The Role of Women

Throughout American history, women have been denied many of the rights that were granted to men. Despite this, they still played an important role in the shaping of the United States. One of their earlier contributions was in the 1770's, when the United States was protesting against British rule. Women helped by boycotting British products, such as tea and clothes.

The first women's rights movement was in 1848 by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott. Among other rights, they demanded suffrage. 72 years later, the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution gave women the right to vote.

However, women still were not equal to men in other aspects of life, both social and economic. For example, men were often paid more money than women for doing the same job. To correct this, women tried to pass the Equal Right Amendment between 1972 and 1982. However, both men and women were worried about the results of the amendment, and so it was not ratified. Despite that, since 1982 women have gained significant social, political, and economic power.

~ Written by Erin