How One Movement Created Another

I was never a history buff; however, my mother is. Growing up, she would tell me all about the rich history of human culture and events. She would describe events in history with such great detail that I could visualize it.

One of her favorite subjects was the history of women's equality. She would tell me what it was like to be a woman in the 17th and 18th centuries and how they wore corsets and were expected to stay home and manage the household. She would also say they were treated like the property under the law.

My favorite history stories were actually from her youth. She would tell me about when she was 17 and would attend the 1970's Women's Equality protest in Washington D.C. Without her father's permission, of course. In fact, two generations before that, my mother's grandmother had marched in the Women's Suffrage protest in Boston Massachusetts.

She would also tell me the story about how she got her driver's license. Her mother would give her driving lessons in secret. When she turned 16, they took my grandfather's beloved 1967 Ford Mustang without his permission to take her driver's license exam. He had quite the shock to learn she had gotten her driver's license. Back then, her father would tell her that the only three ways she could move out of the house were to get married, join the U.S. Navy, or if she went to college. She went to college.

While I was growing up, she would frequently remind me of the Women's Suffrage Movement, and because of that movement, that is why I can vote. History is quite a fantastic thing, and how one event can be a catalyst for another.

August 23rd is International Day for the Remembrance of the Slave Trade and its Abolition, and August 26th is Women's Equality Day in the United States. These commemorative days are very separate in their own rights; however, they are intertwined in history, and without one, the other could quite possibly not exist.

Imagine a different timeline in which the 14th and 15th Amendments had not passed in the United States, or the abolition of slavery never happened. The Women's Suffrage movement would not have grown to its momentum had not for the catalyst of the passing of the 15th Amendment and the abolition of slavery.

The 15th Amendment had granted U.S. citizens of all races the right to vote except for women and, this did not go over so well with women. Some women had already started stepping up to advocate the right of enslaved people. This led to newfound confidence and realization that enabled women to stand up for the inequalities they were facing and to reflect on their station in American society's caste.

Women's rights movements started gaining traction in the U.S. before the Civil War. Seneca Falls Conventions being one such movement or gathering of thoughts. However, all increased drive was lost at the start of the Civil War. My theory is that women in the south had been more focused on surviving the Civil War than their rights, and the women in the North were more concentrated on advocating the abolition of slavery.

However, after the Civil War ended, the Women's Suffrage movement picked up because of the passage of the 14th and 15th Amendments in 1868. A year later, a group named the National Women Suffrage Association was founded by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. They advocated for the universal-suffrage amendment because the 15th Amendment had been specially written only to give male citizens U.S. the right to vote.

These two commemorative days allow us to reflect on our American history and take a more in-depth look into causes and effects. One significant event in American history unknowingly sparked by another prominent event. This chain of reaction, one event causing another and is nothing new. Take for instance, amongst other causes; France was able to see America fight for its independence, which in cause inspired the French to fight for their freedom from tyranny.

Please take the time this week to allow yourself to reflect on these historic events. How they started, what caused them, how they were resolved, and how they evolved. In the instance of events evolving, you'll witness that after the abolition of slavery in the U.S., the movement for equality continuously evolved.

1909 - NCAAP is founded

1941 - Tuskegee Airmen

1954 - Brown v. Board of Education

1964 - Civil Rights Movement and the passage of The Civil Rights Act

1965 - The Voting Rights Act

2020 - BLM Movement

The very same can be said for women's rights evolving after the Suffrage movement:

1963 - The Equal Pay Act

1964 – Title VII of the Civil Rights Act passes, prohibiting sex discrimination in employment.

1972 - Equal Rights Amendment

1973 - Roe v. Wade

1978 – The Pregnancy Discrimination Act

2013 – The ban against women in military combat positions is removed, overturning a 1994 Pentagon decision restricting women from combat roles.

With these great examples of change happening, it does point out that, unfortunately, equality is not found overnight, but instead, it is fought for by the outcries of the angry over a long period. Even when the goal is attained, it is only a stepping stone to something more significant, and the next fight to gain equality has to begin all over again.

Change is difficult and does not happen instantly, but with the time and efforts of more people, it can happen. The thoughts and movements can spread faster. Even with such progress, some people are unsure if they can help. They can help because usually, the most significant change is with the help of everyday people vigilant against injustices and stand up to them.