Final answer:
In Minor v. Happersett (1875), the Supreme Court implied that women were not prepared for suffrage or equal protection under the law, stating suffrage could only come from explicit legislation or constitutional amendment.
Step-by-step explanation:
The 1875 Supreme Court ruling in Minor v. Happersett held significant implications for women's suffrage and equal protection under the law. The Court, in a unanimous decision, suggested that women were not yet deemed ready for equal protection or the right to vote. The ruling, in effect, rejected the argument that the Constitution implicitly granted women the right to suffrage.
The Court's declaration that it was "too late" to claim the right of suffrage by implication reflected a conservative stance, indicating a reluctance to expand voting rights to women. The decision further emphasized that suffrage was a matter within the jurisdiction of individual states, asserting that states held the authority to either grant or deny voting rights to women.
Importantly, this ruling occurred during a period when both national and state laws imposed significant barriers to suffrage for various groups, including women and African Americans. Despite the recent ratification of the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments, designed to confer equal protection and prevent voting discrimination based on race, these amendments did not address gender-specific voting rights.
Minor v. Happersett underscored the prevailing societal attitudes and legal barriers that hindered the progress of women's suffrage during this era. It wasn't until the later suffrage movement in the 20th century that significant strides were made towards securing the voting rights of women in the United States.