Throughout history, women have fought to gain the same rights as men. One of the main rights that some women, known as suffragettes, fought to obtain was the right to vote. The efforts and success of 19th and 20th century suffragists have helped shape the women of today. They did this by offering modern women more opportunities, challenging female stereotypes and becoming inspirational female figures. The fight for women's suffrage has its roots in the early 17th century. The first recorded case of a woman seeking suffrage in America occurred in 1648, with a woman named Margaret Brent. Brent was a property owner in Maryland, who was entrusted with the management of Governor Leonard Calvert's estate after his death. The Calverts were the owners of Maryland and had close ties to the Brents. ("Margaret Brent (1601-1671)") In 1645, a few years before his death, Leonard Calvert had hired a group of soldiers to defend his new colony during Ingle's Rebellion. ("Margaret Brent") However, soon after her death, those soldiers demanded their pay. Since Brent had used all of the governor's money to pay off his many debts, he had no way to pay the soldiers. However, she came up with the idea of ​​paying the soldiers and preventing them from rebelling. On January 21, 1648, Brent requested two votes in the Maryland General Assembly. She wanted one vote for herself as a property owner and another to be Lord Baltimore's lawyer. Brent wanted to convince the Assembly to pass a tax that would help pay the soldiers. However, the new governor rejected her request, refusing to give a woman such power in the Assembly. Although his request was rejected, Brent didn't give up trying. Eventually, he sold some of Lord Baltimore's ca...... middle of paper ...... omen got full voting rights. ("Women's Suffrage Timeline (1840-1920)") Although NAWSA finally achieved its goal, it did not stop there. The organization became the League of Women Voters, which still exists today. The League actively encourages women to vote to shape public policy and has expanded to educate all people. The suffragettes who helped achieve the goal of women's suffrage are all very important figures in history. Without them, modern women probably wouldn't have the right to vote. Gaining women's suffrage increased the amount of opportunities women could have in politics and paved the way for them to continue fighting towards gender equality. Overall, suffragettes throughout history have had a lasting impact on modern women by offering them greater opportunities in politics, challenging gender roles, and being incredibly inspirational women.