The American Legal System Women s Suffrage Movement

In this essay I will address and examine the various historical steps in the American legal system that contributed to the momentous women’s suffrage movements in the 1960s and 70s that allowed women to become sui juris citizens in their own right. Despite its failure to acquire the necessary support from three-fourths of the state legislatures, the passing of the Equal Rights Amendment by Congress in 1972 served as a clear marker of progress and liberation for women’s rights in America. It wasn’t until the turn of the late 20th century, however, that women were allotted anywhere near the same rights as their male counterparts, largely due to the fact that the American legal system embraced coverture. Under coverture, a married woman’s political and legal identity was subsumed under her husband, stripping her of being able to live as a fully enfranchised citizen. Politically speaking, American women had endured a long tradition of being treated as subordin ate class citizens, spanning from the early revolutionary era up to the late 20th century. Encouraging women to attend college and pursue careers simply wasn’t in the scope or agenda of mainstream American society. By and large, women were viewed as housekeepers and child bearers, all the while battling to attain enfranchisement throughout the twentieth century. Prior to the 20th century, the majority of women were expected to perform arduous obligations around the home – the principal and by far most strenuousShow MoreRelatedWomen s Rights During The Civil War1628 Words   |  7 PagesWomen Getting the Right to Vote â€Å"While the word suffrage, derived from the Latin â€Å"Suffragium,† simply refers to the right to vote, the modern connotation specifically calls to mind the women’s suffrage movements of the nineteenth and twentieth centuries. 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