Although before the Civil War most women could not vote or holdoffice in any of the states.
    In 1848 the national womens' rights was born in the state of New York.  300 men and women referred to as amazons gathered in a small church in Seneca Falls to discuss womens civiland legan rights.  The movement was led by Easterners Elizabeth Cady Satanton and Lucretia Coffin Mott.
    Stanton felt that women should not be considered in ferior to men as had been implied in Biblical scriptures acording to St. Paul that women Keep silents and be in subjections.
    Laws past between 1860-1890 that included womens rights took control their own earnings, to equal guardianship of children after divorce, to control and maintain property to share in a deceased husband's estate and to enter into any occupation or profession.  this included becoming a attorney, even though women could not legally sit on Illinois juries untill 1939.
    By Nov. 1874 ten women were elected as county Superintedents of schoos.
    Elizabeth Boynton Harbert and Frances E. Willard were two very inportant people during this time of the sufferage movement.
    Illinois women finally recived limited franchise rights on June 19, 1891 when the state lgislature passed a bill that entitled women to vote at any election held to elect school officials.
    On November 5, 1872 hundreds of women tried to vote in the presidential election. The most famous of these was Susan B. Anthony who was arrested, convicted and fined for her effort. Refusing to pay the $100. She stated, "Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God."
    On April 6, 1891 the first 15 female votes in Illinois were tabulated.  In 1919 Congress finally passed the Susan B. Anthony Amendment that had first been introduced in Congress in 1878, simply:  "The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex."   Illinios was the first state to approve this amendment.  The 19th Amendment to the Constitution took effect on August 26, 1920.  This made the United States the 27th country to allow universal sufferage.