Book Review: Women’s Suffrage and Women’s Rights
The book Suffrage: Women’s Suffrage and Women’s Rights by Ellen Carol DuBois illustrates the women’s rights and sufferings in the earlier centuries. Unlike men, women were neither allowed to vote nor participate in any political and legal issues in the United States. The whole situation led to the creation of the Women Suffrage Movement which fortunately led to the 19th amendment after a long battle for women’s rights.
In the first chapter of her book; The Last Suffragist, Ellen clearly explains the professional and political reasons why she wrote her article. Moreover, she talks of the condemnations from other historians towards her novel. Also, shielding their political purposes, an appeal to objectivity, conservative forces charged historians with an agenda that taught students to disrespect their government (DuBois, p. 19). Political alterations impacted the author’s writing as she wrote of modern feminism.
In the second, third, and fourth chapters, Ellen focuses on the women’s right to vote. Women were considered as wives and mothers, thus not allowed to carry out any legal issues like men. However, developing suffragists which consisted of both men and women fought for the 19th amendment in the United States constitution, therefore women had a right to perform political activities including vying for positions in the government as the men. In the sexual sphere, the Garrisonian women accepted the sustainability of women to domestic activities, not recognizing the division of labor within the home (DuBois, p. 61). Women were also discriminated against within the culture and did more chores due to the belief that they were meant to be wives and mothers, not leaders. The Garrisonians disregarded women and also opposed the suffrage issue.
The fifth and tenth chapters entail the 19th century Women Suffrage Movement and the working-class women. Ellen’s object was to fix the Women Suffrage Movement in its historical context so its reformism could be appreciated and failures understood (DuBois, p. 69). Ellen explains the history of the Women Suffrage Movement including the reasons behind the creation of the movement. Moreover, she talks of the different classes of women suffragists and focuses on Harriot Stanton Blatch, daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton who bridged the split between these classes.
In the sixth and seventh chapters, DuBois explains how the fourteenth and fifteenth amendments on woman suffrage helped the women in winning the vote under the citizenship clause in the fourteenth amendment. Also, chapter eight contains the dangers of the feminism movement, where female reformers criticized prostitution and try to force innocence among both men and women. DuBois is focused on history and addresses modern issues more historically. Chapter nine is more about Elizabeth Cady Stanton, who was deeply concerned with female rights. Elizabeth went to the point of condemning Christianity because of how they maltreated women. In the last chapters, chapters eleven and twelve, Ellen talks of the history of writings on woman suffrage. DuBois talks of the need to maintain women’s writings to enable people to learn about women and how to respect females. Ellen’s historical mentor is Eleanor Flexner who wrote a seminal about women suffrage.
Ellen explains the meaning and development of women’s rights and feminism in the United States. Women’s rights are fully explained in the last chapter and Ellen uses the example of Mary Wollstonecraft in the eighteenth century. In that century, married women could not own any property not only in America but also in other nations. DuBois condemns abortion and refers to it as a potent revolt for women’s rebel against marital dependence and female subordination (DuBois, p. 294). Ellen criticizes individuals who think that women are men’s possession and calls for the leaders and citizens of the United States and other states to continue with the fight for women’s rights.
Throughout the book, Ellen is mostly talking about Elizabeth Cady Stanton even though she includes other female suffragists like Eleanor Flexner and Harriot. Besides, Ellen considers herself the fictive daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton (DuBois, p. 16). DuBois talks of women’s suffrage in detail not leaving behind the women’s rights. Moreover, she explains the history of the women’s suffrage movement and the fight for women’s rights in America. Ellen includes the women who supported the women’s rights in every way, like through writings or the movement.
However, Ellen focuses on women’s rights too much in her book, leaving behind the weak and oppressed who were also not allowed to vote or engage in some national activities in the earlier centuries in the United States. Also, she does not talk of the final moments of the fight against women’s suffrage, including the ratification of the 19th amendment in the American constitution which gave the women a right to vote. Ellen omits the southern women in almost all parts of her writing since her focus is entirely on the Northern side. Finally, Ellen does not mention much about other suffragists apart from Elizabeth, Eleanor, and Harriot.
From the discussion, Ellen DuBois’s book contains a lot on inspirational knowledge setting aside the omitted parts. Besides, readers and other writers can learn about the women’s suffrage issue and women’s rights. Lastly, young scholars can get adequate information about the history of women’s suffrage and rights.
Work Cited
DuBois, Ellen Carol. Women’s suffrage and women’s rights. NYU Press, 1998, 19(2), 1-325. Retrieved from https://books.google.co.ke/books/hGcVCgAAQBAJ&