▁it ▁would ▁create ▁an ▁" ar ist ocracy ▁of ▁sex " ▁by ▁giving ▁constitution al ▁authority ▁to ▁the ▁idea ▁that ▁men ▁were ▁superior ▁to ▁women . ▁Lucy ▁Stone , ▁who ▁played ▁a ▁leading ▁role ▁in ▁the ▁NE WS A , ▁argued ▁that ▁suff rage ▁for ▁women ▁was ▁more ▁important ▁than ▁suff rage ▁for ▁black ▁men ▁but ▁also ▁supported ▁the ▁Fif teenth ▁Am end ment . ▁ ▁The ▁split ▁also ▁involved ▁different ▁assess ments ▁of ▁the ▁r uling ▁Republican ▁Party . ▁Many ▁leading ▁women ' s ▁suff rag ists ▁had ▁been ▁introduced ▁to ▁social ▁activ ism ▁through ▁the ▁anti - s la very ▁movement ▁and ▁felt ▁loyal ty ▁to ▁both ▁that ▁movement ▁and ▁to ▁the ▁Republican ▁Party , ▁which ▁had ▁provided ▁political ▁leadership ▁for ▁the ▁abol ition ▁of ▁sla very ▁in ▁the ▁U . S . ▁and ▁was ▁still ▁in ▁the ▁difficult ▁process ▁of ▁cons olid ating ▁that ▁victory . ▁After ▁the ▁un com fort ably ▁close ▁elections ▁of ▁ 1 8 6 8 , ▁Republican ▁leaders ▁recognized ▁the ▁importance ▁of ▁enf ranch ising ▁African ▁American ▁men , ▁most ▁of ▁whom ▁were ▁recently ▁fre ed ▁slaves , ▁as ▁a ▁way ▁of ▁helping ▁to ▁preserve ▁the ▁victory ▁over ▁slave hold ers ▁during ▁the ▁American ▁Civil ▁War ▁( 1 8 6 1 – 1 8 6 5 ). ▁They ▁and ▁their ▁abol ition ist ▁al lies ▁increasing ly ▁viewed ▁women ' s ▁suff rage ▁as ▁an ▁objective ▁that , ▁even ▁if ▁successful , ▁would ▁not ▁produce ▁compar able ▁political ▁benefits , ▁and ▁they ▁considered ▁the ▁campaign