Women Winning the Right to Vote in United States History by Carol Rust Nash

Author:Carol Rust Nash [Nash, Carol Rust]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9780766060753
Publisher: Enslow Publishers, Inc.
Published: 2014-04-09T04:00:00+00:00

Combining the two suffrage organizations into NAWSA signified unity in the battle. But with unity came conservatism and an objection to dissent. This created an atmosphere unwelcome to Elizabeth Cady Stanton, the movement’s philosopher.

Though their love and friendship never changed, Stanton and Susan B. Anthony began to grow apart in their political ideas. Stanton did not agree with Anthony’s nonpartisan strategy for winning outside support, and she wanted more discussion within the organization.

She saw that suffragists disagreed on how to use the vote to gain political, religious, social, educational, and industrial rights. Rather than attempt to present a united front on these issues, Stanton wanted an open debate.

But it was Stanton’s critique of Christianity that caused the greatest problem within NAWSA. Though Stanton had always been critical of the Christian religion, the issue became more important to her in her later years.

Among other issues, Stanton argued that Christianity taught hostility toward women by defining men as heads of families. She charged that the spread of Christianity had lowered women’s position in society.2

Because of Stanton’s radical ideas and anti-Christian opinions, she became unpopular among many feminists. In 1892, after serving only two years, she resigned from her position as NAWSA president. “It is not good for all our thoughts or interests to run in one groove. For this reason I resigned the office I held,” she said in a letter to a friend.3 Anthony took up the reins.

Although it was difficult for Anthony to admit it, her viewpoint was becoming quite different from that of her dear friend. She once portrayed herself as being dependent upon Stanton’s intellect.4 But Anthony had since discovered her own political path, and, to her dismay, it diverged from Stanton’s.

Through it all, however, their friendship did not waver. Anthony once said:

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