When women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood to speak at a meeting in the little town of Seneca Falls, New York, on a summer day in 1848, no one could foresee that her words might help spark one of the great grassroots movements for social justice in American history. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” Stanton read aloud, “that all men and women are created equal.” Her addition of “and women” to the most famous line of the Declaration of Independence kickstarted a revolution—the struggle for women’s suffrage. That campaign would continue for more than seven decades, finally forcing a change to the U.S. Constitution—the 19th Amendment, granting women the right to vote. This August will mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Here are some lesser-known truths about the suffrage movement.
It was a summer day in 1848. A group of women had gathered for a meeting in the little town of Seneca Falls, New York. Women’s rights activist Elizabeth Cady Stanton stood to speak. No one could foresee that her words might help spark one of the great grassroots movements for social justice in American history. “We hold these truths to be self-evident,” Stanton read aloud, “that all men and women are created equal.” Her addition of “and women” to the most famous line of the Declaration of Independence kickstarted a revolution. It was the beginning of the struggle for women’s suffrage. That campaign would continue for more than seven decades. Ultimately, it forced a change to the U.S. Constitution—the 19th Amendment. That amendment granted women the right to vote. This August will mark the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment. Here are some lesser-known truths about the suffrage movement.