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1848-Present

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Women's rights and women's suffrage have been contentious issues for centuries, with any movement toward equality and inclusivity being an uphill battle for many. Here, we will break down the Women's Rights Movement and women's suffrage into three main timelines, spanning from 1789 to the present day.

What Did the Women's Rights Movement Fight For?

The Women's Rights Movement has historically fought for a variety of rights and continues to do so. Some areas of activism include:

The right for women to vote.

Equal pay for equal work.

An end to employment discrimination.

Property rights for women.

Outlawing marital rape.

Social equality.

Equality under the law.

Equal access to education.

Reproductive rights.

And more.

What Did Women's Suffrage Mean?

"Suffrage" means the right to vote. Suffragists and the suffrage movement fought for the right of women to vote. This was an incredibly important movement during the years when women did not enjoy the same rights and equality as men in terms of deciding who could run the country and how.

What Were 3 Major Events in the Women's Rights Movement?

Three major events in the history of women's rights in the United States are the Seneca Falls Convention on Women's Rights, the passing of the 19th Amendment, and the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The Seneca Falls Convention took place on July 19 and 20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. This was the first official convention on women's rights, and was attended by 300 women and men. This convention would be the model for many subsequent conventions, and the resulting Declaration of Sentiments would set the agenda for the Women's Rights Movement in the years to come.

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote. It was passed on August 6, 1920, though the text was originally penned by Senator Aaron Augustus Sargent in 1878. When it passed, not a word had been changed from Sargent's original text.

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act barred, for the first time, discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate discrimination complaints and impose penalties.

The Complicated Relationship Between Gender and Racial Equality

Although the movements for gender and racial equality have shared roots in the 19th-century abolitionist movement, they have not always moved forward together.

The first significant split occurred following the Civil War. The movement split over whether to work first for women's suffrage or for the suffrage of Black men. In the South, some parties would promote white women's suffrage as a bulwark against newly emancipated Black people gaining power.

The 15th Amendment, passed in 1860, which extended the franchise to Black men, would prove a point of contention for some. The pervasive racism of the time further exacerbated the split.

The movements for gender and racial equality would come together and diverge numerous times over subsequent decades, and divisions still exist to this day.

History of the American Women's Rights Movement: 1789 to Present Day

Discover the key events of the Women's Rights Movement in the United States. This timeline covers the years of 1789 to 2022, which includes the famed women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., the formation of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and the passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

And while the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 is considered to be the beginning of the American Women's Rights Movement, the roots of that movement go back a bit further.

Congress grants states the right to set voting requirements. New Jersey allows property-owning women, regardless of color, to vote.

May 9

The first National Female Anti-Slavery Society Convention is held in New York City. It is attended by 81 delegates.

June 12-23

T he first World Anti-Slavery Convention is held in Exeter Hall in London, England. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton attend with their husbands, but are not allowed to participate in the convention because they are women. They become friends and vow to organize a convention to further the cause of women's rights.

July 19-20

The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. This was considered by many to be the start of the Women's Rights Movement, and would be stated as such in Stanton's later document, "History of Woman Suffrage".

The convention was organized by local Quakers, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was not a Quaker. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass attended, and was the convention's only African American attendee. About 300 people of both sexes attended the conference.

After two days of discussion and debate, 68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlined grievances and sets the agenda for the Women's Rights Movement. A set of 12 resolutions was adopted calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women.
August 2
The Rochester Women's Convention. The convention was organized by a coalition of Quakers and Unitarians.

The convention elected Abigail Bush to be its presiding officer. This would be the first convention attended by both men and women, to be presided over by a woman. Some 500 people attended in total.

The convention approved the Declaration of Sentiments drawn up at the Seneca Falls Convention. Abolitionists Frederick Douglass and William Cooper Nell spoke in favor of women's rights. The convention also discussed the rights of working women and the topic of equal pay.

April 19-20

The Ohio Women's Convention at Salem.

This is the first convention to be organized at the statewide level. It is attended by some 500 people. The Salem convention declares its intention to fight for "equal rights and the extension of the privileges of government without distinction of sex, or color."

Abolitionist Betsy Mix Cowles is elected president of the convention. Abolitionist Jane Elizabeth Jones give the convention's main address. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Lucy Stone are also in attendance.

Men attended the convention but are not allowed to vote or speak. After the convention male attendees put together their own organization in support of the action items set forth by the women's convention.

The document that comes out of the Ohio Convention gathers 8,000 signatures.
October 23-24
The National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts.

This is the first national convention on women's rights. More than 1,000 people attended, the majority of whom are men. Delegates came from 11 states, including the new state of California.

Paulina Wright Davis presides over the convention, and abolitionist Sarah H. Earle opens the proceedings. The convention calls for legal, social, and political equality. One resolution calls for the word "male" to be stricken from every state constitution. Property rights, access to education, and employment opportunities are also discussed.

Speakers include Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, and others. Susan B. Anthony, who is not in attendance, would say that a speech given by Lucy Stone converted her to the cause of women's rights.

Stone later pays to have the convention proceedings bound and distributed as tracts. One of these tracts inspires women in Sheffield, England, to present a petition for women's suffrage to the House of Lords.

After this, national conventions are be held yearly (except for 1857) through 1860.

May 25

Sojourner Truth delivers her famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech at a conference in Akron, Ohio.

The coming of the Civil War brings several setbacks to the fight for women's rights. Many people redirect their activism from women's rights to emancipation, and in 1862, the New York legislature repeals several of the gains that women had made there.

May 14

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony,and Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis join with Lucy Stone and others to form the Women's National Loyal League. The League held its first convention on May 14.

The women would also gather 400,000 signatures to support the 13th amendment, which abolishs slavery. The amendment passes on April 8, 1864.

May 10

The Eleventh National Women's Rights Convention is held in New York City. This is the first convention to be held after the Civil War.

The convention is organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Also in attendance are Lucrecia Mott, Ernestine L. Rose, Wendell Phillips, Reverend Octavius Brooks Frothingham, and others. African-American activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper speaks about racial discrimination.
May 31
The first meeting of the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) is held in Boston, Massachusetts. The group's goal was equal rights for all citizens, including suffrage.

Internal struggles would cause the group to split between those supporting women's suffrage, those supporting suffrage for Black men only, and those supporting female suffrage after achieving Black male suffrage. The group would eventually dissolve in conflict.

Two rival groups would emerge: the American Women's Suffrage Association and the National Women's Suffrage Association. The groups wouldn't find enough common ground to join together until 1890.
October
Elizabeth Cady Stanton declares her candidacy for Congress. She is the first woman to do so.

July 9

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is passed. This constitutional amendment's equal protection clause would become the basis of subsequent laws about discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and sexual orientation.

May

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association. The primary goal of the organization is to achieve voting rights for women by means of a Congressional amendment to the Constitution.
November
Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and others form the American Woman Suffrage Association. This group focusses exclusively on gaining voting rights for women through amendments to individual state constitutions.
December 19
The territory of Wyoming passes the first women's suffrage law. The following year, women begin serving on juries in the territory.

November 5

Susan B. Anthony is arrested for violating the Enforcement Act of 1870 by casting a vote in the 1872 presidential election. Anthony is not allowed to speak during the trial, but after the trial is over, gives what has been called the most famous speech in support of female suffrage.

Anthony is sentenced to pay a fine of $100 (about $2,440 in 2023), of which she would not pay a penny.

Also in this year, journalist Victoria Claflin Woodhull forms her own political party and runs for president.

Senator Aaron Augustus Sargent, a supporter of women's rights and a speaker at suffrage conventions, introduces a female suffrage amendment to Congress. More than 40 years later (August 6, 1920), Sargent's amendment, unaltered, would become the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Colorado is the first state to adopt a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. Idaho follows suit in 1896, Washington State in 1910, California in 1911, Oregon, Kansas, and Arizona in 1912, Alaska and Illinois in 1913, Montana and Nevada in 1914, New York in 1917; Michigan, South Dakota, and Oklahoma in 1918.

Although the suffragist and abolitionist movements were once entwined, 30 years of conflict over female suffrage and Black suffrage, combined with the prevalent anti-Black racism would exacerbate the growing division in the Women's Rights Movement.

In 1896, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Harriet Tubman, Mary Church Terrell, Margaret Murry Washington, and others gather in Washington, D.C. to form the National Association of Colored Women (NACW).

Alice Paul and Lucy Burns form the Congressional Union to work toward the passage of a federal amendment to give women the vote. The group is later renamed the National Women's Party. Members picket the White House and practice other forms of civil disobedience.

Margaret Sanger opens the first U.S. birth-control clinic in Brooklyn, N.Y. Although the clinic is shut down 10 days later and Sanger is arrested, she eventually wins support through the courts and opens another clinic in New York City in 1923.

Also in this year, the National Woman's Party (NWP) is founded. The party's first goal was to fight for women's suffrage. Following the passage of the 19th amendment, the NWP would advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and other goals.

January 10

Starting on January 10 of this year, 2,000 suffragists from the NWP picket in front of the White House. "The Silent Sentinels" would also protest in Lafayette Square, and would not stop until the 19th amendment was passed, despite nearly 500 of their number being arrested, and 168 serving jail time.
April 2
Jeannette Rankin is sworn in at the House of Representatives. She is the first elected female congress member.

The Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony and introduced in Congress in 1878, is passed by the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. It is then sent to the states for ratification.

The Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor is formed to collect information about women in the workforce and safeguard good working conditions for women.
August 26
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

Margaret Sanger founds the American Birth Control League, which evolves into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942.

Mary McLeod Bethune organizes the National Council of Negro Women, a coalition of Black women's groups that lobbies against job discrimination, racism, and sexism.

President John Kennedy establishes the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appoints Eleanor Roosevelt as chair.

The report issued by the Commission in 1963 would document substantial discrimination against women in the workplace and make specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care.

Betty Friedan publishes her highly influential book "The Feminine Mystique", which describes the dissatisfaction felt by middle-class American housewives with the narrow role imposed on them by society. The book becomes a bestseller and galvanizes the modern Women's Rights Movement.
June 10
Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. At the same time it establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints and impose penalties.

In Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the one remaining state law prohibiting the use of contraceptives by married couples.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded by a group of feminists including Betty Friedan. The largest women's rights group in the U.S., NOW, seeks to end sexual discrimination, especially in the workplace, by means of legislative lobbying, litigation, and public demonstrations.

Executive Order 11375 expands President Lyndon Johnson's affirmative action policy of 1965 to cover discrimination based on gender. As a result, federal agencies and contractors must take active measures to ensure that women as well as minorities enjoy the same educational and employment opportunities as white males.

The EEOC rules that sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. This ruling is upheld in 1973 by the Supreme Court, opening the way for women to apply for higher-paying jobs hitherto open only to men.

In Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co., a U.S. Court of Appeals rules that jobs held by men and women need to be "substantially equal" but not "identical" to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men.

March 22

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Originally drafted by Alice Paul in 1923, the amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The amendment died in 1982 when it failed to achieve ratification by a minimum of 38 states.

In Eisenstadt v. Baird the Supreme Court rules that the right to privacy includes an unmarried person's right to use contraceptives.
June 23
Title IX of the Education Amendment bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically.

As a result of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court establishes a woman's right to safe and legal abortion, overriding the anti-abortion laws of many states.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in consumer credit practices on the basis of sex, race, marital status, religion, national origin, age, or receipt of public assistance. For the first time, women are allowed to apply for and open a credit card in their own names.

In Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages because that is what they traditionally received under the "going market rate." A wage differential occurring "simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women" is deemed unacceptable.

Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. Subsequent appointments would include Ruth Bader Ginsberg (1993), Sonja Sotomayor (2009), Elena Kagan (2010), Amy Coney Barrett (2020), and Ketanji Brown Jackson (2022).

June 18

Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, the Supreme Court finds that sexual harassment is a form of illegal job discrimination.

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court reaffirms the validity of a woman's right to abortion under Roe v. Wade. The case successfully challenges Pennsylvania's 1989 Abortion Control Act, which sought to reinstate restrictions previously ruled unconstitutional.

March 12

Janet Reno is sworn in as the first female Attorney General of the United States.

In United States v. Virginia, the Supreme Court rules that the all-male Virginia Military School has to admit women in order to continue to receive public funding. It holds that creating a separate, all-female school will not suffice.

January 23

Madeleine Albright is sworn in as the first female U.S. Secretary of State.

The Supreme Court rules in Kolstad v. American Dental Association that a woman can sue for punitive damages for sex discrimination if the anti-discrimination law was violated with malice or indifference to the law, even if that conduct was not especially severe.

In Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, the Supreme Court rules that states can be sued in federal court for violations of the Family Leave Medical Act.

In Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education, the Supreme Court rules that Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, also inherently prohibits disciplining someone for complaining about sex-based discrimination. It further holds that this is the case even when the person complaining is not among those being discriminated against.

January 4

Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as the first female Speaker of the House.

In January of 2013, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announces that the ban on women serving in combat roles would be lifted. The move reverses the 1994 rule that prohibited women from serving in combat.

The 1994 Violence Against Women Act is also reauthorized this year, with enhanced judicial and law enforcement tools for combatting violence against women and providing support for victims. It also extends coverage to young victims, immigrants, Indian women, and victims of trafficking.

January 2

Women are now allowed to serve in any job in the armed services, provided they meet gender-neutral performance standards.
June 7
Hillary Clinton, after winning a majority of Democratic state primaries, becomes the first female presidential candidate for a major political party. She was defeated by Donald Trump on November 8.
June 27
In a 5-3 decision on June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court overturns a Texas law imposed on abortion clinics. The law had required doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and clinics to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers and had resulted in the closure of nearly half of the state's abortion clinics.

January 21

In response to numerous factors - including continued attempts by lawmakers to restrict access to abortions, persistent employment disparities, and contentious comments made by President Trump in a leaked video, among others - feminist activists from around the country organize a Women's March to advocate for women's rights.

Despite some ideological conflicts between event organizers over inclusion and diversity, the nationwide protest begin with enormous success. Upwards of 3 million people turn out, marking one of the largest and most peaceful protests in U.S. history.

January 20

Kamala Harris is sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States, as well as the first vice president of Black and Indian heritage.

By the end of 2021, many state legislatures succeed in vastly restricting access to abortions in most if not all cases of pregnancy, overcoming challenges in federal court. This represents one of the largest swells in opposition to legal abortion since the Roe v. Wade decision was issued.

June 24

The Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision, returning abortion regulation to the states.

What Are the Important Dates for Women's Rights?

Civil rights, including women's rights, is an ongoing struggle, whose roots go back to before the founding of the United States, and continue to this day. From the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, to the first women to achieve national offices in the 20th and 21st centuries, the struggle is not over.

How well do you know your women's history? Test yourself with our Women's History Quiz!
Return to Top of Page

Source: Getty Images

Women's rights and women's suffrage have been contentious issues for centuries, with any movement toward equality and inclusivity being an uphill battle for many. Here, we will break down the Women's Rights Movement and women's suffrage into three main timelines, spanning from 1789 to the present day.

What Did the Women's Rights Movement Fight For?

The Women's Rights Movement has historically fought for a variety of rights and continues to do so. Some areas of activism include:

The right for women to vote.

Equal pay for equal work.

An end to employment discrimination.

Property rights for women.

Outlawing marital rape.

Social equality.

Equality under the law.

Equal access to education.

Reproductive rights.

And more.

What Did Women's Suffrage Mean?

"Suffrage" means the right to vote. Suffragists and the suffrage movement fought for the right of women to vote. This was an incredibly important movement during the years when women did not enjoy the same rights and equality as men in terms of deciding who could run the country and how.

What Were 3 Major Events in the Women's Rights Movement?

Three major events in the history of women's rights in the United States are the Seneca Falls Convention on Women's Rights, the passing of the 19th Amendment, and the 1964 Civil Rights Act.

The Seneca Falls Convention took place on July 19 and 20, 1848, in Seneca Falls, New York. This was the first official convention on women's rights, and was attended by 300 women and men. This convention would be the model for many subsequent conventions, and the resulting Declaration of Sentiments would set the agenda for the Women's Rights Movement in the years to come.

The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution gave women the right to vote. It was passed on August 6, 1920, though the text was originally penned by Senator Aaron Augustus Sargent in 1878. When it passed, not a word had been changed from Sargent's original text.

Title VII of the 1964 Civil Rights Act barred, for the first time, discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex and established the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate discrimination complaints and impose penalties.

The Complicated Relationship Between Gender and Racial Equality

Although the movements for gender and racial equality have shared roots in the 19th-century abolitionist movement, they have not always moved forward together.

The first significant split occurred following the Civil War. The movement split over whether to work first for women's suffrage or for the suffrage of Black men. In the South, some parties would promote white women's suffrage as a bulwark against newly emancipated Black people gaining power.

The 15th Amendment, passed in 1860, which extended the franchise to Black men, would prove a point of contention for some. The pervasive racism of the time further exacerbated the split.

The movements for gender and racial equality would come together and diverge numerous times over subsequent decades, and divisions still exist to this day.

History of the American Women's Rights Movement: 1789 to Present Day

Discover the key events of the Women's Rights Movement in the United States. This timeline covers the years of 1789 to 2022, which includes the famed women's rights convention in Seneca Falls, N.Y., the formation of the National American Woman Suffrage Association, and the passage of the 19th amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote.

And while the Seneca Falls Convention of 1848 is considered to be the beginning of the American Women's Rights Movement, the roots of that movement go back a bit further.

Congress grants states the right to set voting requirements. New Jersey allows property-owning women, regardless of color, to vote.

May 9

The first National Female Anti-Slavery Society Convention is held in New York City. It is attended by 81 delegates.

June 12-23

T he first World Anti-Slavery Convention is held in Exeter Hall in London, England. Lucretia Mott and Elizabeth Cady Stanton attend with their husbands, but are not allowed to participate in the convention because they are women. They become friends and vow to organize a convention to further the cause of women's rights.

July 19-20

The first women's rights convention is held in Seneca Falls, New York. This was considered by many to be the start of the Women's Rights Movement, and would be stated as such in Stanton's later document, "History of Woman Suffrage".

The convention was organized by local Quakers, along with Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was not a Quaker. Abolitionist Frederick Douglass attended, and was the convention's only African American attendee. About 300 people of both sexes attended the conference.

After two days of discussion and debate, 68 women and 32 men signed a Declaration of Sentiments, which outlined grievances and sets the agenda for the Women's Rights Movement. A set of 12 resolutions was adopted calling for equal treatment of women and men under the law and voting rights for women.
August 2
The Rochester Women's Convention. The convention was organized by a coalition of Quakers and Unitarians.

The convention elected Abigail Bush to be its presiding officer. This would be the first convention attended by both men and women, to be presided over by a woman. Some 500 people attended in total.

The convention approved the Declaration of Sentiments drawn up at the Seneca Falls Convention. Abolitionists Frederick Douglass and William Cooper Nell spoke in favor of women's rights. The convention also discussed the rights of working women and the topic of equal pay.

April 19-20

The Ohio Women's Convention at Salem.

This is the first convention to be organized at the statewide level. It is attended by some 500 people. The Salem convention declares its intention to fight for "equal rights and the extension of the privileges of government without distinction of sex, or color."

Abolitionist Betsy Mix Cowles is elected president of the convention. Abolitionist Jane Elizabeth Jones give the convention's main address. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and Lucy Stone are also in attendance.

Men attended the convention but are not allowed to vote or speak. After the convention male attendees put together their own organization in support of the action items set forth by the women's convention.

The document that comes out of the Ohio Convention gathers 8,000 signatures.
October 23-24
The National Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts.

This is the first national convention on women's rights. More than 1,000 people attended, the majority of whom are men. Delegates came from 11 states, including the new state of California.

Paulina Wright Davis presides over the convention, and abolitionist Sarah H. Earle opens the proceedings. The convention calls for legal, social, and political equality. One resolution calls for the word "male" to be stricken from every state constitution. Property rights, access to education, and employment opportunities are also discussed.

Speakers include Sojourner Truth, Lucretia Mott, Frederick Douglass, and others. Susan B. Anthony, who is not in attendance, would say that a speech given by Lucy Stone converted her to the cause of women's rights.

Stone later pays to have the convention proceedings bound and distributed as tracts. One of these tracts inspires women in Sheffield, England, to present a petition for women's suffrage to the House of Lords.

After this, national conventions are be held yearly (except for 1857) through 1860.

May 25

Sojourner Truth delivers her famous "Ain't I a Woman?" speech at a conference in Akron, Ohio.

The coming of the Civil War brings several setbacks to the fight for women's rights. Many people redirect their activism from women's rights to emancipation, and in 1862, the New York legislature repeals several of the gains that women had made there.

May 14

Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony,and Paulina Kellogg Wright Davis join with Lucy Stone and others to form the Women's National Loyal League. The League held its first convention on May 14.

The women would also gather 400,000 signatures to support the 13th amendment, which abolishs slavery. The amendment passes on April 8, 1864.

May 10

The Eleventh National Women's Rights Convention is held in New York City. This is the first convention to be held after the Civil War.

The convention is organized by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony. Also in attendance are Lucrecia Mott, Ernestine L. Rose, Wendell Phillips, Reverend Octavius Brooks Frothingham, and others. African-American activist Frances Ellen Watkins Harper speaks about racial discrimination.
May 31
The first meeting of the American Equal Rights Association (AERA) is held in Boston, Massachusetts. The group's goal was equal rights for all citizens, including suffrage.

Internal struggles would cause the group to split between those supporting women's suffrage, those supporting suffrage for Black men only, and those supporting female suffrage after achieving Black male suffrage. The group would eventually dissolve in conflict.

Two rival groups would emerge: the American Women's Suffrage Association and the National Women's Suffrage Association. The groups wouldn't find enough common ground to join together until 1890.
October
Elizabeth Cady Stanton declares her candidacy for Congress. She is the first woman to do so.

July 9

The 14th Amendment to the Constitution is passed. This constitutional amendment's equal protection clause would become the basis of subsequent laws about discrimination on the basis of race, gender, and sexual orientation.

May

Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton form the National Woman Suffrage Association. The primary goal of the organization is to achieve voting rights for women by means of a Congressional amendment to the Constitution.
November
Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, and others form the American Woman Suffrage Association. This group focusses exclusively on gaining voting rights for women through amendments to individual state constitutions.
December 19
The territory of Wyoming passes the first women's suffrage law. The following year, women begin serving on juries in the territory.

November 5

Susan B. Anthony is arrested for violating the Enforcement Act of 1870 by casting a vote in the 1872 presidential election. Anthony is not allowed to speak during the trial, but after the trial is over, gives what has been called the most famous speech in support of female suffrage.

Anthony is sentenced to pay a fine of $100 (about $2,440 in 2023), of which she would not pay a penny.

Also in this year, journalist Victoria Claflin Woodhull forms her own political party and runs for president.

Senator Aaron Augustus Sargent, a supporter of women's rights and a speaker at suffrage conventions, introduces a female suffrage amendment to Congress. More than 40 years later (August 6, 1920), Sargent's amendment, unaltered, would become the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

Colorado is the first state to adopt a constitutional amendment granting women the right to vote. Idaho follows suit in 1896, Washington State in 1910, California in 1911, Oregon, Kansas, and Arizona in 1912, Alaska and Illinois in 1913, Montana and Nevada in 1914, New York in 1917; Michigan, South Dakota, and Oklahoma in 1918.

Although the suffragist and abolitionist movements were once entwined, 30 years of conflict over female suffrage and Black suffrage, combined with the prevalent anti-Black racism would exacerbate the growing division in the Women's Rights Movement.

In 1896, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Harriet Tubman, Mary Church Terrell, Margaret Murry Washington, and others gather in Washington, D.C. to form the National Association of Colored Women (NACW).

Alice Paul and Lucy Burns form the Congressional Union to work toward the passage of a federal amendment to give women the vote. The group is later renamed the National Women's Party. Members picket the White House and practice other forms of civil disobedience.

Margaret Sanger opens the first U.S. birth-control clinic in Brooklyn, N.Y. Although the clinic is shut down 10 days later and Sanger is arrested, she eventually wins support through the courts and opens another clinic in New York City in 1923.

Also in this year, the National Woman's Party (NWP) is founded. The party's first goal was to fight for women's suffrage. Following the passage of the 19th amendment, the NWP would advocate for the Equal Rights Amendment and other goals.

January 10

Starting on January 10 of this year, 2,000 suffragists from the NWP picket in front of the White House. "The Silent Sentinels" would also protest in Lafayette Square, and would not stop until the 19th amendment was passed, despite nearly 500 of their number being arrested, and 168 serving jail time.
April 2
Jeannette Rankin is sworn in at the House of Representatives. She is the first elected female congress member.

The Federal Woman Suffrage Amendment, originally written by Susan B. Anthony and introduced in Congress in 1878, is passed by the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate. It is then sent to the states for ratification.

The Women's Bureau of the Department of Labor is formed to collect information about women in the workforce and safeguard good working conditions for women.
August 26
The 19th Amendment to the Constitution, granting women the right to vote, is signed into law by Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby.

Margaret Sanger founds the American Birth Control League, which evolves into the Planned Parenthood Federation of America in 1942.

Mary McLeod Bethune organizes the National Council of Negro Women, a coalition of Black women's groups that lobbies against job discrimination, racism, and sexism.

President John Kennedy establishes the President's Commission on the Status of Women and appoints Eleanor Roosevelt as chair.

The report issued by the Commission in 1963 would document substantial discrimination against women in the workplace and make specific recommendations for improvement, including fair hiring practices, paid maternity leave, and affordable child care.

Betty Friedan publishes her highly influential book "The Feminine Mystique", which describes the dissatisfaction felt by middle-class American housewives with the narrow role imposed on them by society. The book becomes a bestseller and galvanizes the modern Women's Rights Movement.
June 10
Congress passes the Equal Pay Act, making it illegal for employers to pay a woman less than what a man would receive for the same job.

Title VII of the Civil Rights Act bars discrimination in employment on the basis of race and sex. At the same time it establishes the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) to investigate complaints and impose penalties.

In Griswold v. Connecticut, the U.S. Supreme Court strikes down the one remaining state law prohibiting the use of contraceptives by married couples.

The National Organization for Women (NOW) is founded by a group of feminists including Betty Friedan. The largest women's rights group in the U.S., NOW, seeks to end sexual discrimination, especially in the workplace, by means of legislative lobbying, litigation, and public demonstrations.

Executive Order 11375 expands President Lyndon Johnson's affirmative action policy of 1965 to cover discrimination based on gender. As a result, federal agencies and contractors must take active measures to ensure that women as well as minorities enjoy the same educational and employment opportunities as white males.

The EEOC rules that sex-segregated help wanted ads in newspapers are illegal. This ruling is upheld in 1973 by the Supreme Court, opening the way for women to apply for higher-paying jobs hitherto open only to men.

In Schultz v. Wheaton Glass Co., a U.S. Court of Appeals rules that jobs held by men and women need to be "substantially equal" but not "identical" to fall under the protection of the Equal Pay Act. An employer cannot, for example, change the job titles of women workers in order to pay them less than men.

March 22

The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is passed by Congress and sent to the states for ratification. Originally drafted by Alice Paul in 1923, the amendment reads: "Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex." The amendment died in 1982 when it failed to achieve ratification by a minimum of 38 states.

In Eisenstadt v. Baird the Supreme Court rules that the right to privacy includes an unmarried person's right to use contraceptives.
June 23
Title IX of the Education Amendment bans sex discrimination in schools. It states: "No person in the United States shall, on the basis of sex, be excluded from participation in, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any educational program or activity receiving federal financial assistance."

As a result of Title IX, the enrollment of women in athletics programs and professional schools increases dramatically.

As a result of Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court establishes a woman's right to safe and legal abortion, overriding the anti-abortion laws of many states.

The Equal Credit Opportunity Act prohibits discrimination in consumer credit practices on the basis of sex, race, marital status, religion, national origin, age, or receipt of public assistance. For the first time, women are allowed to apply for and open a credit card in their own names.

In Corning Glass Works v. Brennan, the U.S. Supreme Court rules that employers cannot justify paying women lower wages because that is what they traditionally received under the "going market rate." A wage differential occurring "simply because men would not work at the low rates paid women" is deemed unacceptable.

Sandra Day O'Connor becomes the first woman appointed to the Supreme Court. Subsequent appointments would include Ruth Bader Ginsberg (1993), Sonja Sotomayor (2009), Elena Kagan (2010), Amy Coney Barrett (2020), and Ketanji Brown Jackson (2022).

June 18

Sally Ride becomes the first American woman in space.

Meritor Savings Bank v. Vinson, the Supreme Court finds that sexual harassment is a form of illegal job discrimination.

In Planned Parenthood v. Casey, the Supreme Court reaffirms the validity of a woman's right to abortion under Roe v. Wade. The case successfully challenges Pennsylvania's 1989 Abortion Control Act, which sought to reinstate restrictions previously ruled unconstitutional.

March 12

Janet Reno is sworn in as the first female Attorney General of the United States.

In United States v. Virginia, the Supreme Court rules that the all-male Virginia Military School has to admit women in order to continue to receive public funding. It holds that creating a separate, all-female school will not suffice.

January 23

Madeleine Albright is sworn in as the first female U.S. Secretary of State.

The Supreme Court rules in Kolstad v. American Dental Association that a woman can sue for punitive damages for sex discrimination if the anti-discrimination law was violated with malice or indifference to the law, even if that conduct was not especially severe.

In Nevada Department of Human Resources v. Hibbs, the Supreme Court rules that states can be sued in federal court for violations of the Family Leave Medical Act.

In Jackson v. Birmingham Board of Education, the Supreme Court rules that Title IX, which prohibits discrimination based on sex, also inherently prohibits disciplining someone for complaining about sex-based discrimination. It further holds that this is the case even when the person complaining is not among those being discriminated against.

January 4

Nancy Pelosi is sworn in as the first female Speaker of the House.

In January of 2013, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta announces that the ban on women serving in combat roles would be lifted. The move reverses the 1994 rule that prohibited women from serving in combat.

The 1994 Violence Against Women Act is also reauthorized this year, with enhanced judicial and law enforcement tools for combatting violence against women and providing support for victims. It also extends coverage to young victims, immigrants, Indian women, and victims of trafficking.

January 2

Women are now allowed to serve in any job in the armed services, provided they meet gender-neutral performance standards.
June 7
Hillary Clinton, after winning a majority of Democratic state primaries, becomes the first female presidential candidate for a major political party. She was defeated by Donald Trump on November 8.
June 27
In a 5-3 decision on June 27, 2016, the Supreme Court overturns a Texas law imposed on abortion clinics. The law had required doctors to have admitting privileges at nearby hospitals and clinics to meet the standards of ambulatory surgical centers and had resulted in the closure of nearly half of the state's abortion clinics.

January 21

In response to numerous factors - including continued attempts by lawmakers to restrict access to abortions, persistent employment disparities, and contentious comments made by President Trump in a leaked video, among others - feminist activists from around the country organize a Women's March to advocate for women's rights.

Despite some ideological conflicts between event organizers over inclusion and diversity, the nationwide protest begin with enormous success. Upwards of 3 million people turn out, marking one of the largest and most peaceful protests in U.S. history.

January 20

Kamala Harris is sworn in as the first female vice president of the United States, as well as the first vice president of Black and Indian heritage.

By the end of 2021, many state legislatures succeed in vastly restricting access to abortions in most if not all cases of pregnancy, overcoming challenges in federal court. This represents one of the largest swells in opposition to legal abortion since the Roe v. Wade decision was issued.

June 24

The Supreme Court overturns the Roe v. Wade decision, returning abortion regulation to the states.

What Are the Important Dates for Women's Rights?

Civil rights, including women's rights, is an ongoing struggle, whose roots go back to before the founding of the United States, and continue to this day. From the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, to the first women to achieve national offices in the 20th and 21st centuries, the struggle is not over.

How well do you know your women's history? Test yourself with our Women's History Quiz!
Return to Top of Page

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U.S. Women's Rights Timeline: 1789-Present Day

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Civil rights, including women's rights, are an ongoing struggle. Here's a look at the important events in the history of women's rights in the US.

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Schoolhouse Rock song. Suffrage=right to vote

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School House Rock - Sufferin' 'til Suffrage

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hi Everybody this song is from School House Rock about Womens Rights I don't own this song or the show they belong to their owner

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Excerpts The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedman

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Excerpts The Feminine Mystique by Betty Friedman

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This 1963 novel questioned women's role in society

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The Feminine Mystique Quotes by Betty Friedan

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51 quotes from The Feminine Mystique: 'Each suburban wife struggles with it alone. As she made the beds, shopped for groceries, matched slipcover materia...

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Women's Rights advocate

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Synopsis

Gloria Steinem was born March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. She became a freelance writer after college and grew more and more engaged in the women's movement and feminism. She helped create both New York and Ms. magazines, helped form the National Women's Political Caucus, and is the author of many books and essays. A breast cancer survivor, Steinem celebrated her 80th birthday in 2014.

Early Life

Social activist, writer, editor, and lecturer. Born on March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. Since the late 1960s, Gloria Steinem has been an outspoken champion of women's rights. She had an unusual upbringing, spending part of the year in Michigan and the winters in Florida or California. With all this traveling, Steinem did not attend school on a regular basis until she was 11.

Around this time, Steinem's parents divorced and she ended up caring for her mother, Ruth, who suffered from mental illness. Steinem spent six years living with her mother in a rundown home in Toledo before leaving to go to college. At Smith College, she studied government, an non-traditional choice for a woman at that time. It was clear early on that she did not want to follow the most common life path for women in those days-marriage and motherhood. "In the 1950s, once you married you became what your husband was, so it seemed like the last choice you'd ever have...I'd already been the very small parent of a very big child-my mother. I didn't want to end up taking care of someone else," she later told People magazine.

Pioneering Feminist

After finishing her degree in 1956, Steinem received a fellowship to study in India. She first worked for Independent Research Service and then established a career for herself as a freelance writer. One of her most famous articles from the time was a 1963 expose on New York City's Playboy Club for Show magazine. Steinem went undercover for the piece, working as a waitress, or a scantily clad "bunny" as they called them, at the club. In the late 1960s, she helped create New York magazine, and wrote a column on politics for the publication. Steinem became more engaged in the women's movement after reporting on an abortion hearing given by the radical feminist group known as the Redstockings. She expressed her feminist views in such essays as "After Black Power, Women's Liberation."

In 1971 Steinem joined other prominent feminists, such as Bella Abzug and Betty Friedan, in forming the National Women's Political Caucus, which worked on behalf of women's issues. She also took the lead in launching the pioneering, feminist Ms magazine. It began as an insert in New York magazine in December 1971; its first independent issue appeared in January 1972. Under her direction, the magazine tackled important topics, including domestic violence. Ms. became the first national publication to feature the subject on its cover in 1976.

As her public profile continued to rise, Gloria Steinem faced criticism from some feminists, including the Redstockings, for her association with the CIA-backed Independent Research Service. Others questioned her commitment to the feminist movement because of her glamorous image. Undeterred, Steinem continued on her own way, speaking out, lecturing widely, and organizing various women's functions. She also wrote extensively on women's issues. Her 1983 collection of essays, Outrageous Acts and Everyday Rebellions, featured works on a broad range of topics from "The Importance of Work" to "The Politics of Food."

Impact and Criticism

In 1986, Steinem faced a very personal challenge when she was diagnosed with breast cancer. She was able to beat the disease with treatment. That same year, Steinem explored one of America's most iconic women in the book Marilyn: Norma Jean. She became a consulting editor at Ms magazine the following year after the publication was sold to an Australian company.

Steinem found herself the subject of media scrutiny with her 1992 book Revolution from Within: A Book of Self-Esteem. To some feminists, the book's focus on personal development seemed to be a retreat from social activism. Steinem was surprised by the backlash, believing that a strong self-image to be crucial to creating change. "We need to be long-distance runners to make a real social revolution. And you can't be a long-distance runner unless you have some inner strength," she explained to People magazine. She considers the work to be "most political thing I've written. I was saying that many institutions are designed to undermine our self-authority in order to get us to obey their authority," she told Interview magazine.

Steinem had another collection of writings, Moving Beyond Words: Age, Rage, Sex, Power, Money, Muscles: Breaking Boundaries of Gender, published in 1994. In one of the essays, "Doing Sixty," she reflected on reaching that chronological milestone. Steinem was also the subject of a biography written by another noted feminist Carolyn G. Heilbrun entitled Education of a Woman: The Life of Gloria Steinem.

Personal Life

In 2000, Steinem did something that she had insisted for years that she would not do. Despite being known for saying that a woman needs a man like a fish needs a bicycle, Steinem decided to get married. She wed David Bale, an environmental and animal rights activist and the father of actor Christian Bale. At the age of 66, Steinem proved that she was still unpredictable and committed to charting her own path in life. Her wedding raised eyebrows in certain circles. But the union did not last long. Bale died of brain cancer in 2003. "He had the greatest heart of anyone I've known," Steinem told O magazine.

When Steinem turned 75 in 2009, the Ms. Foundation suggested ways for others to celebrate Steinem's birthday. It called on women to engage in outrageous acts for simple justice. Around this time, Steinem discussed some of the pressing issues of the day. "We've demonstrated that women can do what men do, but not yet that men can do what women do. That's why most women have two jobs-one inside the home and one outside it-which is impossible. The truth is that women can't be equal outside the home until men are equal in it," Steinem told the New York Daily News.

Steinem continues to work for social justice. As she recently said, "The idea of retiring is as foreign to me as the idea of hunting."

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Gloria Steinem was born March 25, 1934, in Toledo, Ohio. She became a freelance writer after college and grew more and more engaged in the women's movement and feminism. She helped create both New York and Ms. magazines, helped form the National Women's Political Caucus, and is the author of many books and essays.

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excerpt from TED Talk entitled "We Should All Be Feminists ft in "Flawless"

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Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie Flawless Speech

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TV personality and philathropist, Oprah opened a women's school in South Africa

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"Charity isn't even charity for me because it is an extension of who I am," says Oprah Winfrey.

Winfrey has donated over $350 million to various causes, but admits when she first achieved financial success, she had difficulty deciding what to give and to whom. "I tried working with kids who were disabled, I tried working with kids who were juvenile delinquents, I tried working with elderly people - that didn't work for me," she says.

It was a trip to South Africa in 2000 that inspired her to build a school for girls, the Oprah Winfrey Leadership Academy, which opened in 2007. This year, she'll attend the graduation of the fifth class, thanks to her contribution of over $100 million through the academy's foundation, which continues to support them after graduation.

Pamela Littky for Variety

"I specifically chose girls because giving an opportunity to a girl means that she doesn't just change her life," says Winfrey. "The nature of women is to nurture so they nurture their families, they nurture their communities. I say to my girls, 'You are going to have the chance to break the cycle of poverty in your family forever.'"

All the graduates of OWLA have gone on to college, either in South Africa or in the U.S. Education matters, says Winfrey, "because it's an open door to a real life, and you can't get through this life without it and succeed. It's an open door to discovery and wonder and fascination and figuring out who you are, why you're here, and what you came to do. It's an invitation to life, and it feeds you forever."

Pamela Littky for Variety

She calls all of her graduates her "daughters," saying she now realizes this was always fated. "If I had my own children," she says, "I probably would never have done this."

She's gotten an education of her own, too, along the way. "We're all trying to be here on the planet and fulfill what it is our heart wants to express," she says. "When you can figure out a thing that connects with you, there really isn't anything better. I feel expanded because of the work that I do that's called charity."

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Oprah Winfrey Works to Break the Poverty Cycle Through Education

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"Charity isn't even charity for me because it is an extension of who I am," says Oprah Winfrey. Winfrey has donated over $350 million to various causes, but admits when she first achieved financial success, she had difficulty deciding what to give and to whom.

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I am a woman, not a princess. I have an attitude, opinions, and a very loud voice. I am not a liar nor a cheat. I am independent, intelligent, and strong.

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A test to identify the role of women in the media

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Poet and activist

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Bell Hooks Biography - life, childhood, children, name, school, mother, young, book, information, born

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Born Gloria Jean Watkins on September 25, 1952, bell hooks was raised in Hopkinsville, Kentucky, a small, segregated (separated by race) town in rural Kentucky. She recalled her neighborhood as a "world where folks were content to get by on a little, where Baba, mama's mother, made soap, dug fishing worms, set traps for rabbits, made butter and wine, sewed quilts, and wrung the necks of chickens."

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The most inspiring and famous celebrity feminists of the 20th and 21 centuries-from Susan B. Anthony to Gloria Steinem and Emma Watson.

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Women would burn their bras to symbolize freedom and protest gender roles.

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