The social climate in the United States prior to the 20th century was heavily influenced by the cult of domesticity, which allowed women to stay home and provide religious and moral instruction to their families, while also living lives of greater material comfort than in the past. Ultimately though, people like Theodora Youmans would urge for a change from these ideals because they detached women from the public world and politics. Youmans contributions from the women’s suffrage groups she was a part of, newspapers she wrote for, and public appearances she gave helped create a turning point in Wisconsin and United States history by allowing it to become the first state to ratify the 19th amendment.