Just like how African-Americans sought for the true meaning and extent of freedom, so did women too. Reconstruction had little to do with women’s rights. Work was limited for women and when they did find work, the pay was undeniably very low. They could not divorce, unless there was substantial evidence of marital injustices and were treated as inferiors to men. Men at that time probably scoffed at the idea of women’s suffrage and many did not sympathize with them. The 14th Amendment included the word “male” and the 15th Amendment was solely based on race. When women appealed for equal rights, it was bluntly dismissed.

Women’s suffrage was no realized in the short run (prior to 1877). Despite the many times that women protested, the judges would not budge. The principle of freedom did not apply to women because their job was to work within “the domestic sphere.” Politicians even agreed that Reconstruction was directed to males and not females. In bais, it was a women’s job to stay at home.

It wasn’t until the next century (1970’s) that women had equal rights as men. Right now, women can vote, work with fair pay and divorce at their own will. They are better economically, socially and politically then they were back on the 1870’s and 1880’s. Even though Hilary Clinton did not win the run for the Democratic presidential spot against Obama, she still left a significant source of pride for women.