Amendment was announced
Miss Anthony and her co-workers began rolling up petitions to Congress
that it should provide for the enfranchisement of women and tens of
thousands of names had been sent to Washington. These petitions
represented the first effort ever made for an amendment to the Federal
Constitution for woman suffrage and the action of this convention
marked the first organized demand--May 10, 1866. At this time the
American Equal Rights Association was formed and the Woman's Rights
Society merged with it, as having a larger scope.[133]

The following month the 14th Amendment was submitted by Congress for
the ratification of the State Legislatures and it was declared adopted
by the necessary three-fourths in July, 1868. By this amendment the
status of citizenship was for the first time definitely
established--"All persons born or naturalized in the United States and
subject to the jurisdiction thereof are citizens." This plainly put
men and women on an exact equality as to citizenship. Then followed
the broad statement: "No State shall make or enforce any law which
shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United
States." This also seemed to guarantee the equal rights of men and
women. It was the second section which aroused the advocates of
suffrage for women to vigorous protest:

Section 2. Representatives shall be apportioned among the several
States according to their respective numbers, counting the whole
number of persons in each State, excluding Indians not taxed. But
when the right to vote at any election for the choice of electors
for President and Vice-President of the United States,
Representatives in Congress, the Executive and Judicial officers
of a State or the members of the Legislature thereof, is denied
to the _male_ inhabitants of such State, being 21 years of age
and citizens of the United States, or in any way abridged except
for participation in rebellion or other crime, the basis of
representation therein shall be reduced in the proportion which
the number of such _male_ citizens shall bear to the whole number
of _male_ citizens 21 years of age in such State.

Up to this time there was no mention of suffrage in the Federal
Constitution except the provision for electing members of the Lower
House of Congress but now for the first time it actually discriminated
against women by imposing a penalty on the