By Leonard Agrusti

Women had a huge influence on laws that were being made even before they had the right to vote. Many organizations were formed by women to get laws passed and these events lead to the suffrage and women receiving the right to vote.

Women fought for change in America since the country was founded

After the civil war women helped improve prisons, end slavery, and reduce drunkenness

Later on it would be primarily women’s groups that would have the prohibition act passed

An entire amendment to the consitiution was added by a group of people who did not have the right to vote.

Early American women lived lives much like European women of the time. They were legally and socially subservient to men, with

no real voice in politics. Although the lower class women who worked were much

more on the same level as the men but still had no voice and were still considered lower.

Women could not own property & were expected to marry and have children above all else And when married their husbands took control over

anything and everything a woman might own or could own. This made it impossible for women to vote in any way of the

word because early America’s definition of voting was based on whether or not you owned propertey.

Women’s number one job to early America was raising children

This meant male children too who would gain the right to vote

And being raised by someone and spending your early years with someone you can easily pick up their ideas and be influenced by them.

Also their husbands

It’s amazing how much influence a person has on your ideas & thought processes when you see them everyday.

Prohibition was passed before the suffrage

In fact the amendment that separates prohibition and the amendment that repeals prohibition is the amendment that gives women the right to vote.

So how did and entire group of people with no ability to vote get an amendment passed?

Women’s status in America as mothers and wives made them appear as care takers

Women would lead groups and make presentations discussing the influence of alcohol on America

They told stories of how men would seek comfort in alcohol to deal with the harsh conditions of the working class life style And often leave their wives and children poor and

hungry because they either never came home from bars or spent all the money on booze.

The groups that lead to prohibition after the amendment would later go on to form groups of women who wanted the right to vote

Prohibition organized women and helped implant the idea of gaining the right to vote in all women. Prohibition was something that many women could

easily get behind because they were either raised, married to or affected in some way by alcoholics.

Once these groups of women had the numbers gained by prohibition it wasn’t to difficult to keep those numbers towards suffrage. Especially when they realize that the difficulty they had

with passing prohibition would have been a lot faster and easier had they had the right to vote.

Even after prohibition the fight was not over, even against alcohol

Women realized their position was a dangerous one to themselves and their families. Women being subordinate to men was dangerous to them

and families.

If a man was a wife beater, dangerous to the family or simply unsupportive at all, women had no way to help that.

The suffrage would help them earn the right to divorce, keep property from unfit men and keep the children from bad fathers.

Women would fight for many things with the right to vote

The control of alchohal, even after prohibition laws in place that would prevent the streets from being filled with drunkards

The end of slavery The idea of women not being treated as property raised the

question of why any human should be treated as property

Better conditions in America all around Although most focus on men fighting towards better working

conditions, women were involved also, because women worked in factories as much as men and in certain factorys it was all women. Also the idea of their children working in such conditions was

appalling as well

Women have had a tremendous affect on our country with or without the right to vote

Even with out the right to vote they had an amendment to the constitution passed

Then getting themselves the right to vote

Also gaining the ability to have as much control over their lives as men did

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