way to make your voice heard. Because you are not using any type of violence, I think people will be more inclined to understand the cause for assembly.
After reading this, I hope you feel empowered to express your voice and opinions by voting!