Question

The passage of the fifteenth amendment in 1869 prompted the formation of two major sufferage organizations because

Answer 1

The passage of the Fifteenth Amendment in 1869 prompted the formation of two major suffrage organizations because it granted formerly enslaved men the right to vote, while women were still denied this right. The two major suffrage organizations, the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association later joined together in 1890 to become the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

Answer 2

The amendment gave black men the right to vote but women were not allowed.

The women who had participated in the abolition movement felt slighted by the passage of the 15th Amendment. However, two sides developed in the women's rights movement and they split into two groups: American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) and National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA).

AWSA believed the 15th Amendment had the potential to cover women and wanted to convinced states to accept women's suffrage. However, NWSA, led by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, believed that women needed their own separate amendment to ensure women got the right to vote and it could not be denied. The two groups remained separate until the 1890's when they combined to form NAWSA (National American Women Suffrage Association). They continued to work toward a national amendment through appeals to the states.