Summary. In 17th and 18th century America, a new image of women emerged and began to shape public opinion and understanding of women's roles in society. Identified by her contemporaries, raised in New York and London, Milholland made a name for herself early in suffrage circles by shouting "Votes for Women" through a megaphone from an upper story window during a campaign. National Museum of Women's History. For years, the central goal of the feminist movement was to give women the right to vote. Although they continued to participate in other social movements, many first-wave feminists believed that suffrage was the key to unlocking other rights. However, for other groups of women, the right to. In years, NAWSA membership numbered in the millions. The National Woman's Party NWP, under the leadership of Alice Paul, was a more militant organization. The NWP took radical action, including picketing the White House, to convince Wilson and Congress to pass a women's suffrage amendment. In,