Chapter 2
During the CivilWar and immediately
after,little was heard of the movement.
However,in 1890,the NationalAmerican
Woman SuffrageAssociation (NAWSA)
was formed from a merger between two
rival factions—the NationalWoman
SuffrageAssociation (NWSA) led by
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B.
Anthony,and theAmericanWoman
SuffrageAssociation (AWSA),led by Lucy
Stone,Henry Blackwell,and JuliaWard
Howe.In chapter 3 you will read more
about the long battle to end the
disenfranchisement of one half of the
citizens of the United States,which
changed the political and social meaning
of being female in the United States.
Economic Downturn.Early in the
nineteenth century,one of the indicators
used to determine the health of the
family—the birth rate—began to drop.By
the end of the century,mothers were
having an average of three children
instead of the seven or eight which was
common at the beginning of the century
(Mintz,2001).One reason for
the decrease,children were no
longer considered economic
necessities.In addition,
childrearing changed from one
of restraint to one of nurture.
The time required to care for
each child increased,so parents
reasoned they should reduce
the number of children born
into the family.
TheComstockAct(1873) was both a
reaction to“the degradation of the day”
and an attempt to curb the decline in the
birth rate.It restricted distribution of
contraceptive information and devices,as
well as pornographic literature.Some
states criminalized abortion.In a failed
effort to curb the rising divorce rate,many
states extended the waiting period for
divorce and,overall,made it more difficult
to obtain.
Rapid economic expansion is always
accompanied by recession.The new,
young Republic was no exception.
Following several slumps in the economy,
the first depression to hit was the crisis of
1837.Contributing to this panic were
wide economic shifts and the rapid
increase of immigrants from Europe,Asia,
and Mexico.
Desertion and nonsupport of family
were a growing problems.Eleven states
made desertion and nonsupport of family
felonies,and three states instituted the
whipping post for wife beaters.The Homestead Act opened up the Midwest and Plains with
survival dependent on each family member.©GettyImages