Basic Information

Aaron Augustus Sargent held a seat in the 37th, 41st, and 42nd Congresses. He was the author of the first Pacific Railroad Act – which promoted the establishment of the transcontinental railroad – and was elected into the senate where he served from 1873 to 1879. While he was in the senate, he was the chairman of both the Mines and Mining committee and the committee of Naval Affairs. Aaron Sargent was also an activist for women’s rights and contributed to the first wave by authoring the 19th Amendment – which gave women the right to vote. 

Background Information

Aaron Sargent was born in Newburyport, Massachusetts on September 28, 1827. Prior to entering the political field, Sargent apprenticed as a cabinet maker, worked as a printer in Philadelphia and even relocated to Washington D.C. in 1847 where he became a secretary for a member of Congress. Sargent moved around a bit more to eventually land himself in California in 1849. In California, he worked as staff on the Nevada Daily Journal and eventually took over the business. (Sargent, Aaron Augustus, n.d.). In 1854, Sargent began practicing law and became a district attorney for Nevada County by 1856. Sargent was also the ambassador to Germany for two years after he left the Senate. Sargent passed away in 1887 at the age of 59 and was buried in Laurel Hill Cemetery but was cremated due to construction on Laurel Hill grounds and his ashes were spread over his mining claims (Noy, 2004).

As Sargent traveled to California, he boarded a ship called Xylon. The captain and first mate of the ship were rough and haggard men who weren’t kind to their passengers. In the midst of travel, passengers were forced to ration food and were put on a food allowance. This act sparked a committee to form aboard the ship, and among its members, Sargent participated in the committee’s affairs. The committee came together and addressed the food rationing with the captain and demanded he made a stop to resupply their water. Once the boat docked in Rio de Janeiro, Sargent went to the United States Council and was able to get the two men relieved from their positions (Milnarich, 1961).

While Sargent is most widely known for his contribution to the Constitution by authoring the 19th Amendment, there’s a whole other political side that isn’t as commonly known. Sargent was one of the senators that was in favor of the Chinese Exclusion Act and was highly vocal in his political views about it. The Chinese Exclusion Act attempted to exiled all Chinese immigrants from entering the United States. This act was also the first act that denied immigration to individuals based on their race alone (Kellar, 2018).

Contributions to the First Wave

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation”

-19th Amendment (1919)

 These were the words written in the US Constitution to form the 19th Amendment and were considered the peak of the women’s suffrage movement. Aaron Sargent was the author of these words and pushed for the bill three different times in the Senate. The proposal to allow women to vote was first initiated in January of 1878 where it sat in limbo until 1887 when the idea was finally declined. The bill was brought up once again in 1914 and was once again rejected. It wasn’t until June 4th 1919, that the senate finally approved the constitutional amendment for women’s right to vote.

Aaron Sargents wife, Ellen Clark Sargent was also highly influential in the political aspect of women’s right to vote. In 1869 Ellen was the founder of the first women’s suffrage group located in Nevada City. After founding the group, Ellen became a widely respected leader when it came to the women’s suffrage movement. Ellen was a close colleague to Susan B. Anthony and spent six years acting as the treasurer of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), an association that Susan B. Anthony and three others founded (Noy, 2004).

Analysis and Conclusion

Aaron Augustus Sargent played a huge role in the first wave of feminism because he was the father of the 19th Amendment. After 41 years of debate, everything that Susan B. Anthony and so many others fought for, finally became a reality and women’s long fight for political equality finally came to an end (Women’s Suffrage Centennial, n.d). With the addition of Sargent’s extensive background in politics and law, being able to provide the best knowledge and efforts into creating and passing the 19th Amendment came to be of tremendous help. The involvement of his wife Ellen Clark Sargent were also beneficial to Aarons contributions to the first wave of feminism as well because Aaron was able to experience firsthand the efforts of Susan B. Anthony and others through Ellen’s friendship and occupation through the NAWSA.

References

 Handy, B. (Between 1870-1880). Senator A.A. Sargent of California [Photograph]. Library of Congress. http://loc.gov/pictures/resource/cwpbh.03900/. 

Kellar, L. (2018). Liz Kellar: Sargent Statue debate highlights complexity of history. TheUnion.com. https://www.theunion.com/opinion/liz-kellar-sargent-statue-debate-highlights-complexity-of-history/  

Milnarich, R. F. (1961). The public career of Aaron Augustus Sargent. ProQuest. https://www.proquest.com/  

Noy, G. (2004). Area couple fought for women’s rights; Sen. Aaron Sargent wrote words that became 19th amendment to U.S. constitution. TheUnion.com. https://www.theunion.com/news/area-couple-fought-for-womens-rights-sen-aaron-sargent-wrote-words-that-became-19th-amendment-to-u-s-constitution/  

Sargent, Aaron Augustus. (n.d.). US House of Representatives: History, Art & Archives. https://history.house.gov/People/Listing/S/SARGENT,-Aaron-Augustus-(S000065)/  

Woman suffrage centennial. (2020). U.S. Senate: Woman Suffrage Centennial. https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/history/People/Women/Nineteenth_Amendment_Vertical_Timeline.htm