The First Division: The NWSA vs. The AWSA
Main areas of disagreement: The passage of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments and the federal government's "retreat from Reconstruction" giving states, especially southern states, back some of their legislative autonomy (Gordon, 1995)
(Cornell)
- Fourteenth Amendment: "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the state wherein they reside. No state shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States"
- Fifteenth Amendment: "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude"
(Cornell)
The National Woman Suffrage Association• Leaders: Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton
• More radical, used more militant tactics to gain attention for their cause. • Felt that the men of the movement had abandoned them in favor of the Fifteenth Amendment and reserved membership solely to women. • Appealed directly to legislators in Washington • Main focus: passing a federal suffrage amendment • Wanted the federal government to add "sex" to the Fifteenth Amendment and proposed a Sixteenth Amendment that would have done the same thing, this went against the political climate of the time which favored states rights. |
The American Women Suffrage Association• Leaders: Lucy Stone, Henry Blackwell, Julia Ward Howe • More conservative, tried to advance their cause by working within the system. • Worked with men and included them in leadership roles. • Worked on a state-by-state campaign. • Main focus: Building a suffrage base slowly by working with local and state governments on a variety of issues that promoted women's rights. • Felt that suffrage could be achieved by working in the context of the political climate, tried not to directly attack the contemporary political ideology. |
Twentieth Century Split: NAWSA vs. The NWP
Main areas of disagreement: Which tactics to use to promote suffrage and where to focus the majority of their energy: state-by-state campaigns or on a national level.
The National American Woman Suffrage Association• Leaders: Susan B. Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt
• More conservative, organized members into a highly efficient group that worked to gain bipartisan alliances among state and federal lawmakers. • Members followed Catt's "winning plan," which advocated for working for suffrage on a state-by-state level while simultaneously campaigning for a federal amendment. • Felt that the NWP's militant tactics gave a negative reputation to the movement as a whole and tried to distance themselves as much as possible. |
The National Woman's Party
• Leaders: Alice Paul, Lucy Burns
• Very radical, used the British suffrage movement as a guide which promoted gaining attention at any cost. • Believed in holding the party in power responsible and campaigned against the President and his Democratic Party. • Felt that NAWSA's policies were outdated and would lead to the same failing results that had been seen by previous generations of suffragists. |