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Women’s Suffrage. Suffrage = the right to vote Women first asked for the right to vote in 1848 at the Seneca Falls (NY) convention and fought hard to end slavery in the years before the Civil War.
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Women’s Suffrage • Suffrage = the right to vote • Women first asked for the right to vote in 1848 at the Seneca Falls (NY) convention and fought hard to end slavery in the years before the Civil War. • Short history: Susan B Anthony led the fight to get a constitutional amendment allowing women to vote • Lucy Stone led the fight to convince each state to allow women to vote • By 1890 the NWSA (National Women’s Suffrage association was formed.
Fighting for the right to vote • The progressive movement supported the women fighting for the right to vote. • Middle-class women realized that being able to vote would help get reforms laws passed. • Suffragettes marched and protested, and even chained themselves to lampposts. • Many were arrested and some went on hunger strikes.
Victory for women • In 1915 Carrie Chapman Catt led the NWSA • They supported Woodrow Wilson in the 1916 election. • More states began to give women the right to vote. • Congress voted on an amendment and finally passed it in 1919. It was ratified by the states in Aug. 1920 • SO…. The 19th Amendment gave women the right to vote! YAY!
Child Labor • Progressives gathered info about children working in mines and factories • John Spargo wrote a book The Bitter Cry of the Children about child labor in mines • Some 9 and 10 year olds worked 10 hours a day separating coal and slag – for 6 cents an hour. • Most states then passed laws about minimum ages and maximum hours for children.
Health and Safety Codes • Problems: workers injured on the job didn’t receive any pay or medical help. • Families of workers killed on the job received little or no compensation. • Progressive and Unions fought together to change this • Eventually laws were passed in many states regarding hours and equipment safety.
Zoning and building codes • Problem: companies could build factories anywhere and didn’t have to follow any rules while building. • Progressives fought for zoning regulations and building and fire codes. • New factories could only be built in commercial areas. • Buildings had to meet standards for air flow, light, and fire escapes.
Prohibition • Problem: Abuse of alcohol led to many other problems: child abuse and neglect, poverty, and disease. • The TEMPERANCE movement urged people to stop or cut back on consumption of alcohol. • Prohibition refers to laws outlawing the sale and consumption of alcohol • Progressives generally supported Temperance organizations.
Progressives fight big business • Progressives supported the Sherman Anti-trust law and the Interstate Commerce Act. • They felt big business should be made to follow some basic rules in order to protect everyone. • Some progressives supported Socialism (where the govt. owns many big businesses, like utility CO.s) • But most just wanted to regulate businesses in the system we had.