READING 8 During the nineteenth century, women in the United States organized and participated in a large number of reform movements, including movements to reorganize the prison system, improve education, ban the sale of alcohol, grant rights to people who were denied them, and, most importantly, free slaves. Some women saw similarities in the social status of women and slaves. Women like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucy Stone were not only feminists who fought for 8 the rights of women but also fervent abolitionists who fought to do away with slavery. These brave people were social leaders who supported the rights of both women and blacks. They were fighting against a belief that voting should be tied to land ownership, and because land was owned by men, and in some cases by their widows, only those who held the greatest stake in government, that is the male landowners, were considered worthy of the vote. Women did not conform to the requirements. A number of male abolitionists, including William Lloyd Garrison and Wendell Phillips, also supported the rights of women to speak and to participate equally with men in antislavery activities. Probably more than any other movement, abolitionism offered women a previously denied entry into politics. They became involved primarily in order to better their living conditions and improve the conditions of others. However, they gained the respect of those they convinced and also earned the right to be considered equal citizens. When the civil war between the North and the South ended in 1865, the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments to the Constitution adopted in 1868 and 1870 granted citizenship and suffrage to blacks but not to women. Discouraged but resolved, feminists worked tirelessly to influence more and more women to demand the right to vote. In 1869, the Wyoming Territory had yielded to demands by feminists, but the states on the East Coast resisted more stubbornly than before. A women's suffrage bill had been presented to every Congress since 1878, but it continually failed to pass until 1920, when the Nineteenth Amendment granted women the right to vote.
1. With what topic is the passage primarily concerned?
A. The Wyoming Territory
B. The Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments C. Abolitionists D. Women's suffrage 2. The word "ban" in paragraph 1 most nearly means to ………. A. encourage B. prohibit C. publish D. limit 3. The word "primarily" in paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to ………. A. above all B. somewhat C. finally D. always 4. What had occurred shortly after the Civil War? A. The Wyoming Territory was admitted to the Union. B. A women's suffrage bill was introduced in Congress. C. Black people were granted the right to vote. D. The eastern states resisted the end of the war. 5. The word “suffrage" in paragraph 3 could best be replaced by which of the following? A. pain B. citizenship C. freedom from bondage D. the right to vote 6. The word "it" in paragraph 3 refers to ………. A. Congress B. bill C. Nineteenth Amendment D. vote 7. What does the Nineteenth Amendment guarantee? A. Voting rights for blacks B. Citizenship for blacks C. Voting rights for women D. Citizenship for women
8. When were women allowed to vote throughout the United States?
A. After 1920
B. After 1870
C. After 1878
D. After 1866
