Evolution Toward Equality: Equality for Women in the American West
by Teresa S. Neal
Category: History

Women in the United States did not receive national suffrage until 1920. At that time, 13 of the 15 states that had already granted suffrage were west of the Mississippi River. Women not only received voting rights first in the western United States, but they had meaningful property rights as well. This may seem odd if we consider the Hollywood enhanced images we may have of the wild west where men roamed wild with guns and whisky. So why were women able to achieve such success in equal rights? Why was the first woman governor from Wyoming-now known as the equality state? "Evolution Toward Equality" explores the many factors that led to these phenomena. Certainly the environment had a facilitating effect. Women were often required to do many of the same outdoor tasks that their fathers, husbands, and brothers performed. They worked side by side and expected to be treated equally. Daughters often spent the day working with their fathers and brothers earning their respect and learning self assurance and independence. When they later left home and married, they expected to be treated in the same manner. Follow this interesting revolution as Neal guides us through the stories and history of women's rights in the western United States during the 19th and early 20th Centuries.