Though women did not achieve formal political equality until the 19th Amendment in 1920, during the 1890-1910 period women increasing asserted themselves within the family and public spheres, as well as in economic and political matters. Far from an easy and triumphalist story, however, the women’s rights movement (broadly considered beyond simply politics) was met with much opposition and ridicule at many turns along the way. What were the key goals and objectives of female advocacy groups in the late Gilded Age, how did this movement assert itself and evolve, and how did the movement seek to overcome opposition and criticism? In this essay, be sure to show awareness of various women’s issues, from something as basic as basic as education or reproductive rights, to more visible issues like temperance and suffrage. Also, be aware of the range of causes that were conservative as well as liberal and progressive. Support your argument with examples and evidence drawn from the secondary and primary sources (especially Marie Jenney Howe’s “Anti-Suffrage Monologue.”)
