American History

Though the American constitution has over the years recognized the equality of all men on the presumption that they are born free and equal, injustices have over the years been meted out against minority groups. The patriarchal nature of the American society has been a cause for concern amongst sociologists and historians who have examined how throughout history the society has alienated and subjugated women into second class citizens. A look at the history reveals that the situation for women was not any different they were denied basic civil and political rights and were only granted suffrage at the beginning of the 20th century after concerted activism and struggle.

The story of the disadvantages and the systemic injustices meted out against women in Arkansas is similar to the story in the rest of the states. Women had been treated as men s subjects since the colonial era and before. Indeed, the general notion was that women were ranked second after white men and closely followed by slaves. In the antebellum era, women in Arkansas were not considered legally fit to own property independently especially within the marriage institution. Though women could manage family property, any possession they owned before marriage was transferred to their husbands. The numerous attempts to change this failed miserably in the male-dominated legislature. It took years before this right could be recognized. The earlier futile attempts had been rejected by the highly patriarchal legislature led by the then Archibald Yell on an excuse that it would destroy the family unit. Towards the mid of the 19th century, Arkansas would become the first state in America to legislate on women s property rights. The Arkansas Married Woman s Property Law was enacted in 1846 granting women rights to own property and have it registered as theirs in the local courthouse. This law was driven by the need to protect women s properties against being used to cover their husband s debts.

An analysis of the disadvantages faced by women in Arkansas has to recognize the multiracial nature of the society. Indeed, Arkansas was like most southern states during the age of slavery. This meant that women depending on their race were accorded varied privileges with the most favored being the whites followed by the Indians with African Americans being the lowest in the cadre. While white women enjoyed the freedom that came with their status in the society despite the many deprivations, blacks were on the receiving end whether free or enslaved. Under the Arkansas law, African Americans had no place in the society and they could only exist as slaves.

As time progressed and as liberalism began creeping in, the role of women in the society and their political participation changed considerably. The Civil War for example brought mixed fortunes to women as their activism level rose and they began pushing for recognition in the various fronts. The Civil War era has been described by scholars as the most tumultuous period in the history of the United States with the nation on the brink of crumbling. It can only be recognized as a short stint of time when the south and the north were engaged in a perpetual tug of war over state rights. With the men away fighting for their cause, women would be directly affected as they had to step in their husbands roles and take care of their families. Indeed the devastation faced by women and how these tribulations brought forth changed womenfolk during the war has been recorded. In addition to being left to fend for themselves and to nurse the wounded, women in Arkansas had an extra burden of coming to terms with the brutality meted out against their families by the bushwhackers and the jayhawkers as the unions and the confederates were referred to (Murdoch 1987). African American women, despite the emancipation proclamation still continued living in bondage while others were moved by their masters to the neighboring states. Summarily, the Civil War brought with it immense social changes as well as destruction. However, what remains notable is the fact that it brought the plight of women into the limelight. Having played a major role in the war and having been caught up in the flare between the North and the South and being active witnesses, women became more emboldened and began voicing their concerns.

Without a doubt, evidence of Arkansas women gaining a foothold and recognition as key force in the society could be seen in the reconstruction and the progressive era. It is during these two eras that women would start demanding civil and political rights. For the African American women, the immediate post Civil War era brought them more opportunities that extended to their families and marriages. They began working in their own farms and venturing into education. It is this era that gave rise to a number of influential African Americans such as charlotte Stephens, the first African American teacher in Arkansas. Others began forming women groups that started as welfare groups but later would play a role in black activism. It has to be observed that, despite the changes that were happening in the society, and the seemingly new role taken up by women, politics was still a men-dominated affair. Women could not vote and neither could they hold any political positions. The closer that women could get to politics was by supporting fraternal organizations that their husbands were members of.  They could also become members of apolitical groups and organizations such as Grangers. It remained unheard of for women to vie for any political seat or challenge men openly in a public contest.

Towards the end of the century though, due to what historical analysts have concluded to be the effect of the Civil War, an important wave began to creep in nationally there was increased activism for women s suffrage. The road to women s suffrage was paved with insurmountable challenges and was riding against the grain of the ideals of a patriarchal society. Nationally, the agitation for the women s right to vote can be traced to Lydia Chapin during the colonial era. Lydia Chapin was the first woman to be allowed to vote after the death of her husband. During the early part of the 19th century, agitation for women s suffrage was muffled and only a few women could dare raise the issue. The Suffragist Movement in America was an offshoot of the existing rights movements and can only be traced to the Seneca Falls convention of 1848. The debate of slavery and the bitter emotions it evoked would eventually pave way to highlighting the disadvantaged situation that women found themselves in. Despite the numerous gains in the political and democratic front, women were politically and economically dominated by men. The convention was able to attract a click of highly influential women such as Elizabeth Cady Stanton. This movement however only gained a foothold after the Civil War.

In Arkansas, despite the fact that the suffragist movement kicked off nationally in 1848, it took more than 40 years before the mood of reforms in women s rights could creep in. Suffragist movements started off as clubs whose leaders began organizing meetings, campaigns and lectures to sensitize the public and the fellow womenfolk on the need to end the disenfranchisement of women. A look at the situation on the ground indicates that women were given no legal recognition as befitting voting rights. They were excluded from participating on any public vote even in school board meetings. It was hence a laudable effort when in the 1860s widows were allowed to vote in school meetings. This was seen as a major step forward and would be used by suffragette leaders to highlight the importance of women s participating in the state s election process. What remains interesting in the earlier of women suffrage struggles was the lack of unity amongst women in the quest to push for their cause. Despite the issue of women disenfranchisement directly affecting the womenfolk, there appeared cracks when a group of women formed an organization that opposed the suffrage movement maintaining that women s suffrage would go against societal morals and destroy the unity that existed in the society. It is hence crucial to recognize that the agitation for women s suffrage was an uphill task as not only did the suffragists have to convince the legislators but they also had their fellow women to think about.

The first attempts to give women the power to vote in Arkansas was made in 1868 when a proposal to give all literate citizens aged over 21 a right to vote and enjoy political rights and all the privileges that came with such rights. This proposal however was resoundingly defeated. A look at the decades preceding the close of the century indicates that women in Arkansas initiated a determined activism to counter the wave of anti-suffrage that dominated the legislature. They employed the use of publications especially by posting numerous articles in the Arkansas Gazette. Additional attempts made in 1911 to grant equal suffrage to women suffered a blow as the women movement was entangled in a prohibition debate with the liquor industry (Logan 674). The liquor industry found the emergence of Woman s Christian Temperance Union as a threat to liquor business in Arkansas. The WCTU was an organization that had for years pushed for temperance and was guided by the belief that women s suffrage would result to prohibition. It was hence not possible for a suffrage amendment to pass in a house dominated by such emotions.

Nationally, women suffrage began becoming a reality before the close of the 19th century. Wyoming Territory was the first to experiment with this in 1869 when women acquired equal voting rights as men. The 20th century hence brought with it suffrage rights to women in America. Gradually, states in a piecemeal pattern gained suffrage before they eventually pushed for a US constitutional amendment. In Arkansas, women s suffrage was achieved gradually starting with the right to vote in the primary election in 1917. In 1919, Arkansas joined the rest of the states in ratifying the 19th amendment that granted women suffrage bringing to a close a protracted struggle for women to overcome one of the major injustices meted against them for centuries.

Indeed women in Arkansas, like in the rest of American states, have struggled for long to free themselves from the yoke of civil and political inequality that had befallen them for centuries. For centuries, women were denied basic rights in the male-dominated society. The law also denied them the right to participate in any political process be it voting or vying for any political post. This meant that women were reduced to mere homemakers and menial spectators in the political arena. In a struggle that can be seen to have rightfully been triggered by the events of the Civil War, Arkansas women rose from the ground to initiate an activism that would see them acquire civil and political rights enabling to be active participants in the voting process hence playing their rightful role in a modern democratic society.