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American Woman Suffrage Association Facts & Worksheets

The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) was the second political organization that fought for the right of women to vote in the United States

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In November 1869, the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) was established. It was the second political organization that fought for the right of women to vote in the United States.

See the fact file below for more information on American Woman Suffrage Associations or alternatively, you can download our 25-page American Woman Suffrage Association worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

Background

  • The American Equal Rights Association (AERA) was created in 1866 to promote the people’s right to vote regardless of race or gender. 
  • During the ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, there were conflicts and the Fourteenth Amendment was supposed to protect all citizens equally.
  • For the first time, the word ‘male’ was used in the Constitution for the proposed Fourteenth Amendment.
  • In the proposed Fifteenth Amendment, African American men were covered by the Constitution, but women remained excluded.
  • Through continuous disagreements, the AERA came to its dissolution in May 1869.
  • Susan Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton felt disappointed because, for them, the exclusion of women in the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments was a form of betrayal by activists.
  • Their displeasure was expressed in their 1868 published paper, “The Revolution.”

The Birth of the American Woman Suffrage Association

  • The dissolution of the AERA led to the formation of two organizations that campaigned for women’s suffrage.
  • The first organization formed was the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), followed by the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).
  • These organizations became rival organizations that fought for women’s rights.
  • At a convention held in Cleveland, the leaders from the organization New England Woman Suffrage Association (NEWSA) aided in establishing the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA).
  • Although they functioned separately, some leaders worked for both organizations.
  • The NWSA was headed by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, while AWSA was founded by Lucy Stone with other leading members such as Frances Ellen Watkins Harper, Henry Blackwell, Julia Ward Howe, and Josephine Ruffin.
  • The NWSA focused on a wider variety of women’s issues, while the AWSA prioritized women’s suffrage.
  • The headquarters of the AWSA was in Boston, and its members consisted of both males and females.
  • There was an equal number of males and females, and the organization allowed the alternate presidency between males and females. 
  • The first president of the AWSA was a man named Henry Ward Beecher, while Lucy Stone became the chair of the Executive Committee.
  • To prevent division in the movement, some suffragist activists persuaded one of the NWSA leaders, Susan Anthony, to join the convention of the AWSA.
  • Realizing the importance of their advocacy, after the speech of Lucy Stone, Susan Anthony extended its intentions to cooperate with the AWSA.
  • The NWSA strongly opposed the Fifteenth Amendment, while leading members of the AWSA supported it.
  • The “Woman’s Journal” was a publication for the AWSA. 
  • The first issue was published in January 1870 with Lucy Stone and Henry Blackwell as the head editors.
  • Some significant people who assisted in the publication were Mary Livermore, then Julia Ward Howe, and Alice Stone Blackwell.
  • After the long-planned merging that began in 1866, the NWSA and the AWSA finally merged in 1890 and were the called National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).
  • Elizabeth Cady Stanton was appointed to lead the NAWSA, Susan Anthony was its vice president, and Lucy Stone the head of the Executive Committee. 

Characteristics of the American Woman Suffrage Association

  • The AWSA has female and male members.
  • They focused on the issue of women’s suffrage.
  • The AWSA used a federated structure because members firmly thought they could easily be successful through state-by-state campaigns.
  • They believed in and supported marriage, religion, and other traditional social institutions.
  • The organization practiced less militant campaigns such as petition drives, public speeches, and testifications. 

American Woman Suffrage Association Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle that includes everything you need to know about American Woman Suffrage Association across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching about American Woman Suffrage Association which was the second political organization that fought for the right of women to vote in the United States.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • American Woman Suffrage Association Facts
  • Fill In The Box
  • Identity
  • The Members
  • Truth or Lie
  • Women’s Power
  • AWSA & NWSA
  • Suffrage
  • Which Method?
  • Feature Story
  • What’s For Today?

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Link will appear as American Woman Suffrage Association Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, March 2, 2022

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