In the middle of the XIX century, women, who were considered inferior beings throughout the history, began to win from men their legal rights and opportunities. Europeans, who immigrated to North America in XVII and XVIII centuries, believed that women are less intellectually developed, than men, and, accordingly, they can not participate in many aspects of social life equally with men. This opinion was particularly clearly expressed in matters of religion, in women's limited access to education and professional careers, in public meetings that dictated norms of conduct of women, in exclusion of women from political life and in the absence of equal protection of the law. Taking into the account the fact that many of the colonists, who had fled to the New World in search of refuge from ecclesiastical penalties, believed in the equality of souls, their religious beliefs, however, brings the woman a minor role. Eventually, women achieved suffrage, but this success was only a first step on the path of a new struggle. Thus, in the body of this paper we are going to discuss women's rights movement beginning from the period of its creation and ending with present days.
Looking at the historical aspect of the observed issue we see that women held very different positions in various cultures and civilizations of the past. In one types of cultures they were nothing more than the property of their fathers and husbands, while in others they have enjoyed significant freedom and their rights were protected by law; but even then, men have had much more rights and considered that their status was more valuable in the society.
Thinking about the work of women-colonists we see that they were imposed with a huge responsibility, while working at home, cooking, making cloth, caring for children or making all work around, and, in fact, being a slave; because women's access to education was closed and laws of society, involving the various rights of women and men, forbad them, for example, to speak at a meeting or to travel unaccompanied by men. Moreover, the canons of political and legal systems of the new nation were deprived of women's political rights, including the right to vote. Most of the legal system of the republic was based on the law of England, where women's rights were restricted by law. Unmarried women and widows had the right to own property, but as soon as woman has married, she advanced to 'social death', when a woman was deprived of property rights and any legal freedoms in separation of her husband. Despite this, American women have always fought for their participation in all aspects of society. In many Native American communities, women played a significant role in the economic, social and religious life, having also a certain influence and independence in politics.
Exploring historical facts it is obvious that the first strong demand to equalize women's equality with men was made only at the end of XVIII century, when the increased wealth and general social progress gave some women a chance to get education. Women-reformers and even supporters of the stronger sex more and more began to be convinced that the right to vote - 'suffrage' - is a paramount right and it could be considered a key to further progress.
Fierce fighting was in full swing when the World War I broke out. Most suffragettes immediately cease their campaign, and women played an important role in strengthening the defense of their country, replacing at the work men who had gone to the front. Their obvious professional skills had overwhelmed many arguments against the political equality and the British government granted women a suffrage for the purpose of to prevent the resumption of their suffrage campaign. The United States and many other countries followed the example of England. The rapid development of labor markets in the service sector, education and office work had began over time and opened women's access to new skills. But, for a great regret, they were still paid less than men and many traditionally male professions were closed to them, moreover, their participation in higher echelons of politics and business continued to be negligible.
It is necessary to mention that exactly at the First World convention against slavery two future founders of the women's rights movement - Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott were determined to be active after undergone significant gender discrimination during the conference.
Alonso stated that "the women's rights movement truly blossomed in 1848 with the Seneca Falls Convention. The Seneca Falls Convention took place on July 19 and 20, 1848, at the Wesleyan Methodist Church in Seneca Falls. At the meeting, Elizabeth Cady Stanton introduced the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments. This document was a statement of the rights that the participants at the convention, which included approximately 260 women and 40 men, among them runaway slave and abolitionist Frederick Douglass, felt to which women were entitled" (Alonso, 1993). The U.S. Declaration of Independence was adopted as the basis of the document mentioned above, and Elizabeth Stanton asserted that 'all men and women were created equal', and put forward to men 18 charges - exactly the same number of charges American colonists put forward to George III many years ago. As expected, the conference did not cause approval of the society and the press. Frederick Douglass, the famous abolitionist, suffragist, speaker and social activist, a former slave, wrote in the "North Star" that the debate about animal rights would caused more friendly responses of those who are considered to be wise and benefactor to our country, rather than a discussion about women's rights. McGleon & O'Connor said that "Every right that Stanton sought for women received unanimous approval from the conventioneers except for granting women the right to vote. Many women, including Lucretia Mott, feared that critics would denounce the Declaration of Rights and Sentiments as being too radical if the document called for women to receive the right to vote." (McGleon & O'Connor, 1998). Despite the inconvenience caused by the indignation of the public, Stanton remained faithful to her activity. She was glad even to distorted attention of the press, when the New York Herald had published full text of the Declaration of Sentiments into the mockery. Stanton also mentioned that this would make women and men to think about existed problem, and when men and women think about a new issue - it is a step toward progress.
After the Civil War, which for a time suspended suffrage movement activists were divided on the question of association with the campaign for the provision of former slaves voting rights. Elizabeth Stanton, Lucretia Mott, Lucy Stone and Susan B. Anthony fought for the adoption of constitutional amendments that would help to achieve the adoption of their rights both to women and Afro-Americans. American Equal Rights Association was founded in 1866; and Lucretia Mot was elected as its chairman. Then Stanton and Anthony broke with the American Equal Rights Association, when it adopted 14th and 15th constitutional amendments that expand the rights of black men, not including the relevant paragraphs on the rights of women, and created a National Woman Suffrage Association, which was opposed to 15th amendment and accepted into its ranks only women. The other splinter group that went strong on the 15th amendment and considered it a necessary step to expand voting rights was the American Woman Suffrage Association.
Continuing our discussion and analyzing different documents we see that women's clubs, which begun to pay great attention to women's rights since the end of 1860 have joined to national organizations a little bit later. Members of the Women's Christian Temperance Union have also entered into a struggle for suffragettism. Moreover, two rival organizations were united into the National American Woman Suffrage Association under the leadership of Carrie Chapman Catt, and Anna Howard Shaw in 1980. Researchers declared that the association mentioned above preserved its unity and was rather active in its propaganda of suffragettism since 1900 to 1920, excluding the case of Alice Paul, who formed a radical Congressional Union. Describing the activity of Alice Paul with more details Winston & others wrote that "In an attempt to rally national support for the Anthony Amendment, Alice Paul organized a huge parade down Pennsylvania Avenue on the day before President Woodrow Wilson's first inauguration. But the peaceful parade degenerated into a riot when thousands of hostile male spectators broke into the ranks of the marchers and tried to block their passage. Essentially, the women had to fight their way down Pennsylvania Avenue, with the help of men who supported the women's suffrage movement. Troops had to be called in to restore order, and hundreds of people were hospitalized." (Winston & others, 1994). Members of the union, established in 1913, have organized pickets, hunger strikes and other extreme forms of disobedience in their attempts to get an amendment equalizing men's and women's rights. In a result of their actions Paul and her supporters were expelled from the National Association, but they have attracted the attention of the public to women's rights using their methods of fighting and also put the issue women's rights at the center of the agenda.
As it was previously mentioned the active participation of women in the nation's war also helped them to win support for a very necessary for them constitutional amendment enfranchising women. According to McMillan "By a vote of 274 to 136 the amendment was passed by the House on 10 January 1918. On 4 June 1918, it was passed in the Senate by a vote of 66 to 30. On 18 August 1920 Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the amendment, and it officially became part of the U.S. Constitution on 26 August 1920, as the Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution." (McMillan, 2008).
Awareness of the hard-won struggle, however, did not end suffragettism movement. Reformers of the Congressional Union have founded the National Women's Party, which promotes the laws of full equality between men and women. The National American Woman Suffrage Association became the League of Women Voters, which worked on the education of voters in political aspects, while not adhering to any of the parties. The movement that lost its power in 30s, gained momentum in the 1960s again, when the struggle for women's economic and social equality has become the part of an unfolding civil rights movement.
The previous description of historical aspect of the woman's struggle for their rights proved us that their battle was only in the point of its beginning. Being short it is possible to say that the other wave of woman's rights movement was formed in the U.S. in the middle of 60s. It has found followers in Europe, and has been generally termed 'feminism'. This movement attracted public attention not only to issues of equality, but also to such previously concealed problems as sexual violence against women and abortion. Feminists have managed to achieve a series of favorable laws for women, especially in the area of equal opportunities and equal payment. However, it was not easy to hold them in life, despite the creation of special government agencies. By the early 90s the popular feminist's writers have managed to do much in their attempts to change the established views of society, but, supposedly, it is still far to complete victory.
Meanwhile, in many countries women are still deprived of basic rights, sometimes woman even has no right to choose her husband. Culture and religion, remembering postulates of the Catholic Church and Islamic fundamentalism, also greatly complicate the situation. Thus, it is obvious that the 'woman's question' has not resolved yet.
Thus, taking into consideration the above stated information it is possible to say that we have discussed women's rights movement and it is also possible to mention that the current stage of development of American historiography is characterized by broad concerns of research, and by implementation of a big variety of scientific approaches, but it is also necessary to continue different researches to better understand what the women's rights movement in the U.S. really was.
