In the post-war period, the Republicans were able to secure rights for African Americans in the 14th and 15th Amendments. But there were unintended consequences for women:
The 14th Amendment guaranteed equal rights but penalised states which denied rights to ‘any of the male inhabitants of such state.’
The 15th Amendment did not specifically state that ‘voting rights’ included women.
Abolitionists felt that it was AAs who commanded their first responsibility, not women.
There was little support for the women’s suffrage groups which continued to campaign, and the fact that abolitionism had distanced itself from women’s rights to make sure that AAs were prioritised, weakened the cause of female suffrage.