Womens Rights Timeline (HistoryCPT)

1866s

Petition for Universal Suffrage

This was a petition of the first national drive to focus on women’s voting rights. The petition includes signatures of the most prominent advocates during: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Ernestine Rose, Lucy Stone, and Antoinette Brown Blackwell. This petition was to prohibit several states from not letting any of their citizen's vote because of their gender.

1866

June 12, 1913

Petition from the Women of Georgia Protesting the Women’s Suffrage Amendment

People of Macon, Georgia sent a petition to the Congress asking them to vote against the women's suffrage amendment because they claimed that if women had the right to vote it would be dangerous and harmful to the interests of the country, especially to the South. They also stated that the inevitable result of the legislation proposed would destroy white supremacy and States rights

1913

May 28, 1919

H.J. Res.1, Joint Resolution Proposing an Amendment to the Constitution Extending the Right of Suffrage to Women

1919

August 24, 1920

Tennessee’s Ratification of the 19th Amendment

Tennesse was the 36th out of the existing 48 states to ratify this amendment, clinching the passage of the amendment allowing women the right to vote.

1920

1923

Congress passed the Equal Rights Amendment which gave both men and women equal rights such as property to own, employment, and education throughout the US.

1923

June 19, 1944

House Resolution 5056 Prohibiting Discrimination in Pay on Account of Sex

The Bill was introduced by Representative Winifred Stanley who was the first to propose that employers be required to pay women equal pay for equal work. This principle was later enacted in the Equal Pay Act of 1963.

The Equal Pay Act is passed by Congress, promising equitable wages for the same work regardless of the race, color, religion, national origin or sex of the worker.

1944

1947

The U.S. Supreme Court says women are equally qualified with men to serve on juries but are granted an exemption and may serve or not, as women choose.

1947

June 23, 1972

Title IX - Prohibition of Sex Discrimination

President Nixon signed the Education Amendments of 1972 that included Title IX which prohibits discrimination in academic activities based on sex. The amendment did not specifically mention sports, but its far-reaching impact is widely credited for opening up opportunities for women in athletics

1972

1988

The U.S. Supreme Court rules that employers are liable for sexual harassment even in instances when a supervisor’s threats are not carried out. But the employer can defend itself by showing that it took steps to prevent or promptly correct any sexually harassing behavior and the employee did not take advantage of available opportunities to stop the behavior or complain of the behavior.

1998

2009

The Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Restoration Act allows victims, usually women, of pay discrimination to file a complaint with the government against their employer within 180 days of their last paycheck.

2009