Carrie Chapman Catt 1859–1947
Worked for Women's Suffrage and World Peace
Carrie Chapman Catt was born in Wisconsin. She grew up on a farm in Iowa. When Catt was 13, she was angry to learn that her mother could not vote for the President of the United States. It was the beginning of Catt's interest in women's rights. Catt went to college and later studied law. She worked as a teacher and then as a school principal.
Catt joined the struggle for women's rights in 1889. She traveled, made speeches, and wrote letters and articles. She became a leader of the women's suffrage movement in the United States.
All women in the United States gained the right to vote in 1920 with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment. Then Catt turned her attention to the world. She had already started a suffrage movement in other countries. She also worked to bring peace to countries. She believed that people could have equal rights in countries that were at peace.
Critical Thinking
In what way did Catt's views change over the years?