Date of Award

8-2024

Degree Type

Thesis

Degree Name

Master of Arts (MA)

Department

History

Abstract

The women’s suffrage movement was initially documented by the suffragists themselves sharing their personal experiences and insights. As the movement’s historiography evolved, it transitioned from biographies of individual leaders to a comprehensive analysis of broader ideological spectrums where scholars dived into what ideas and beliefs motivated these women to fight for the right to vote. The major influence on the women’s quest for political enfranchisement according to historians included educational advancement, anti-slavery movements, broader political issues, and reforms of the period. As the suffrage movement gained momentum, contemporary historians shifted their focus from the influence of the movement to the impact of women’s voting rights to policy making and the overall welfare of women debating if it improved or not. For greater emphasis, historians like T.A Larson began to document history through a state-centric lens to analyze what factors propelled Wyoming to become the first state where women gained the right to vote. Thus, a comprehensive understanding of the women’s suffrage movement requires an exploration into the diverse historians’ thoughts and arguments surrounding the women’s suffrage movement, which examines both the triumphs and complexities of this pivotal period in the history of women’s rights.

Comments

This is one part of a two part capstone project for a Masters of Arts in History.

The other part can be found at: https://digitalcommons.unomaha.edu/historystudent/3/

The author holds to the copyright to this work. Reach out to the author directly for any reuse or permissions.

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