AMERICAN LIFE 11/2019 Spotlight 45abortion [E(bO:rS&n]
, Abtreibungs-
abridge [E(brIdZ]
, einschränken
account: on ~ of sth. [E(kaUnt]
, auf Grund von etw.
ally [(ÄlaI]
, Verbündete(r)
amendment [E(mendmEnt]
, Zusatzartikel
appeal [E(pi:&l]
, Appell, Gesuch
cast [kÄst]
, hier: abgeben
counterbalance
[(kaUnt&r)bÄlEns]
, ausgleichengender [(dZend&r]
, Geschlecht
momentum: gain ~
[moU(mentEm]
, in Schwung kommen, an Fahrt
gewinnen
roller-coaster [(roUl&r )koUst&r]
, Achterbahn-
sacrifice [(sÄkrIfaIs]
, Opfer, Verlust
statehood: achieve ~ [(steIthUd]
, ein eigener Staat werden
suffrage [(sVfrIdZ]
, Wahlrecht
toil [tOI&l]
, Mühe
vast [vÄst]
, sehr großAMERICAN LIFE
here are positive developments in the US for wom-
en these days, such as Nevada’s state legislature
becoming the first in the nation’s history to have a
female majority. On the other hand, US women now
face more restrictive abortion laws, especially in the
South. It’s a bit of a roller-coaster ride.
It’s also a reminder that the female half of the pop-
ulation had little say in politics not so long ago. Next
year marks the 100th anniversary of women gaining
the right to vote in the US in 1920. It is also the year
the US ratified the 19th Amendment to the Consti-
tution, stating: “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 sex.” The
US was not alone in waiting so long to give women
the vote: France waited until 1944, Belgium until- Switzerland was very late to the game, giving
women the vote in 1971.
In the US, the movement for women’s suffrage
gained momentum in the 1840s. The 14th Amend-
ment, ratified in 1868, gave male citizens aged 21 or
older the right to vote, marking the first time that
gender was specifically mentioned in the Constitu-
tion. Two years later, the 15th Amendment was rati-
fied, making it unconstitutional to deny anyone the
right to vote on account of race.
During this period, the women’s movement split.
One faction opposed the 15th Amendment because
it did not include voting rights for women, while the
other did not want to delay giving the vote to black
males. Although Southerners in general had never
supported voting rights for women, some changed
their minds after the 15th Amendment was ratified,
reasoning that, if women could vote, they could
counterbalance the votes cast by blacks.
Several areas out west also became unlikely al-
lies of the women’s movement, seeing it as a way to
attract more women to these regions, where men
were in the vast majority. The Wyoming Territory
needed to have a population of 60,000 before it could
apply to become a state, so it made sense to try to at-
tract women. This provided not only a quick bump
in population, but also an opportunity to increase
the birth rate. In 1869, Wyoming became the first
US territory to allow women to vote. Then — after
it achieved statehood in 1890 — it became the first
state to do so.
President Woodrow Wilson, in a 1918 appeal to
the Senate, argued in favor of the 19th Amendment,
saying: “We have made partners of the women in this
war [World War I]; shall we admit them only to a part-
nership of suffering and sacrifice and toil and not to a
partnership of privilege and right?” The amendment
passed the federal legislature the following year and
was ratified in 1920.GINGER KUENZEL
is a freelance
writer who lived
in Munich for 20
years. She now
calls a small
town in upstate
New York home.Roller-coaster
ride
Amerikas Haltung gegenüber Frauenrechten
steht jetzt im Vorfeld eines sehr wichtigen Jahrestages
erneut im Brennpunkt des Interesses.MEDIUM US PLUST
Fotos: Claudia Dewald, Choreograph/iStock.com, privat