Look for Susan B Anthony and Carrie Chapman Catt, also check the union movement for Garment Workers. What happened is as women assumed a more prominent role in the workforce and literacy rates went up they began to campaign for the right to vote and equality. The movement actually began in the 1830’s but came to fruition in the late 19th century. Actually states like Wyoming and Texas were the first to grant women the right to vote and the first to elect women as governors. Montana was the first to elect a woman to congress which was interesting because when Jeannette Rankin was first elected in the state of Montana women did not have the right to vote nationally.