http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it In 1920, American women voted for the first time, thanks to pro-suffrage activists such as Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. en Copyright 2013, History.com Tue, 21 May 2013 04:00:00 GMT History.com 2013-05-21T04:00:00Z en Copyright 2013, History.com http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo1 The campaign for women's suffrage began in earnest in the decades before the Civil War. It gained momentum in the 1850s, led by abolitionist activists such as Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul. http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo1 http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo2 Born in 1818, Lucy Stone lectured for the American Anti-Slavery Society and founded the weekly feminist newspaper The Woman's Journal. She is known for her refusal to change her last name when she married fellow abolitionist Henry Blackwell. http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo2 http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo3 Perhaps the most well-known women's rights activist in American history, Susan B. Anthony was born in 1820 and raised as a Quaker. She dedicated her life to numerous causes, including universal suffrage, women's property rights, the abolition of slavery and temperance. http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo3 http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo4 Along with the abolitionist and temperance activist Lucretia Mott, Elizabeth Cady Stanton organized the first women's rights convention, which took place in 1848 in Seneca Falls, New York. She served as the first president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo4 http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo5 The leader of the suffrage movement's most militant wing, Alice Paul advocated "unladylike" tactics such as civil disobedience and hunger strikes. In 1920, she proposed an Equal Rights Amendment to the Constitution, which has never been ratified. http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo5 http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo6 Women's rights activists continued their efforts throughout the first two decades of the 20th century. While World War I slowed the suffragists' campaign, war efforts by women ultimately helped them advance their argument. http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo6 http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo7 On August 26, 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was finally ratified, granting American women the right to vote. http://www.history.com/photos/suffrage-and-the-women-behind-it/photo7