"It is now two years since the first legislature of Wyoming gave to women the right of suffrage... The experiment has been a success. It has not only elevated the character of our elections, but it has shown that women can exercise the elective franchise without losing any of their womanly qualities. More than all, it has invited to our territory the class of settlers we most need—intelligent, moral families who will make Wyoming their permanent home."
— Governor John A. Campbell, address to the Wyoming Territorial Legislature, 1871
The arguments in the excerpt most directly reflect which of the following developments in the West during the late nineteenth century?
- The efforts of Western communities to promote family migration and establish stable, permanent settlements.Answer
- BThe political mobilization of urban Progressive reformers seeking to pass a constitutional amendment for national suffrage.
- CThe federal government's enforcement of the Fourteenth Amendment to guarantee universal voting rights across all US territories.
- DThe belief that territorial development occurred independently of federal intervention due to a strict national policy of laissez-faire.
Answer
The efforts of Western communities to promote family migration and establish stable, permanent settlements.
The correct answer is correct because early Western territories like Wyoming granted women the right to vote primarily to encourage the migration of women and families. This was intended to correct the severe male-to-female gender imbalance in the West, promote moral stability, and increase the permanent population to meet statehood requirements.
Step-by-Step Solution
Key Concept
The social and political incentives that shaped Westward migration patterns and local policies in the late nineteenth century.
Estimated Time:1m 30s