The right to vote in political elections, especially when extended to groups previously denied this privilege. The term is most commonly associated with women's suffrage movements of the 19th and early 20th centuries.
From Latin 'suffragium' meaning 'voting tablet' or 'right to vote,' derived from 'suffragari' (to support). The word maintained its political meaning through French into English, where it became central to democratic reform movements.
The fight for universal suffrage literally reshaped the modern world - it took until 1920 for American women to vote nationally, while some Swiss women couldn't vote until 1971! New Zealand was actually the trailblazer, becoming the first nation to grant women full voting rights in 1893.
Suffrage rights were systematically denied to women until the 20th century; the word's modern usage is inseparable from this gendered political struggle and the organized women's movement that secured voting rights.
Use neutrally when discussing voting rights, but acknowledge the historical gendered dimension when teaching this history.
Women organized the suffrage movement for over 70 years; credit activists like Susan B. Anthony, Emmeline Pankhurst, and countless unnamed organizers who fought despite arrest and violence.
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