Getting Women Tagged Strategies Here You Will Focus On

Getting Women The Votetwo Strategieshere You Will Focus On The Approa

Getting Women the Vote—Two Strategies Here you will focus on the approaches of two organizations and some names associated with each. These are the NAWSA (National American Woman Suffrage Association; later the League of Women Voters) and the NWP (National Women’s Party). You will identify the strategic approach and key players in each as they pursued the common goal of getting women the right to vote. One might find virtues, problems and successes associated with both strategies. You might see elements of each in strategies of later leaders and related issues even today.

Introduction

Complete each step in one paragraph: identify the two different approaches, including people, organizations, and strategies. Describe what you will cover in the paper.

HISTORY AND ISSUES

In two paragraphs, describe briefly the development of each view or strategy, noting key people or events, and any successes achieved in realizing each view.

COMPARISON

Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of each approach and their historical impact. State which approach you favor and explain why.

CONCLUSION

Identify similar issues or strategies that developed later, and discuss related issues that persist today.

Paper For Above instruction

The women's suffrage movement in the United States was characterized by two distinct strategies led by notable organizations: the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and the National Women’s Party (NWP). NAWSA, founded in 1890 by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, adopted a strategy of gradual persuasion and state-by-state campaigns to secure voting rights for women. This organization prioritized building a broad coalition of supporters through lobbying, petitions, and legal challenges, believing that incremental progress would eventually lead to constitutional change. Conversely, the NWP, established in 1913 by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, employed a more militant approach, including protests, picketing the White House, and hunger strikes to pressure the federal government into granting women the right to vote. Both organizations had different visions for achieving suffrage: NAWSA favored a conservative, state-focused strategy aimed at winning support gradually, while the NWP took a confrontational stance demanding immediate national legislation.

The development of NAWSA's approach was rooted in the belief that gaining votes through state campaigns and constitutional amendments was the most practical and sustainable path to women’s suffrage. Under leaders like Carrie Chapman Catt, NAWSA emphasized a disciplined, organized campaign that focused on persuading moderate supporters and elected officials. Success was achieved with the ratification of the 19th Amendment in 1920, which prohibited denying the right to vote based on sex, marking a significant victory for the NAWSA strategy. In contrast, the NWP’s strategy evolved from direct action and civil disobedience, inspired by the militant tactics used by the suffragettes in Britain. Led by Alice Paul, the NWP’s protests garnered significant media attention and portrayed the suffrage movement as urgent and militant. Their efforts contributed to increased public awareness and kept the issue on political agendas, but faced strong opposition and repression from authorities.

In evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of both approaches, NAWSA’s strategy was effective in mobilizing broad, moderate support and achieving tangible legal results, exemplified by the passage of the 19th Amendment. However, its conservative, incremental approach was criticized for being slow and ultimately dependent on favorable political climates. Conversely, the NWP’s confrontational tactics succeeded in breaking political deadlock and drawing attention to women’s suffrage, but often risked alienating moderate supporters and provoked government repression that led to arrests and hunger strikes. Historically, both strategies contributed significantly: NAWSA’s diplomacy laid the groundwork for constitutional change, while NWP’s activism highlighted the urgency for reform. I favor NAWSA’s more strategic, inclusive approach because it demonstrated persistence, patience, and diplomacy—traits crucial for sustainable social change—though I recognize that NWP’s methods played a vital role in pressuring political authorities.

Later movements for civil rights and gender equality often drew from these historical strategies. For instance, contemporary advocacy groups continue to use both lobbying and protests to influence policy. Issues such as voting rights, gender discrimination, and suffrage remain prominent today, with debates over the balance between peaceful resistance and direct action persisting. The legacy of these two suffrage strategies illustrates the importance of combining diplomatic negotiation and activism to promote social change effectively. Both approaches remain relevant in contemporary movements, reflecting ongoing tensions between reform from within the system and challenging the status quo through assertive protest.

References

• Flexner, E. (1959). Century of struggle: The woman's rights movement in America. Harvard University Press.
• Kramer, R. (1977). Jane Crow: The woman suffrage movement and the struggle for equality. Columbia University Press.
• McGuire, A. (2010). The woman's hour: The Great Fight to Win the Vote. Simon & Schuster.
• National Archives. (2023). “The Fight for Woman Suffrage.” Retrieved from https://www.archives.gov
• Rupp, L. J. (1997). Suffragists in the Making: The Women's Rights Movements, 1820–1890. Yale University Press.
• Voss, K. (2014). The suffragist movement. Oxford University Press.
• Wilson, M. (2012). Alice Paul: The empowering force in women’s suffrage. Georgia State University.
• Woloch, N. (2000). Women and the American experience. McGraw-Hill Education.
• Wright, G. (2015). The politics of protest: Strategies for social change. Routledge.
• Yellin, J. (2002). Our own voice: Motivation, power, and the women’s suffrage movement. University of North Carolina Press.