Woman Suffrage

Early New Jersey laws defined voters as "inhabitants," so women were eligible to vote from the first American elections on. Unfortunately, their rights were taken away all too soon, all because of a very heated local election.

The original intent of Labor Day was to honor workers, and particularly members of trade and labor organizations. In that spirit, I would like to take a moment to honor some of these people who helped make America great.

The problem with articles about women's suffrage is that "were given" is dead-on inaccurate; even the wording, "got the vote" does not begin to explain the battle that women suffragists waged in order for women to vote.

If history is a guide, the breakthrough of having a non-white president should be helpful for the rights of women. Progress happens in spurts.