Why It MattersThe idea of reform–the drive to improve society and the lives of Americans–grew during the mid-1800s. Reformers set outto improve the lives of the disadvantaged, especially enslaved people and the urban poor.

The Impact TodayThe spirit of reform is alive and well in the modern world. Individual freedom became a key goal during the last half of the twentieth century. Civil rights movements have advanced racial equality. In many countries the women’s movement has altered traditional female roles and opportunities.

Chapter Objectives

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• Examine how the antislavery and the women’s rights movements were related.

• Evaluate what progress women made toward equality during the 1800s.

Section 3: The Women’s Movement

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Women and Reform• Women abolitionists were the first to also

campaign for women’s rights, to improve women’s lives, and win equal rights.

(pages 425–427)(pages 425–427)

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• The first women’s rights convention took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in July 1848.

• It issued a Declaration of Sentiments and Resolutions that called for the following:

Women and Reform (cont.)

(pages 425–427)(pages 425–427)

- an end to all laws that discriminated against women

- entrance into the all-male worlds of trade, professions, and business

- suffrage, or the right to vote

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• The women’s rights movement grew.

• Women held conventions.

• Many reformers, including men, joined the movement.

• Beginning in 1890 with Wyoming but not ending until 1920, woman suffrage finally became legal everywhere in the United States.

Women and Reform (cont.)

(pages 425–427)(pages 425–427)

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• Women did not have advanced institutions that they could attend, so they were prevented from becoming doctors, lawyers, and other professionals.

• Before the 1830s, no university or college would accept women.

• The belief was that women should not have advanced education and that it was useless and even dangerous for women to learn such subjects as mathematics.

Progress by American Women (cont.)

(pages 427–428)(pages 427–428)

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• Women made some gains in marriage and property laws in New York, Pennsylvania, Indiana, Wisconsin, Mississippi, and California.

• Some states passed laws permitting women to share guardianship of their children with their husbands.

• Indiana was the first state to allow divorce to a woman if her husband was alcoholic.

Progress by American Women (cont.)

(pages 427–428)(pages 427–428)

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• Some women were able to break into the fields of medicine and the ministry or other previously all-male professions.

• Progress was limited, however, by social customs and expectations.

Progress by American Women (cont.)

(pages 427–428)(pages 427–428)

Explore online information about the topics introduced in this chapter.

Click on the Connect button to launch your browser and go to The American Republic to 1877 Web site. At this site, you will find interactive activities, current events information, and Web sites correlated with the chapters and units in the textbook. When you finish exploring, exit the browser program to return to this presentation. If you experience difficulty connecting to the Web site, manually launch your Web browser and go to http://tarvol1.glencoe.com