In the mid-19th century, a few women living in upstate New York decided it was time for women to stop accepting their status as second-class citizens. Women lacked many basic civil rights that men enjoyed, including suffrage—the right to vote. These women from New York held a convention in which they demanded their rights. Their battle took more than 70 years to win. Along the way they were opposed and mocked by male and female anti-suffragists who tried to stifle their efforts.
