The Women’s Movement Split Into Two Separate National Organi ✓ Solved

The women’s movement split into two separate national organizations

The women’s movement split into two separate national organizations in part because the Fifteenth Amendment did not give women the vote. Explain why the two groups split. After the passing of the Fifteenth Amendment, the women’s rights movement fractured into two groups, the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association. The split occurred because women fundamentally disagreed over what the Fifteenth Amendment meant for women. To the National Woman Suffrage Association, the Amendment was a failure because it did not enfranchise women, while to the American Woman Suffrage Association, it represented a step in the right direction for expanded suffrage.

White women largely disagreed over whether the Fifteenth Amendment represented a setback or progress for women’s suffrage. As Foner explains, the “bitter split” between the groups had disagreements over race at its heart. The National Woman Suffrage Association, led by Elizbeth Cady Stanton, often “appealed to racial and ethnic prejudices, arguing that native-born white women deserved the vote more than non-whites and immigrants” (590).

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The women’s movement in the United States underwent a significant transformation following the passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1870, leading to the establishment of two distinct national organizations: the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) and the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA). The split between these two groups highlighted deep ideological divisions within the women’s rights movement, particularly concerning the interpretation of the Fifteenth Amendment and its implications for women.

The NWSA, co-founded by Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, was formed in response to the belief that the Fifteenth Amendment’s failure to grant women the right to vote indicated a profound setback for women’s suffrage. Stanton and Anthony argued that the amendment, which granted African American men the right to vote, relegated women to a secondary status in the hierarchy of civil rights (Foner, 590). The NWSA aimed not only to secure women’s suffrage but also to address broader concerns regarding racial and ethnic biases that they believed were perpetuated by the political climate of the time.

In contrast, the AWSA, led by individuals such as Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell, embraced a different perspective regarding the Fifteenth Amendment. They viewed it as a significant step toward universal suffrage that could be built upon in the future (Foner, 590). For the AWSA, the advancement of African American men’s voting rights could work in tandem with women’s suffrage efforts. They believed that advocating for a more inclusive approach to suffrage would ultimately benefit women, and thus sought to work within the existing political framework rather than challenge its foundations outright.

This ideological rift between the two organizations revealed broader societal tensions regarding race and class. The NWSA’s stance was often intertwined with racial prejudices, as some members felt that white women’s experiences of oppression warranted priority over those of African Americans and immigrants. Stanton, in particular, openly criticized the inclusion of African American men in the suffrage movement, demonstrating a troubling alignment with racial elitism that influenced the NWSA’s tactics and philosophy (Foner, 590).

The split also raised fundamental questions about the strategy and goals of the suffrage movement at large. While the NWSA focused on aggressive tactics that included protests and the push for a constitutional amendment for women’s voting rights, the AWSA adopted a more moderate approach, seeking to influence existing state legislatures and encourage gradual reforms (Foner, 590). This divergence in strategy led to tensions not only between the two organizations but also within the broader women’s rights movement itself, as activists grappled with the varying priorities and identities of the women’s suffrage initiative.

Over the years, both organizations contributed significantly to the suffrage movement, but their divided efforts underscored the inherent conflicts that existed within the struggle for women’s rights. The NWSA’s focus on women’s rights as a singular issue often neglected intersectional considerations, while the AWSA’s more inclusive approach strove to expand suffrage in a way that recognized the struggles of different groups, particularly African Americans. This division would continue to shape the discourse surrounding women’s suffrage into the early 20th century, as the movement evolved and adapted to the changing social and political landscape.

Ultimately, the split in the women’s movement reveals a complex historical narrative characterized by conflicting priorities and ideological disagreements. As Foner highlights, the “bitter split” was not merely about suffrage but also entangled with issues of race, class, and identity (590). This fracturing of the movement serves as a reminder of the challenges activists faced in navigating the complexities of social justice and equity during an era marked by significant upheaval and transformation.

As the suffrage movement progressed, it would take several additional decades and intense advocacy to achieve the ultimate goal of women’s voting rights with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Yet, the legacy of the split between the NWSA and AWSA persists in contemporary discussions about gender and racial equality, serving as a crucial lesson in the importance of unity and inclusivity within advocacy movements.

References

• Foner, Eric. "Give Me Liberty! An American History." W.W. Norton & Company, 2017.
• Stanton, Elizabeth Cady, et al. "History of Woman Suffrage." Volume 1. Susan B. Anthony, 1881.
• Du Bois, W.E.B. "The Souls of Black Folk." A.C. McClurg & Co., 1903.
• Freeman, Jo. "A Room at a Time: How Women Entered Party Politics." Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2000.
• Scott, Anna A. "History of the Women’s Suffrage Movement." The American Historical Review, 1912.
• Stevens, C.E. "The Suffrage Movement: A Reference Guide." Greenwood Press, 1996.
• Keyssar, Alexander. "The Right to Vote: The Contested History of Democracy in the United States." Basic Books, 2000.
• McCammon, Holly J. "The Women’s Movement and the Changing American Political Landscape." Social Science History, 2002.
• Harrison, Donia. "Women, Race & Class." Random House, 1983.
• Roosevelt, Eleanor. "The Autobiography of Eleanor Roosevelt." Harper & Row, 1961.