August 26 was Women’s Equality Day. Two hundred years ago, women in the United States had very few rights and practically no choices when it came to a career. Women were not allowed to own property, they had no rights to their children after divorce and risked being homeless and penniless if they did leave their husband. By the mid 1800s, women’s option began to open, but ever so slowly. The first wave of female workers produced teachers who wanted to include girls. These teachers were harassed and the schools they taught in were terrorized. Rocks were thrown through windows and schoolhouses set to fire. By grown men!
During the second half of the 19th century, strong women came forth to circulate petitions, give speeches and publish newspapers to rally women(and forward thinking men) to rise up and demand equal rights.
The biggest issue, and one that stretched on for decades, was for women to acquire the right to vote. Some of the pioneers in this effort were Susan B. Anthony, Sojourner Truth, Lucy Stone, and Lucretia Mott. Later in the century, Alice Paul emerged as the leader that took up the cause, giving her life to the victory which was won in 1919 and put into federal law in 1920. Similar activities were happening in the UK, which was arguably a more violent movement. The extent of the drama in the US was that the women who were arrested for chaining themselves to the gates of the White House were imprisoned and while there went on hunger strikes until released.
Since then the push has been for the passing of equal rights amendment, which was first introduced in 1923 by Alice Paul. It was then again introduced in 1976 and since then has been ratified by 37 states. That’s only 1 short! Only one more state has to ratify it and then it can become an official amendment.
This is a very exciting time. Which state is going to go down in history as the one that finally got us there? Virginia, Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina or Utah?
Until then, let’s make every day Women’s Equality Day and celebrate how far we’ve come without the amendment. Someday soon we’ll make it official!