Though the suffrage movement began in the east, it was in the west where women were first given the right to vote. Wyoming was the first state to grant women the vote, quickly followed by Utah, Colorado, and Idaho.
Why, when so many women were passionate about suffrage in the east, did women's rights take hold in western states? The reasons are varied, but I speculate that in forging a new life in a new land, women were not only needed but valued. Wives worked alongside their husbands in plowing fields, fighting off Indian raids, and doing whatever was necessary to survive. There was no "his" work or "her" work; there was simply work. And more work.
Here's what I'm guessing about the west. So many of the old roles had been swept away through necessity. Many traditions went with them. This opened the door for new ideas that better reflected their lives. Wish we still had that common sense.
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