Script for Why Women Were Not Allowed to Vote

*insert if I had a chicken song for intro*

Jo: Hi my name is Jo and and I will be your host for today. I am here with Linda and Angelica
and we will be discussing why women were not allowed to vote in the US.
Jo: So, why were women not allowed to vote?
Linda: Ok so this was during around 1776 all the way to 1920, and the common view of women
was they are not equal to men and that theyre not as smart either. A true woman was someone
who was submissive to men and only involved in children and household affairs.
Jo: Oh so like the typical 50s housewife?
Linda: Yeah except for in the 50s, women were allowed to vote. In the 19th and early 20th
century, women were not even allowed to do jury duty or be apart of the army. And actually,
Grace Goodwin (an anti-suffragette) said that if women could not even serve their country, they
could not decide the laws of it either.
Jo: Wow thats so different than today, especially because now it is not uncommon for women to
be apart of the military. You mentioned the word suffragette, what is that?
Gelli: A suffragette is a woman who wanted their right to vote and often protested. *insert the
sound of protest* In 1890 the National American Woman Suffrage Association formed and it
became a big thing. Before, in the 1820s and 1830s there were some women who questioned
their roles, but it wasnt as easy to stand up for it so it wasnt a big group.
Jo: Was it just white women? What did they do?
Gelli: There were black suffragettes too, but the Association did not always welcome them.
Anyways, the NAWSA was basically able to persuade Woodrow Wilson, who was the president
from 1913-1921, to support their view. After 72 years, women got their right to vote which
became the 19th amendment.
Jo: After states started to let women vote until it was eventually nationwide, how did society
react, since they had the fixed mindset that women werent smart enough to have a say in legal
affairs?
Linda: Men didn't like how women got to vote. At the time females citizens did not have the
same rights as men, like women were denied key rights but men enjoyed the key rights.
Jo: What are key rights?
Linda: One example of a key right is owning land. Married women couldnt have land. They
didnt have that kind of money because they stayed at home watching children all day.
Jo: How else did the men react?
Linda: There were some men who supported women's rights and they signed the Declaration of
Sentiments in 1848 which is a document that stated that men and women are created equal. It
was modeled after the Declaration of Independence and signed at the convention at Seneca Falls.
Jo: Since the 19th amendment was approved, did it apply to just white women and men?
Gelli: The amendment says 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. It doesnt specify race so
white and black people were allowed to vote. But, in 10 years cclaws made black women in the

south unable to vote. It wouldnt be until the 1960s when the Civil Rights Movement happened
for the south to let black women vote.
Linda: People are probably wondering why we are talking about this so here is why. 96 years ago
women were barely able to vote, that includes minorities such as hispanics, blacks and latinos.
Now there is a woman running for president.
Gelli: In politics, by only allowing such a small amount of people to vote not only decreases the
amount of votes for a candidate, but also for the majority of our country because our country is
filled with minorities. So, if only white women were being heard that leaves the rest of our
country with no room for opinions.
Jo: Women are not seen as just being a housewife anymore, they are now seen as powerful and
capable of anything! Thank you Linda and Angelica for being with me today.