Final answer:
The success of state suffrage efforts was due to the direct impact of local activism, the role of women in communal decision-making, and the gradual support from male politicians influenced by local suffrage victories. These early wins created momentum for national change, culminating in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
Step-by-step explanation:
The fight for individual state suffrage seemed more successful due to several strategic advantages that local and state campaigns offered. At the local level, women could influence men who were more likely to be part of their immediate community, and the outcomes of local political meetings, despite being fueled by volatile elements like prohibitions on whiskey, were more directly impacted by grassroots efforts. The success at the state level, such as in Wyoming, Utah, Idaho, and Colorado by 1900, served as proof that women voters could responsibly exercise their rights, thus swaying male politicians to support suffrage. Coupled with education and leadership in socially influential movements like the Women's Christian Temperance Union, women secured significant victories long before the Nineteenth Amendment was ratified.
Local activism had a direct impact on communities where the day-to-day decisions of municipal governments were more tangibly felt, creating a platform for women to demonstrate their capacity for political engagement. This grassroots success led to male political leaders recognizing the potential political cost of opposing female suffrage, as more women gained voting rights in local elections. Eventually, the cumulative impact of these victories influenced the national support for the Nineteenth Amendment, which was passed and ratified by men who realized that opposing suffrage would alienate a significant and politically active portion of the electorate. Despite some barriers like racial divisions, the coalition of women across races including members of the National Association of Colored Women's Clubs signaled the strengthening of the suffrage movement on multiple fronts.