Women worked to reform society during the Progressive Era. Here are examples of reform that women fought for:

Question

Jane Addams joined the settlement house movement to provide services to struggling families.
Carrie Nation blamed many issues at the time on alcohol consumption and advocated to restrict the availability of alcohol through the temperance movement.
Women also sought the right to vote to make their advocacy more effective on a national level.
In your opinion, which of the above examples do you feel was the most important to fight for at that time and why?

Answer 1

While all the examples of women's reform efforts during the Progressive Era were significant, the struggle for women's suffrage arguably stands out as the most important. This is because securing the right to vote was a foundational change that empowered women to influence legislation and policies directly affecting their lives and communities.

By obtaining the right to vote, women could advocate effectively for other critical reforms, including those related to temperance, labor rights, and social services. The suffrage movement mobilized millions of women, building solidarity and drawing attention to various social issues. For instance, the fight for suffrage highlighted the inequalities and injustices that women faced, increasing awareness and support for a broader range of reforms. Furthermore, once women gained the right to vote with the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, they were able to bring issues like child welfare, public health, and education to the forefront of political discourse, leading to significant changes in those areas.

In contrast, movements like temperance and settlement houses, while crucial, often required the backing of legislative changes that could only be achieved through suffrage. The ability to vote gave women a platform to push for systemic change, making the fight for suffrage a pivotal moment in the broader struggle for women's rights and societal reform.