Nevertheless, We Persisted:

Women in the Fight for Their Rights

Katrina Hook

Senior Division

Historical Paper

2,463 words

Hook 1

Introduction

Picture a world in which regardless of how prodigious a woman’s writing and speaking skills may be, it is so socially unacceptable for her to read a speech that a man must deliver the words instead. A time when a woman can be asked to leave a convention for a cause she fights for every single day of her life, solely on the basis of her gender. In the 19th and early 20th centuries, most women were heavily discouraged against receiving higher education and finding a job. A woman’s role was seen as taking care of domestic household responsibilities. During the

Industrial Revolution in the late 18th and early 19th centuries, factories began employing women, but men were still primarily chosen for most occupations. Women faced discrimination and sexism in almost every aspect of their lives. Too much physical activity was feared to be more than their health could handle, yet they were forced to wear petticoats and layers of clothing so tight it was difficult to breathe.

Today, we live in a society that, while not completely free of discrimination, offers females a drastic increase of opportunities. All around the world, women are building their own successes by creating businesses, campaigning for offices, and taking a stand for what they believe in. Women have fought fiercely for the opportunity to calculate trajectories for NASA's rockets, run major companies, and develop major scientific breakthroughs.

Despite all of the opportunities we have now, the fight for women’s rights is not a thing of the past. Even almost a century since the 19th Amendment was ratified, there are still many active feminist movements. The phrase ‘Nevertheless, she persisted.’ was first used in February

2017, and was meant as criticism of Senator Elizabeth Warren, after Senator Mitch McConnell interrupted her as she read a letter by Coretta Scott King, Martin Luther King Jr.’s wife. Warren

Hook 2 then resumed her reading of the letter outside of the Senate Chamber as a sign of protest. Since then, the statement has become an uniting battle cry, rallying against the silencing of the voices of women. As the executive director and co-founder of the National Women’s History Project,

Molly Murphy MacGregor, explains “‘Nevertheless, She Persisted’ is really about every woman who really had to use her tenacity and courage to accomplish whatever she set out to accomplish.

You think about our mothers and grandmothers — they’ve been persisting for a very long time.”

(MacGregor). It is because of these women and their courage to face adversity that we have triumphed and overcome obstacles in our way in the fight for our rights.

Susan B. Anthony, Lucretia Mott, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton

There are many well known heroes and activists that instantly come to mind when the

Women’s Rights Movement is mentioned. Susan B. Anthony’s life was built upon Quaker ideals of equality, both of gender and race. During her childhood, her father was friends with many influential abolitionists, including Frederick Douglass. As an adult, she became an abolitionist herself, and then one of the most recognized heroes of Women’s Rights. In the words of The

National Women’s History Museum, “Anthony was good at strategy. Her discipline, energy, and ability to organize made her a strong and successful leader.” (Hayward).

Lucretia Mott was born in Massachusetts in 1793. She attended a Quaker boarding school in upstate New York, and, like Susan B. Anthony, held her Quaker values of equality as a guide through life. In the 1830’s, Lucretia and her husband James Mott joined the American

Anti-Slavery Society. In 1833, Lucretia became one of the founders of Philadelphia Female

Anti-Slavery Society.

Hook 3

Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s father was a lawyer, who granted her many opportunities to an informal legal education as she sat in on his meetings and conversations. In 1840, she and her ​ newly wed abolitionist husband, Henry Brewster Stanton, attended the World Anti-Slavery

Convention. There, she met Lucretia Mott, also attempting to attend. The two women were turned away simply because they were female, but made plans to start their own convention when they returned home.

In 1848, Mott and Stanton held the Seneca Falls Convention, the first woman's rights convention, in Seneca, New York. There, Stanton presented a document entitled “The

Declaration of Sentiments,” modeled after the Declaration of Independence, but including female rights. As described by The National Women’s History Museum, “This pivotal document called ​ for social and legal changes to elevate women’s place in society and listed 18 grievances from the inability to control their wages and property or the difficulty in gaining custody in divorce to the lack of the right to vote.” (Michals). Stanton wrote of the many tragedies women face in society, and stated, “The history of mankind is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations on the part of man toward woman, having in direct object the establishment of an absolute tyranny over her.” (Stanton 1).

Later that year, Stanton petitioned in New York to encourage the New York Congress to pass the New York Married Women’s Property Act, which would protect a woman’s rights lost through marriage. When Stanton met Susan B. Anthony in 1851, they began working together to write books, speeches, and articles for the Women’s Suffrage Movement. (Michals) Stanton and

Anthony joined forces again in 1869 to form the National Woman Suffrage Association.

Hook 4

Lucy Stone (1818-1893)

Lucy Stone was a “pioneering abolitionist” born in rural Massachusetts. She grew up defying gender norms, and began working as a teacher at the age of sixteen to save money for college. Stone became the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a college degree when she graduated from Oberlin College in Oberlin, Ohio, in 1847. Although Oberlin was considered

‘progressive,’ Lucy was unable to pursue public speaking. She was, however, offered the ‘honor’ of writing a commencement speech that would be read by a male at her graduation, which she declined (Michals). She then became a traveling lecturer for Anti-Slavery and Women’s Rights

Movements. George H. Greenman remembered Stone as, “...a very able, impressive speaker.”

(Greenman).

Lucy Stone is perhaps most well known for her refusal to take her abolitionist husband

Henry Blackwell’s last name when they married in 1855. The couple claimed the tradition

“refused to recognize the wife as an independent, rational being.”(Stone) During their vows, they ​ excluded the common section about ‘wifely obedience’ in a protest against marital law. This decision later tragically cost her the opportunity to vote in the 1879 Massachusetts local elections, as she could only register under her husband’s surname.

In 1857, Lucy retired in order to care for her newborn daughter; however, she never stopped fighting for her rights. In 1858, she brought back the belief of “no taxation without ​ representation” by refusing to pay her taxes (Michals). She helped found the American Woman’s ​ Suffrage Association, which focused on equal rights state by state. When slavery was abolished and the 15th Amendment was passed to allow colored, male citizens their right to vote, many suffragists, including Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, protested the amendment,

Hook 5 demanding it include women as well. Stone nevertheless supported the success of the Civil

Rights Movement. She and her husband began printing The Woman’s Journal in 1871, which ​ ​ focused on suffrage while including short stories and poems, making it far less political than the

National Woman's Suffrage Association’s The Revolution. The Women’s Journal continued long ​ ​ ​ ​ after Lucy’s death, until 1931.

Ida B. Wells (1862-1931)

An Anti-Lynching activist, suffragist, and Memphis school teacher, Ida B. Wells is widely acknowledged for being a “crusading journalist” who wrote for The Free Speech, a black newspaper she co-owned. She was born into slavery during the Civil War, and afterward, her parents became politically involved during the Reconstruction Era (Norwood). However, in

1878, a yellow fever epidemic killed both her parents and her infant brother, forcing her to take a teaching position to care for her siblings. In 1884, Wells became known for filing a lawsuit against a train company after they attempted to move her into a segregated carriage, despite having purchased a first class ticket. The case won at a local level, but was later overturned by the federal court (Norwood). She still continued looking into lynching cases, and highlighted the conditions in the “Jim Crow South.” Wells was particularly passionate about lynching, after her close friend Thomas Moss and his co-workers were brutally murdered. She was forced to leave

Memphis in 1892, after an angry mob destroyed the office of The Free Speech, and threatened to murder her if she ever returned (History.com). She chose to travel throughout the United States and Europe, giving lectures on lynching, before settling in Chicago, Illinois (Little). Ida still persisted, and remained a part of the suffrage movement while speaking out on topics such as sexism and racism.

Hook 6

In March 1913, Ida B. Wells planned on joining the suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. during President Wilson’s inauguration, but was asked to not march. Tragically, some white suffragists felt uncomfortable marching alongside colored men and women, when they should have banded together behind their shared cause. Despite the pressure, Wells ignored their requests and marched on anyway. According to historians, “Her experience showed that to many white suffragists, “equality” didn’t apply to everyone.” (History.com). Nevertheless, even when discriminated against by even her fellow suffragists, she fought for her rights, and never backed down.

Alice Paul (1885-1977)

Alice Paul was born in Mount Laurel, New Jersey, into a wealthy Quaker family which conditioned her to appreciate a simple life, and provided her with “a belief in gender equality” and “the need to work for the betterment of society” (Alice Paul Institute). Alice was very well-educated, and received an undergraduate degree in biology from Swarthmore College, and a

PhD in sociology from the University of Pennsylvania. While at the University of Pennsylvania, she was appointed the head of the Congressional Committee of the National American Woman

Suffrage Association. As a child, she was an advanced reader, and participated in many team sports. Her mother was a member of the National Woman's Suffrage Association, and would occasionally bring her along to the meetings.

During graduate school, Paul traveled to London, where “...she learned how civil disobedience and other “un-ladylike” behaviors could bring attention to her cause...”

(History.com). Her stay in England helped her transition into a militant feminist, when she encountered the Pankhursts, a family who used aggressive tactics to raise awareness for their

Hook 7 cause. Alice joined their violent protests and was credited with breaking over forty-eight windows herself. (API) Upon returning from London, she remarked, “Women of England are now talking of a time when they will vote, instead of the time when their children would vote, as was the custom a year or two back.” (Paul).

On March 3, 1913, Alice Paul joined countless fellow suffragettes in the enormous suffrage march led by the National American Woman Suffrage Association. The Conservative women in the movement did not like such a radical publicity stunt, so Paul left the Association, and started the Congressional Union, later called the National Women’s Party. The group still maintained it’s ‘flamboyant’ protests when World War II began, and planned a seven-month strike outside of the White House (History.com). These actions were deemed ‘unpatriotic,’ causing Paul and other National Women’s Party suffragists to be arrested and imprisoned

(History.com). A few of the activists, including Paul, were placed in solitary confinement, where they were treated extremely unfairly. The prisoners went on hunger strikes in protest, and ended up being force-fed. They won the sympathy of the public, who then demanded the freedom of the suffragists.

Finally, in January 1918, President Wilson proposed a bill that would grant women the right to vote. On August 16th, 1920, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify the bill, causing it go into effect after nearly a century of campaigning. Alice Paul also proposed an Equal Rights

Amendment to the Constitution in 1923, but despite numerous attempts, the Equal Rights Act has still not been passed, even to this day (History.com). While she was in prison in 1917, she was examined by a psychiatrist, who commented, “She will die, but she will never give up.” This

Hook 8 accidentally motivational message was placed on a famous equal rights poster displaying an image of Alice Paul, and still inspires women generations later (Simpson).

Ruth Bader Ginsburg

Ruth Bader Ginsburg is one of the most influential Supreme Justices in American history.

After finishing first in her class at Cornell University in 1954, she attended Harvard along with her husband, where she faced “a very male-dominated” setting, being one of only eight females in their class of 500 (History.com). Harvard did not put in a lot of effort to make it an enjoyable experience, either, as the editor of History.com elaborates, “The women were chided by the law school’s dean for taking the places of qualified males. But Ruth pressed on and excelled academically, eventually becoming the first female member of the prestigious legal journal, the

Harvard Law Review.” (History.com) In 1959, Ruth graduated first in her class once again after ​ she transferred to Columbia Law School in New York City. However, due to gender discrimination, she found it difficult to find steady employment, and bounced from one firm to another.

Eventually, Bader Ginsburg served as the American Civil Liberties Union’s director of the Women’s Rights project, and argued six cases before the Supreme Court on the issue of gender equality. President Bill Clinton appointed her to the U.S. Supreme Court in 1993. There she uses her position to ensure fair rulings in civil rights and equality cases and still combats to end existing gender discrimination. In a letter to Don Edwards, a Congressman in the House of

Representatives, on April 15th, 1971, she remarked, “I very much hope that you will do all that you can to assure in this nation every person will be given equal opportunity to develop his or

Hook 9 her individual talents. Application of this fundamental principle to women is long overdue.”

(Ginsburg).

Conclusion

For centuries, women have fought and sacrificed in the hope that future generations will not suffer as they had. Every protest that led to an arrest, every death resulting from standing up for a belief, has been a step in the stairs that has elevated women to a better standing in society.

These influential women built the foundation for others to enter the workforce, vote, and run for office. Their sacrifices made the world the way it is today, and allow continued progress toward true equality. As Christabel Pankhurst wrote in The Suffragette on March 14th, 1913, “The law ​ ​ may imprison, may torture, may kill, but it cannot make women afraid, and it cannot make them surrender.” (Pankhurst).

Hook 10

Annotated Bibliography

Primary Sources

Simpson, Lucy Picco. “‘Alice Paul- Author of the ERA’ Poster.” 2010.54.2127 | OMCA ​ COLLECTIONS, 1977, collections.museumca.org/?q=collection-item%2F2010542127. ​ This Alice Paul poster inspired many points throughout my paper, and is a bold

example of Alice Paul’s presence in the Women’s Rights Movement.

Greenman, George. “Recollections of an Abolitionist.” Document: George Greenman & Lucy ​ Stone, educators.mysticseaport.org/documents/lucy_stone_recollection/. ​ This letter from George Greenman reflects on who Lucy Stone was, and how her

influence was felt during the Abolitionist Movement.

National Archives. “The Suffragette Newspaper.” The National Archives, The National ​ ​ Archives, 26 Feb. 2018,

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/education/resources/suffragettes-on-file/the-suffragette-ne

wspaper/.

“The Suffragette Newspaper” was a great source for insight on how people felt at

the time, and provided the ending point of my paper.

Stanton, Elizabeth Cady. “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions.” Declaration of ​ Sentiments and Resolutions, Seneca Falls, New York, 1848, ​ chrome-extension://oemmndcbldboiebfnladdacbdfmadadm/http://www.sjsu.edu/people/c ​ ynthia.rostankowski/courses/HUM2BS14/s0/Womens-Rights.pdf. ​

Hook 11

I used the “Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions” to better understand the goals of

the Seneca Falls Convention and empathize the reasoning behind the Women’s Rights

Movement.

Ginsburg, Ruth Bader. “Letter from Law Professor Ruth Bader Ginsburg in Support of the Equal

Rights Amendment.” National Archives and Records Administration, National Archives ​ ​ and Records Administration, catalog.archives.gov/id/26283960.

This amusing letter from Ruth Bader Ginsburg to ‘The Honorable Don Edwards’,

a Congressman in the House of Representatives, highlights Ginsburg’s eagerness for full

equality as she urged Edwards that the Equal Rights Amendment, first proposed by Alice

Paul in 1923, was a necessary move that needed to be made.

Secondary Sources

Britannica, The Editors of Encyclopaedia. “Woman's Journal.” Encyclopædia Britannica, ​ ​ Encyclopædia Britannica, Inc., 11 Sept. 2018,

www.britannica.com/topic/Womans-Journal.

This article lays out the intent and influence of “The Woman’s Journal”, and was

a great reference while describing journalism in my paper.

Doucet, Jane. “Women's Roles in the Economy in the 1800s.” The Classroom, 5 Feb. 2019, ​ ​ www.theclassroom.com/womens-roles-in-the-economy-in-the-1800s-13661082.html. ​ I used this article as a reference for women’s roles in the 1800’s.

Editors, History.com. “Abolitionist Movement.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 27 ​ ​ Oct. 2009, www.history.com/topics/black-history/abolitionist-movement. ​ ​

Hook 12

This article helped refresh my background knowledge of the Abolition

Movement.

Editors, History.com. “Ruth Bader Ginsburg.” History.com, A&E Television Networks, 9 Nov. ​ ​ 2009, www.history.com/topics/womens-history/ruth-bader-ginsburg. ​ ​ This was a fascinating article that I used to learn about Ruth Bader Ginsburg’s life

story and how she broke through social barriers.

Editors, History.com. “Women Who Fought for the Vote.” History.com, A&E Television ​ ​ Networks, 14 Oct. 2009,

www.history.com/topics/womens-history/women-who-fought-for-the-vote-1. ​ This article provided a foundation to develop my thesis upon and gave basic

information about some of the women I featured.

Hayward, Nancy. “Susan B. Anthony.” National Women's History Museum, 2018, ​ ​ www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/susan-b-anthony. ​ The National Women’s History Museum's biography of Susan B. Anthony gave a

summary of some of Anthony’s most influential accomplishments.

Little, Becky. “When Ida B. Wells Took on Lynching, Threats Forced Her to Leave Memphis.”

History.com, A&E Television Networks, 2 Aug. 2018, ​ www.history.com/news/ida-b-wells-lynching-memphis-chicago. ​ This is an interesting article that went further in depth about the injustices Ida B.

Wells faced throughout her life, and how she overcame them.

London School of Economics. “Women.” London School of Economics and Political Science, ​ ​ www.lse.ac.uk/library/collections/collection-highlights/womens-suffrage. ​

Hook 13

The London School of Economics provided insight on women in the Suffragist

Movement.

Michals, Debra. “Elizabeth Cady Stanton.” National Women's History Museum, 2017, ​ ​ www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/elizabeth-cady-stanton. ​ This biography of Elizabeth Cady Stanton greatly details Stanton’s

accomplishments and life works, and relating her relationships with other activists like

Susan B. Anthony and Lucretia Mott.

Michals, Debra. “Lucretia Mott.” National Women's History Museum, 2017, ​ ​ www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucretia-mott. ​ This National Women’s History Museum article provides Lucretia Mott's story,

including how she came into activism.

Michals, Debra. “Lucy Stone.” National Women's History Museum, 2017, ​ ​ www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/lucy-stone. ​ Lucy Stone’s National Women’s History Museum biography introduced this

brave women’s life and accomplishments to my paper.

Norwood, Arlisha R. “Ida B. Wells-Barnett.” National Women's History Museum, 2017, ​ ​ www.womenshistory.org/education-resources/biographies/ida-b-wells-barnett. ​ This article describes Ida B. Wells’ struggles with racial and sexist discrimination.

Reilly, Katie. “'Nevertheless She Persisted:' Women's History Month Theme.” Time, Time, 1 ​ ​ Mar. 2018, time.com/5175901/elizabeth-warren-nevertheless-she-persisted-meaning/.

Hook 14

This piece on the origins of the phrase ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’ explains in

detail the movement, why it began, and how it is important. I related this topic to the

theme of my paper.

Victor, Daniel. “'Nevertheless, She Persisted': How Senate's Silencing of Warren Became a

Meme.” The New York Times, The New York Times, 8 Feb. 2017, ​ ​ www.nytimes.com/2017/02/08/us/politics/elizabeth-warren-republicans-facebook-twitter.

html. ​ This article from The New York Times makes the connection between the ​ ​ ‘Nevertheless, she persisted’ movement and several important women, including Rosa

Parks and Malala Yousafzai.

Wang, Amy B. “'Nevertheless, She Persisted' Becomes New Battle Cry after McConnell Silences

Elizabeth Warren.” The Washington Post, WP Company, 8 Feb. 2017, ​ ​ www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/wp/2017/02/08/nevertheless-she-persisted-beco

mes-new-battle-cry-after-mcconnell-silences-elizabeth-warren/?utm_term=.a0042c52c73

1. ​ This piece describes the origin story of a new ‘battlecry’ of the women’s rights

movement.

“Alice Paul – a Suffragette from LSE.” LSE History, 20 Nov. 2018, ​ ​ blogs.lse.ac.uk/lsehistory/2018/07/18/lse-suffragettes-alice-paul/.

The London School of Economics and Political Science details Alice Paul’s life

and campaigns in the Women’s Rights Movements.

Hook 15

“National History Day 2018-2019: Triumph and Tragedy: Women's Suffrage.” Research Guides, ​ ​ guides.library.harvard.edu/c.php?g=852176&p=6099462.

This Harvard resource breaks down how women’s suffrage fits into the theme of

Triumph and Tragedy, and provides information on many influential women in the

Suffrage Movements.

“The Pankhursts: Politics, Protest and Passion.” The History Press, ​ ​ www.thehistorypress.co.uk/articles/the-pankhursts-politics-protest-and-passion/. ​ This website introduces the Pankhurst women, highlighting their lives and roles in the

Women’s Rights Movements.

“Who Was Alice Paul?” Alicepaul.org, 2015, www.alicepaul.org/who-was-alice-paul/. ​ ​ ​ ​ The Alice Paul Institute’s biography provides great detail to Alice Paul’s life

story.