Woman's Suffrage
Suffrage means-The act of voting in an election
Background
Since men were the head of the family, they did all the decision making which also included voting. It was against the law for any woman (rich, middle class or poor) to vote in an election, even if it consider them. Many men believed that women were too simple and frail to make choices for themselves or others. The only jobs available to women was be a good wife, mother and housekeepers'. Some time in the 1800s women started to question why they couldn't vote or that when they tried, they were punished. That was the start of the Woman's Suffrage Movement!
Small Biography of Lucy Stone
Lucy Stone was born on August 13, 1818, in West Brookfield, Massachusetts. One of Francis Stone and Hannah Matthews' nine children. When she seen her older brothers going to collage she wanted to go too, at age 16 she augured with her parents about going to collage. Her parents were completely against it so her father didn't pay for her to go to collage so she worked and paid for herself. "She enrolled at Oberlin College in Ohio(The only collage that accepted women). While Oberlin touted itself as a progressive institution, the school did not offer a level playing field for women. As a result, the college denied Stone the opportunity to pursue her passion in public speaking. Undeterred, Stone, who paid her way through school, graduated in 1847 with honors, becoming the first woman from Massachusetts to earn a bachelor's degree." Stone enjoyed giving speeches but had to practice quietly, because it was not accepted for a woman to give speeches.
After graduation Stone became involved in anti-slavery groups. Lucy was also exposed to the women's rights issues. Soon, Stone was giving speeches on woman's suffrage, it was very clear to anyone that hear her speeches that she was devoted to the cause.
Stone did not want a household like the one she grew up in, where the husband ruled over the wife and children. When stone met Henry Blackwell she realized that not all marriages had to be like her parents'. Blackwell sheared many of her ideals for equal rights for women. In 1855 they got married and fought the Woman's Suffrage together. She used the wedding ceremony to voice her protest against marital law by not taking her husband's last name. "A wife should no more take her husband's name than he should hers," she had explained. "My name is my identity and must not be lost." Stone gave speeches and gained support through the newspaper she published, The Woman's Journal. She continued to fight almost until the day she died at age 75.Important People
Lucy stone
Women's Rights Activist, Journalist (1818–1893)
Lucy Stone was a leading activist women's rights movements.