Women have always been seen as mothers and house wives. Most cultures view women as inferior to men. This is the same look upon women, which was brought into the United States of America. The belief that women were inferior was not only a tag of inferiority for women but also affected their lives and actually made them inferior. As a result of the "tag of inferiority," women were limited in education and the skills needed for most jobs.

During the 18th century, very little was accomplished toward the issue of women's rights. Women were being held down by their lack of knowledge and education. Women lacked the educational and economic resources that would allow them to challenge society.

In the 19th century women still lacked many basic rights. During the 19th and 20th centuries women struggled against the legislative system in order to ensure their rights to vote, hold jobs, and reproduce.

In 1870 the 15th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was passed. Anthony interpreted the law so that it applied to both American women and ex-slaves. In 1872 Anthony persuaded election inspectors to allow her and 12 other women to vote in Rochester, New York. They were all arrested two weeks later. The judge expressed many antifeminist views and knew that the jury would express a verdict in her favor, so he dismissed the jury and fined her $100. Anthony refused to pay, and the judge allowed her to go on the basis that she would not appeal to higher courts. In 1890 the Stanton-Anthony group merged with the Stone-Beecher group to form the National American Woman Suffrage Association. Many think of Stone, Anthony, and Stanton, as the only supporters of the association. Although they were great leaders the got much help from such people as the noted American feminists Harriet Beecher Stowe, Julia Ward Howe, Clara Barton, Jane Addams, and Carrie Chapman Catt. Due to the agitation caused by the association, suffrage was granted in the states of Colorado (1893), Utah and Idaho (1896), and Washington (1910). In addition, the association in 1910 secured 500,000 signatures for a petition urging federal woman-suffrage legislation. California granted women full suffrage in 1911; Kansas, Oregon, and Arizona followed in 1912; Nevada and Montana in 1914; New York in 1917; and Michigan, Oklahoma and South Dakota in 1918. (Harrison II 43-47)

The Equal Pay Act of 1963 said that men and women who did the same work must be paid the same wage and doing otherwise is illegal. Most female workers held traditional female jobs in which their pay was set back. Female workers had little chance for advancements in the jobs in which they held. Although pay was equal for the same jobs there was still discrimination in the workplace. (Bird 114) The Civil Rights Act of 1964 (Title VII) made it illegal to discriminate in the workplace or to discriminate when employing based on sex, race, color, or ethnic origin. The supporters of this were Congressman Howard W. Smith, Congresswomen Martha Griffiths, and Senator Margret Chase Smith who led the campaign to reach the approval of this act. (Fox 280-281)

Women's rights has been a controversial topic throughout history because although women deserve to be treated as equals to men, most cultures view women as inferior. As an evolving country we must realize that these cultures are wrong and that women should be treated equal to men. This issue affects me because as an American I am ashamed of the way in which women have been treated in the past and I acknowledge that a change must be made. Changes have been made and women have gone a long way. I still feel like many other women and men that women are still not given the equality to men that they deserve. There are still problems in the law that need to be fixed. I would like to know that when I get married or have a daughter that both my wife and daughter have the same rights as any men. As a voter, I would be sure to vote in favor of the person willing to offer a better future for women's rights. I would also like to see more women holding positions. I hope that in upcoming years I will be able to see a female president.

Some common words found in the essay are:
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Approximate Word count = 2990
Approximate Pages = 12 (250 words per page double spaced)