First Wave Feminism

It isn't easy to imagine now that there was once a time when American women could not vote or own property. This is the world in which First Wave Feminism emerged. Women in the early nineteenth century suffered under laws of coverture that gave husbands complete control over their wives, to the point that even a woman's body was her husband's property. The anti-slavery movement inspired women to demand rights for themselves under the law, and the women's rights movement began.

First Wave Feminism Definition

First Wave Feminism is the women's rights movement that occurred from the early nineteenth to early twentieth centuries. Feminism is an ideology that women should no longer be relegated to a domestic sphere where they are entirely subjected by their husbands nor treated as second-class citizens by society. To achieve this ideal, women turned to activism in the public sphere to secure the passage of laws that would expand women's rights. The two significant events that bookend feminism's first wave are the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 and the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment granting women the right to vote in 1920.

First Wave Feminism Goals

Feminism's first wave focused on convincing women that they had a right and a duty to play active societal roles outside the household. Activists organized to create change that would grant them equal liberties to men, such as the right to vote and the right to own property. They also raised awareness of domestic violence by advocating for the prohibition of alcohol in the temperance movement.

First Wave Feminism Timeline

Women were a vital part of the abolitionist movement in the early nineteenth century. However, they received criticism for speaking in public against slavery because it was against the norm for women to have any engagement with the public sphere. This criticism caused women to question their place in society and demand the right to inclusion in public debate.

Women in Higher Education (1836-7)

Women's colleges also appeared during this period to address the demand from women for higher education opportunities in areas that did not yet allow coeducational programs. The first women's college was Wesleyan College in Georgia.

• in 1848 Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Quaker progressive Lucretia Mott, and three other progressive Quaker women discussed their anger with the lack of women's rights in the US
• These women organized a convention at the Wesleyan Chapel in Seneca Falls on July 19th and 20th, 1848
• Approximately 300 women and men attended the meeting
• The Convention started a wave of women's conventions, including the annual National Women's Rights Convention from 1850 to 1869

The Declaration of Sentiments

Stanton, Mott, and the other Quaker women drafted and presented a Declaration of Sentiments at the Seneca Falls Convention.

The Declaration of Sentiments included:

• the failure of the law to recognize married women as individuals
• the lack of women's right to vote
• no female representation in government and lawmaking decisions
• the barring of women from professional careers in fields such as medicine or law

One hundred of the three hundred attendees of the Convention signed the Declaration.

Fig. 2- The Declaration of Sentiments

Women's Christian Temperance Union (1874)

The prohibition of alcohol was a cause that inspired many women to enter the public sphere as activists. In 1874, a group of women dedicated to a world that was pure and sober founded the Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU).

The WCTU was the first organization to raise awareness of domestic violence because temperance leaders argued that alcohol caused husbands to beat their wives. It was the largest women's organization in the world in 1890.

In addition to campaigning against alcohol, WCTU members also advocated for women's rights in the context of social reform. They fought for women's suffrage to gain a voice in politics and to raise the age of consent for sexual activity to curb the exploitation of young women workers. WCTU activists also joined protests to establish living wages for workers and improve workplace conditions.

National American Woman Suffrage Association (est. 1890)

In 1890 the Democratic and Republican suffrage organizations merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). The group was dedicated to securing the right to vote for women across the country, state by state. Under its first president, Susan B. Anthony, NAWSA helped secure women's voting rights in Wyoming (1890), Colorado (1893), Idaho (1896), and Utah (1896). However, after these initial victories, the momentum stalled under fierce counterprotests from groups who felt women's votes would either mirror or cancel out those of their husbands, bringing forth an age of "petticoat rule."

Woman Suffrage Procession (1913)

The Woman Suffrage Procession, organized by NAWSA members Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, occurred in Washington, D.C., the day before President Wilson's inauguration. Its purpose was to protest against political organizations that excluded women. Between 5,000 to 10,000 people participated in the march. The procession had bands, floats, chariots, and mounted brigades. An allegorical play also took place during the procession on the Treasury Building steps, with actors portraying instances of patriotism and civic pride.

Fig. 3 - The Woman Suffrage Procession

The Nineteenth Amendment (1920)

The Woman Suffrage Procession and other efforts led by NAWSA and the National Woman's Party, such as hunger strikes, marches, and demonstrations, helped sway public opinion in favor of women's right to vote. This change in public opinion convinced President Wilson to support an amendment to the United States Constitution granting women's right to vote. Congress voted on such an amendment five times from January 1918 to May 1919, when it finally passed the House of Representatives and, shortly after, the Senate.

The passed amendment then went to the states for ratification. Wisconsin was the first state to ratify, followed closely by Illinois. However, many states opposed the amendment on the basis of race because it would grant voting rights to African American women. Finally, Tennessee became the 36th state to ratify on August 18, 1920, after intense lobbying on both the pro-suffrage and anti-suffrage sides. The Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was signed into law shortly after.

First Wave Feminism Leaders

First Wave feminism stretched over seventy years. Multiple generations of women fought for their rights to vote and have a voice in the public sphere. Notable leaders include, but are in no way limited to, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Ida B. Wells, France Willard, and Alice Paul.

Fig. 4- Susan B. Anthony

Fig. 5- Alice Paul

First Wave Feminism vs Second Wave

Even though 1920 is typically considered the end of Feminism's First Wave, women's rights activists did not stop working after winning the vote. Alice Paul drafted an Equal Right Amendment in 1923 that would grant full equality for men and women under the law. This is the same amendment that would later form a centerpiece of the activism during the Second Wave of Feminism.

In many ways, the Second Wave is a continuation of the efforts for women's rights introduced in the First Wave. While women won the right to vote during the First Wave, they still did not have equality in the workplace. The Second Wave reintroduced arguments regarding women's right to participate in the public sphere and have a life outside the home. Both waves fought for equal pay and women's representation in politics. Women's rights activists are still fighting for equality for women, and United States feminism is currently in its fourth wave.