Reform Movements of the 19th Century

Reform Movements of the 19th Century

Women’s Rights Movement: Technically started in 1848 with the convention at Seneca Falls, NY. At first, it was oppressed by the abolitionist movement, and many women were involved in helping slaves win their freedom and the right to vote. They then realized that they should receive those same rights and it started back up again. In the end, the right for women to vote was finally achieved in 1920 by the 19th Amendment. Some of the prominent leaders in the Women’s Rights movement were Susan B. Anthony, who organized the first women’s temperance movement called Daughters of Temperance, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who co-founded the National Women’s Suffrage Association with Anthony and pushed for a suffrage clause and the right for women to vote.
Prohibition: Period of time starting in 1919 where the manufacture, sale, and consumption of alcohol were prohibited by the 18th Amendment. Many citizens broke the law and found loopholes to get alcohol. Bootleggers were people who smuggled alcohol ironically in their boots. Speakeasies were also very common, and looked like regular storefronts but had a secret bar in the back run by gangsters. Many people started an anti-temperance movement, saying that the consumption of alcohol was not an issue that should be dealt with by the Constitution. Also, the Stock Market Crash of 1929 and the beginning of the Great Depression made people realize that making alcohol legal again would create jobs and additional sales taxes for the government. This led to the repeal of the 18th Amendment by the 21st Amendment in 1933.
Education: After the Civil War, education went from being completely private to being open to the public. The public thought better educated people would help the government run better and overall help society by lowering crime and poverty, and creating common bonds between people. It was also used to “Americanize” immigrants and get rid of their old cultures. Compulsory attendance policies were established....

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