Timeline Description: The women's suffrage movement began long before it was won. Women wanted the same rights as men, and they fought long and hard before they got them. This timeline shows those events.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 1838 | School suffrage is granted to women Schools in Kentucky allowed women who were widows to vote in school board elections in place of their husbands. |
| 1848 | A meeting to discuss women's rights Several prominent women in New York met at a local church to discuss women's rights. The meeting went on for two days. |
| July 1848 | The Declaration of Sentiments Three hundred people attended the meeting on women's rights that brought about the Declaration of Sentiments. It was a demand that women be given equal rights as men, including the right to vote. |
| 1850 | The first women's rights convention The first convention for women's rights was held in Massachusetts. Around 1000 people attended. |
| 1861 | More states adopt the school suffrage practice Kansas followed Kentucky's example and adopted the school suffrage practice of letting widows vote in school board elections. Other states soon followed. |
| 1870 | Wyoming becomes the first state to allow women to vote With the granting of their territorial status Wyoming became the first state to allow women to vote in local elections. |
| 1871 | Women's right to vote is argued A woman named Victoria Woodhull went before the House Judiciary Committee to argue that women had a right to vote. She ran for president herself in 1872. |
| 1872 | Susan B. Anthony is arrested Susan B. Anthony voted in November's election, along with 15 other women. She was arrested because women weren't allowed to vote. |
| 1887 | The women's suffrage movement is taken to the Senate After many years of hard work, the women's suffragists finally got their plea before the Senate. Their issue was voted down 34 to 16. |
| 1890 | The National American Woman Suffrage Association Two groups, the American Woman Suffrage Association and the National Woman Suffrage Association, decided to merge, creating the NAWSA. |
| 1896 | Utah joins Wyoming in allowing women's rights Utah became the second state to grant women full suffrage. |
| 1910 | A parade for women's suffrage A parade was held in New York to bring awareness about women's rights. |
| 1917 | The first woman in the House of Representatives After many years of fighting, several states began making amendments to their state constitutions on behalf of women. Jeannette Rankin of Montana became the first woman in the House of Representatives. |
| 1918 | The President gets behind women's suffrage President Wilson publically stated that he supported women's equal rights. |
| 1920 | The 19th Amendment is enacted Women were finally given the right to vote after the 19th Amendment was passed and signed. They won by a narrow margin of only two votes. |