Loading Search

• Buy this Book
• Book Creators
• Related Blog Posts
• Share on Twitter
• Share on Facebook

150 years ago, a married woman in the United States could not sign a legal document, own any property, or keep any money she earned or inherited; every right now considered naturally hers she abdicated to her husband by the act of marriage.

This book tells the story of the American woman's gradual awakening to her lowly position, and her long struggle to gain, first, the simple right to spe... More

150 years ago, a married woman in the United States could not sign a legal document, own any property, or keep any money she earned or inherited; every right now considered naturally hers she abdicated to her husband by the act of marriage.

This book tells the story of the American woman's gradual awakening to her lowly position, and her long struggle to gain, first, the simple right to speak her opinions and, finally, the right of full citizenship, the vote.

Sketched with insight, humor and sympathy are the individual ladies whose forceful personalities helped to win the first victories: ladies like the serene Quaker, Lucretia Mott, who washed her dishes in a tub at the dinner table rather than miss the lively conversation of her guests; and the beautiful Grimke sisters who dared to speak of the evils of slavery before audiences that included men - and were denounced for such brazen behavior from every Congregationalist pulpit in Massachusetts; and plump, bright-eyed Lizzie Stanton, who organized the first Woman's Rights Convention in 1848 and shocked everyone with her proposal that women should have the vote.

Here, too, is a vivid glimpse of American social history: of the bitter 19th century opposition to strong whiskey that gave many women their first experience in organizing; of frontier territories whose governments were among the earliest in the nation to grant women the vote; and of headline-catching showmanship, rallies, and parades, which set a pattern for future demonstrations.

Whether describing stately Susan Anthony casting her ballot for President Grant in 1872 and going to jail for the outrage, or 10,000 women pouring into the Republican convention in 1916 to demand a suffrage plank in the party platform, Doris Faber writes with a sense of drama and awareness of detail that make readers feel they are present as history is being made.

You must be a member of JacketFlap to add a video to this page. Please Log In or Register.