During which period did the suffrage movement gain significant traction?

The suffrage movement gained significant traction during the 1840s to the 1860s, which marks the first wave of the women's rights movement. This period saw the organization of early women's rights conventions, such as the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848, where activists like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott formally articulated the demand for women's suffrage. The movement during this time was heavily influenced by the abolitionist movement and aimed not only for the right to vote but also for broader rights for women, laying the groundwork for future activism. The efforts in this period set a powerful precedent and energized the movement, leading to various campaigns and petitions for women's voting rights, making it a pivotal time for the suffrage movement.

The other periods, while significant in their own right, did not experience the same initial surge of organization and public activism as seen in the earlier years. For instance, the 1920s to 1940s is more recognized for consolidating women's voting rights after the 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920, and the following decades focused on issues that arose from the social changes of the post-voting rights era.