ullstein bild/The Granger Collection (Bicycle); Classic Image/Alamy Stock Photo (Protest)

CCSS

R.1, R.3, R.4, R.7, R.9, W.3, L.4, L.6 

Pedaling to Power

Today, bicycles are a fun way to get around. But 100 years ago, they were a secret weapon in women’s fight for equality. 

    Maybe you know what it’s like to be trapped at home.

    You don’t have a driver’s license. There are plenty of places to go. But they’re all too far away to walk to. You’re stuck with nothing to do—until you get on your bike.

    Suddenly, you’ve got the wind at your back. The wheels carry you faster than your legs ever could. Everything is within reach: the park, the basketball courts, your best friend’s house. The world is yours to explore.

    That’s how women felt when the bicycle first became popular. It wasn’t just a machine with two wheels, a seat, and pedals. It was a ticket to freedom.

    Have you ever felt like you were trapped in your own home? There are plenty of places you want to go. But they’re all too far away to walk to, and you don’t have a driver’s license. You’re stuck inside, staring at the walls—until you get on your bike.

    The wheels go faster than your legs ever could. You can go anywhere: the park, the basketball courts, your best friend’s house. You can explore the world!

    A long time ago, that’s how bikes made women feel. For them, a bike was not just a machine with two wheels. It was a ticket to freedom.

    Have you ever felt like you were trapped in your own home? There are plenty of places you want to go. But they’re all too far away to walk to, and you don’t have a driver’s license. You’re stuck inside, staring at the walls—until you get on your bike.

    Now the wind is at your back, and the wheels are carrying you faster than your legs ever could. The park, the basketball courts, and your best friend’s house are within reach. The world is yours to explore.

    That’s the same feeling women experienced when the bicycle first became popular. It wasn’t just a machine with two wheels, a seat, and pedals. It was a ticket to freedom.

Everett Historical/Shutterstock.com

Cycling for Change 
Many suffragists—or women fighting for voting rights—rode bikes to meetings and protests.

A Need for Speed

    The bike was invented in 1817, but Americans didn’t embrace it until the 1890s. New models were cheaper, safer, and more comfortable. Everyone wanted one. Bike owners formed clubs and planned group rides. Bike companies organized races. 

    For women, the bicycle arrived at just the right time. To many of them, the home felt like a prison. Not many jobs were available to women outside the house. Instead, they were expected to spend their time doing housework and raising children.

    For women who wanted to go out, traveling wasn’t easy. Almost no one had cars until the 1920s. Before that, people used horses or carriages to get around—but keeping a horse was expensive. And hitching a horse to a carriage was considered a man’s job. 

    In addition, women’s clothes weren’t designed for walking or moving around. Tight garments called corsets made it hard to breathe. Skirts were so long they scraped the ground. One outfit could weigh as much as 25 pounds.

    The bike was invented in 1817. It became popular in America in the 1890s. By then, bikes were cheaper and safer. Everyone wanted one. Bike owners formed clubs. They planned group rides. They had races. 

    Women welcomed the bicycle. For many women, the home felt like a prison. Not many jobs were open to women. Instead, they were expected to spend their time doing housework. They were expected to raise children.

    If a woman wanted to go somewhere, it wasn’t easy. Most people did not have cars until the 1920s. People rode on horses or in carriages. But keeping a horse cost a lot of money. And people thought that hitching a horse to a carriage was a man’s job. 

    Also, the clothing women wore wasn’t good for moving around. It was hard to breathe in tight garments called corsets. Skirts were very long. One outfit could weigh 25 pounds.

    Though the bike was invented in 1817, Americans didn’t embrace it until the 1890s. New models were cheaper, safer, and more comfortable—and everyone wanted one. Bike clubs popped up everywhere. Group rides were the new, fun activity. And bike companies organized races. 

    The bicycle arrived at the ideal time for women who felt like their homes were a prison. Not many jobs outside the house were open to women, and they were expected to devote their time to housework and raising children.

    Women who wanted to go out faced many obstacles. Until the 1920s, almost no one had cars. People depended on horses or carriages for transportation—but keeping a horse was expensive, and hitching a horse to a carriage was considered a man’s job. 

    In addition, the clothes women wore weren’t designed for an active life. Tight garments called corsets made breathing difficult, and skirts were so long they scraped the ground. One outfit could weigh as much as 25 pounds.

Donna Beeler/Shutterstock.com (Before); iStockPhoto/Getty Images (After)

Bike Fashion  
Bloomers (above) were easier to move around in than skirts and corsets.   

On the Road

    In the 1890s, bikes finally helped women get out of the house. They were cheap. 

    And women didn’t need a man’s help to ride them. Country roads and city streets filled up with women riders. 

    As bikes became more popular, women had to change the way they dressed. It wasn’t just hard to ride in a corset and a long skirt—it was also dangerous. So some riders wore shorter skirts. Others put on baggy pants called bloomers.

    Many people were shocked to see women on wheels. They worried that bike-riding women would ignore their duties at home. They complained that bloomers made women look like men. 

    But women just kept riding. They rode to church. They rode to social events. They rode to get exercise. 

    By 1900, at least one-third of new cyclists were women.

    In the 1890s, bikes helped women get out of the house. Bikes were cheap. And women could ride them without a man’s help. Country roads filled up with women riders. So did city streets.

    Women’s clothes began to change. Riding a bike in a corset and a long skirt was hard and dangerous. So some riders wore shorter skirts. Others wore baggy pants called bloomers.

    Many people were shocked to see women on bicycles. They worried that these women would stop doing housework. They said that bloomers made women look like men. 

    But women kept riding. They rode to church. They rode to social events. They rode for exercise. 

    By 1900, at least one-third of new cyclists were women.

    In the 1890s, bikes gave women a way to finally get out of the house. They were inexpensive, and a man’s help wasn’t required to ride them. Country roads and city streets alike filled up with women riders. 

    As bikes grew in popularity, women needed to change the way they dressed. Riding in a corset and a long skirt wasn’t just difficult—it was dangerous. So some riders wore shorter skirts, while others put on baggy pants called bloomers.

    Many people were shocked by the sight of women on bikes. They worried that bike-riding women would neglect their duties at home, and they complained that bloomers made women look like men. 

    But women just kept riding—to church, to social events, and to get exercise. 

    By 1900, at least one-third of new cyclists were women.

The New Woman

Universal History Archive/UIG via Getty images

Susan B. Anthony

    The bicycle gave its women riders a brand-new feeling of confidence. They won independence from men. They gained the freedom to move around. And they wanted more.

    People began to talk about the “New Woman” of the 1890s. The New Woman wore practical clothes. She wanted to go to college. She wanted a job. And she joined a growing movement to win the right to vote—often riding her bike to meetings and protests.

    Susan B. Anthony helped start that movement in the 1840s. By the 1890s, she was too old to learn how to ride a bike. But she understood why it was so important. The bicycle, she said, “has done more to [free] women than any one thing in the world.” 

    With bicycles, women felt more confident. They had some freedom. And they wanted more.

    In the 1890s, people began talking about the “New Woman.” She wore practical clothes. She wanted to go to college. She wanted a job. And she joined a movement to win the right to vote. She could be seen riding her bicycle to meetings and protests.

    The movement had started in the 1840s. Susan B. Anthony helped start it. By the 1890s, she was too old to learn how to ride a bike. But she knew it was important. She said the bicycle “did more to [free] women than any one thing in the world.”

    The bicycle gave its women riders a brand-new feeling of confidence as well as independence from men. They finally had the freedom to move around, and that made them want even more freedom.

    The “New Woman” of the 1890s became a topic of conversation. She wore practical clothing, and she wanted to attend college and have a career. She also joined a growing movement to win the right to vote—often traveling to meetings and protests on her bike.

    Susan B. Anthony had helped start that movement in the 1840s. By the 1890s, she was too old to learn how to ride a bike. But she recognized its importance. The bicycle, she proclaimed, “has done more to [free] women than any one thing in the world.”

Winning the Vote!

After riding to freedom on bicycles, women had an important fight ahead: gaining the right to vote.

Everett Collection Inc/Alamy Stock Photo

Women hold up a sign demanding the right to vote 

    It was November 2, 1920—Election Day. All across the United States, people lined up to choose a president. But this year, something was different. For the first time, women stood in line to vote.

    Suffrage is a basic right in a democracy, but American women had to fight for it. That fight started in 1848, when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. At this meeting, women discussed the ways they were unequal to men. And they demanded the right to vote.

    Nearly 70 years later, women hadn’t made much progress. The president at the time, Woodrow Wilson, refused to support them. And many Americans agreed with him. Women didn’t know enough about government to vote, they claimed. And voting would only distract them from their housework and kids.

    In January 1917, a women’s rights leader named Alice Paul got tired of waiting. She gathered a big group of protesters. Every day, they stood in front of the White House. They carried signs that read, “How long must women wait for liberty?” 

    By the fall, hundreds had been arrested. Some were beaten in prison. Others didn’t eat to make their point—and were fed by force.

    As the women were released, they told their stories to newspapers. Americans were shocked. Finally, President Wilson changed his mind. He gave a speech to lawmakers. “Give justice to women,” he told them. 

    And they did. In August 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was approved. It gave women the right to vote—131 years after the first president was elected. 

    It was November 2, 1920. It was Election Day. All over the United States, people lined up to vote for a president. But this year, something was different. For the first time, women were voting.

    Suffrage is a right in a democracy. But American women had to fight for it. That fight started in 1848. That’s when the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls, New York. At this meeting, women talked about wanting the right to vote.

    Nearly 70 years later, women hadn’t made much progress. Woodrow Wilson was the president at the time. He refused to help the women. Many people agreed with him. They said that women didn’t know about government. So they shouldn’t vote. They also said that voting would keep women from their housework and kids. 

    In January 1917, a women’s rights leader got tired of waiting. Her name was Alice Paul. She gathered a big group of women. They stood in front of the White House every day. They carried signs. The signs said, “How long must women wait for liberty?” 

    Hundreds of these women were arrested. Some were beaten in prison. Others didn’t eat to make their point. They were fed by force.

    Over time, the women were released from prison. They told their stories to newspapers. People were shocked. President Wilson changed his mind. He said, “Give justice to women.” 

    And the lawmakers did. In August 1920, the 19th Amendment to the Constitution was approved. Women finally had the right to vote. 

    It was November 2, 1920—Election Day—and people were lined up all across the United States to choose a president. But something was different this year. For the first time, women were among those in line to vote.

    In a democracy, suffrage is a basic right, but American women had to fight for it. That fight began at the first women’s rights convention, which took place in Seneca Falls, New York, in 1848. At this meeting, women discussed ways they were unequal to men, and they demanded the right to vote.

    Nearly 70 years later, they had made little progress. The president at the time, Woodrow Wilson, refused to support them, and many Americans sided with him. Women shouldn’t vote because they didn’t know enough about how government worked, they claimed. Furthermore, voting would be a distraction from their housework and children. 

    In January 1917, a women’s rights leader named Alice Paul got fed up with waiting. She gathered a large group of protesters. Every day, they stood in front of the White House, carrying signs that read, “How long must women wait for liberty?” 

    By the fall, hundreds had been arrested. In prison, some were beaten. Others refused to eat as a way of protesting—and were fed by force.

    As the women were released, they shared their stories with newspapers. Americans were shocked. Finally, President Wilson changed his mind. In a speech to lawmakers, he said: “Give justice to women.” 

    And they did exactly that in August 1920, when they approved the 19th Amendment to the Constitution. It granted women the right to vote—131 years after the first president was elected. •

Underwood Archives/Getty Images

The Struggle for Suffrage 
This fight for suffrage began in 1848 and ended in 1920 when women voted for the first time

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