Why Women's Suffragists Pivoted to a Federal Amendment After 1870

Explore the strategic shift in the women's suffrage movement, from state-by-state campaigns to a national push for a constitutional amendment.

By Garret Merkley · Explainer · Aug 20, 2026

Branched from The 15th Amendment and Its Impact on the Women's Suffrage Movement

Quick take

After 1870, women's suffragists largely abandoned the state-by-state approach for voting rights.
The 15th Amendment's exclusion of women, despite granting suffrage to Black men, was a major catalyst for this change.
Advocates realized a federal amendment was a more efficient and powerful path to universal suffrage.
This strategic pivot ultimately led to the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920.

After 1870, the primary strategy of the women's suffrage movement underwent a significant change. Instead of focusing predominantly on persuading individual states to grant women the right to vote, suffragists increasingly turned their efforts toward securing a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would guarantee voting rights for women nationwide.

The Initial State-by-State Approach

Before 1870, many suffragists believed that winning the vote state by state was the most practical and achievable path. They reasoned that amending state constitutions or passing state legislation would be less controversial than a federal mandate. This strategy required immense effort, involving countless local campaigns, petitions, and referendums. While a few Western territories and states, like Wyoming and Utah, did grant women full or partial suffrage in the late 1860s, the overall pace was agonizingly slow and met with widespread resistance across most of the country.

The Catalyst: The 15th Amendment and Disappointment

The ratification of the 15th Amendment in 1870, which granted voting rights to Black men but specifically omitted women, proved to be a pivotal turning point. Many suffragists, who had actively campaigned for abolition and universal suffrage, felt a profound sense of betrayal by their former allies. This disappointment solidified the conviction among a growing number of leaders, including Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, that relying on piecemeal state victories was insufficient. They recognized that a fundamental right like suffrage required a national solution, enshrined in the highest law of the land, to prevent states from individually denying it.

The Shift to a Federal Strategy

The move toward a federal amendment was seen as a more efficient and powerful route. Instead of fighting 48 separate battles across individual states, a single federal amendment would bypass state-level opposition and ensure uniform voting rights for women everywhere. Organizations like the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA), formed in 1869, were established specifically to advocate for this national approach. Although some continued with state-level work, the momentum and leadership increasingly coalesced around the goal of a federal constitutional amendment, often dubbed the 'Anthony Amendment' after Susan B. Anthony.

This strategic pivot was critical to the eventual success of the women's suffrage movement. It refocused and energized activists, providing a unified national goal that could overcome local resistance. The long and arduous campaign for a federal amendment, culminating in the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, demonstrated the power of sustained national advocacy. It taught future movements that for fundamental rights affecting an entire demographic, a federal constitutional guarantee is often the most effective and enduring solution.

What was the primary reason suffragists changed their strategy?

The main reason was the disappointment and exclusion felt after the 15th Amendment granted suffrage to Black men but not women, coupled with the slow and difficult progress of state-by-state campaigns.

Did all suffragists immediately agree on the federal amendment strategy?

No, there was a split in the movement initially. The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) continued to favor state-by-state efforts for a time, while the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) championed the federal amendment. They eventually reunited in 1890 as the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) with a combined strategy.

What was the "New Departure" strategy?

The "New Departure" was an attempt in the 1870s by some suffragists to argue that the 14th Amendment, which granted citizenship, implicitly included the right to vote for women. This interpretation was ultimately rejected by the Supreme Court in Minor v. Happersett (1875).

Which states first granted women the right to vote?

Wyoming Territory granted women the right to vote in 1869, followed by Utah Territory in 1870. These early successes were often due to unique territorial politics and a desire to attract women settlers.

When was the federal amendment finally passed and ratified?

The federal amendment, which became the 19th Amendment, was passed by Congress in 1919 and ratified by the states on August 18, 1920.

Sources

National Archives: 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution: Women's Right to Vote
History.com: Women's Suffrage
Library of Congress: Women's Suffrage