Carrie Chapman Catt Research Paper

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Carrie Chapman Catt Everyone leaves a legacy in the world, but they are often forgotten as time passes. As time progressed, Carrie Chapman Catt’s immense efforts faded from everyone’s memory. Catt was born in 1859, when the women’s rights movement was in full motion. Women are working hard to gain suffrage rights. They wanted to be considered equal to males, especially politically (“Women’s Suffrage”). While this was happening around her, Catt grew up an independent and determined child. She was always quick to counter any remark on her gender being a disadvantage (“Carrie Clinton”). She became intelligent as she grew up and graduated from her high school, Charles City. Catt became a teacher for a year but then enrolled at Iowa State College …show more content…
Catt returned to be head of NAWSA in 1915. She returned at a time of division because Alice Paul had started a more radical organization. The organization’s women were split on the traditional and modern views on fighting for women’s rights to vote. In 1916, the radical party was named the Woman’s Party and questioned NAWSA’s methods. Catt, using her remarkable leadership skills, was able to bring the two groups closer together. She combined NAWSA’s focus on state suffrage rights with Paul’s focus on federal suffrage rights (“Catt”). Around this same time, World War I had begun in Europe. She knew the U.S. was bound to join the war, so she had a NAWSA meeting and told the women to be prepared. Catt joined the Women’s Committee of the Council of National Defense when the U.S. entered the war. She tried to convince suffragists to be part of the work related to the war. Catt was doing all of this because she wanted NAWSA to be connected with patriotism. She also believed that the women’s prize for their service should be the ability to vote (Appier). Indeed, when the 1916 election came up, the parties agreed that women’s suffrage was something they could not