Suffrage: Women’s Long Battle for the Vote

The battle for women’s right to vote spanned a period longer than wars fought by the infant United States. 1848 marked the inception of the movement with the Seneca Falls convention. Yet, a lot was unknown about the progress of the movement from post-Civil War to 1920. Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott helmed the nascent organization. A vote for women meant an equal say in government. Stanton hailed from a wealthy background but was drawn to right injustices and was influenced by early abolitionists. Women’s role in society in the US was viewed as subservient to men, forbidden to own property, even after the death of their spouse. Stanton would be joined by influential voices like Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone, reformers through and through. The movement plotted a course for progress, but would be sidetracked by the Civil War, intransigent pols, and divisive infighting. The clarion call would never fade, however, as a strong and determined presence never left the fight.

Ellen Carol Dubois pens a powerful and evocative biography of an important civil rights movement. The various personas that come and go each make their presence known in the movement, some good, some not. The author frames the narrative with empathy, but never feeling one-sided. This book is catnip for the history buff, a bright shining read.