Victorians and Women's Suffrage

an antisuffrage parade cartoon

Library of Congress

This month our nation celebrates the 100th anniversary of the passing of the 19th amendment. Although the fight for women’s rights had a much longer history than 100 years, it is in this year that many celebrate this landmark achievement of women’s right to vote. The women’s suffrage movement however has not always been a unified front. Many women during the Victorian period thought that suffrage was not the way for women to pursue equality, while others criticized and recognized the racial inequality amongst women and how passing legislation would not provide truly equal rights.

Many women in the Victorian period were part of the Anti-Suffragists movement. They thought the suffrage movement to be un-American and would break up the family unit. Some women were not as passionate as the Anti-Suffragist, and considered their movement to be unnecessary. Many women of higher status thought they were able to make change through the positions of their husbands, and considered themselves more of an equal to their husbands and due to their educations and work responsibilities in the home.

Other women recognized that for most suffragists, there was still a primarily white agenda. Individuals like Charlotte Forten Grimke, Mary Ann Shadd Cary, and Mary Church Terrell advocated for women of color to have a right to participate in the election of government officials. Although the amendment was successful, and ratified in 1920, it still did not provide ALL women the right to vote. Native American women as an example were not considered U.S. Citizens until 1924, and therefore denied their right to vote. Many African American women were kept from the polls, and were discouraged from voting through racial intimidation, violence, and fear. Additionally, women who were convicted of a crime were also barred from voting, even if they had served their sentence.

Learn more about the complex history of the women's suffrage movement