Voting & Status

Pre-Questions

Before studying the documents below, express your own personal feelings

1. What are the social expectations for women in the United States today?

Analyze the following documents

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Quote

"If God has assigned a sphere to man and one to woman, we claim the right ourselves to judge His design in reference to us...We think that a man has quite enough to do to find out his own individual calling, without being taxed to find out also where every woman belongs."

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Rose Schneiderman Quote

"Women were working in the foundries, stripped to the waist because of the heat, but he said nothing about their losing their charm. Nor had he mentioned the women in laundries who stood for thirteen and fourteen hours a day in terrible heat and steam with their hands in hot starch. I asked him if he thought they would lose more of their beauty and charm by putting a ballot in the ballot box than standing around all day in foundries or laundries."

Garment industry Rose Schneiderman on her conversation with a New York State senators opposed to suffrage

Old Gents (political cartoon)

1. What were the gender expectations for men and women in the 19th and early 20th centuries?
2. What were the negative implications that were applied to supporters of the women's movement?
3. How have traditional gender expectations permeated contemporary America?
4. How have gender roles changed in recent history?

Answer the central questions, please be specific.

• If a woman votes does it make her more or less a woman?