Woman Suffrage

Key Ideas

1. The fight for woman suffrage was not new in this era, but the rise of social reform gave it new momentum.

2. Women across racial, economic, and social lines fought for the vote using a variety of strategies and tactics.

3. Not all women wanted the vote, and the anti-suffrage movement was led by many outspoken women.

4. The ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment enfranchised women nationally, but it also raised questions about how to empower women to exercise their new right to vote.

Introduction

“Votes for Women” Pennant, 1910-1920, United States. New-York Historical Society

Woman Suffrage

The fight for woman suffrage was not new in this era, but it did have new momentum.

The rise of social reform and progressive politics breathed fresh life into a movement that had begun decades earlier. As early leaders like Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony retired, new leaders across the nation brought vitalized energy to the movement. Membership in the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) jumped from 13,000 in 1893 to around 75,000 in 1910.

Early twentieth century suffragists embraced the strategies of cross-class activists. Demonstrations and parades took the movement into the streets. By downplaying the demand for equality and emphasizing women’s special domestic qualities, suffragists rebranded themselves as non-threatening reformers.

The road to suffrage was not without challenges. Although women of diverse backgrounds fought for suffrage, the movement’s leadership remained white and middle class. Black women in particular were forced to fight on the margins and faced racism from suffragists who saw black activism as a direct threat to the cause. Furthermore, not all women wanted the vote, and many vehemently fought against suffrage.

Suffragists were rewarded on August 26, 1920, when Tennessee became the thirty-sixth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Election Day 1920 was a cause for celebration. But when only one-third of eligible women voted and most women of color were barred from the polling place, new challenges became clear.

Section Essential Questions

1. Why was obtaining the vote so critically important to so many women

2. How did the suffrage movement intersect with the broader social reform movement of the era?

3. What were the arguments and tactics suffragists and anti-suffragists used to promote their respective sides?

4. How did race, class, and geography factor into the debate over suffrage and ultimately shape how different women were able to participate in the movement?

Resources

TOGETHER FOR HOME AND FAMILY

A suffrage poster with a multi-faceted view of womanhood that places men and women as equals, but still celebrates women as homemakers and caretakers.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

suffrage, women artists, fashion history, domesticity, suffrage activism on the state level

ARGUMENTS FOR AND AGAINST SUFFRAGE

A pair of documents that present competing arguments for and against women gaining the right to vote.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

suffrage, anti-suffrage, domesticity, competing arguments and opposing perspectives, domesticity and social reform

BLACK SUFFRAGISTS

An article written by black suffragist Adella Hunt Logan and published in the NAACP’s publication The Crisis. It includes reasons why the vote was particularly important to black women.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

suffrage, black activism and citizenship, the NAACP, The Crisis, education for black citizens, juvenile justice system and race

WHITE SOUTHERN ACTIVISTS AND ANTI-SUFFRAGE

A photograph taken as the Tennessee state legislature debated ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. It aligns the anti-suffragist campaign with the preservation of the Old South.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

suffrage and anti-suffrage, the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment, the Lost Cause and Confederate ideology

ELECTION DAY 1920

The front page of the The West Virginian newspaper on Election Day 1920, the first national election after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

suffrage, Election Day, West Virginia history, Nineteenth Amendment

THE NAACP FIGHTS TO PROTECT VOTERS

An excerpt from the NAACP’s testimony before Congress that includes the challenges black women faced as they attempted to exercise their Constitutionally-granted right to vote.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

Nineteenth Amendment, United States Congress, the NAACP, Civil Rights, Black Citizenship, Jim Crow racism, Suffrage, Voting Rights

Life Stories

JEANNETTE RANKIN

The story of the first female member of Congress and her refusal to allow politics to influence her personal beliefs and morals, particularly in regards to peace.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

suffrage, United States Congress, women politicians, pacifism, World War I, World War II, Vietnam War

MARY CHURCH TERRELL

The story of a lifelong activist who advocated for suffrage and equal rights on local, national, and international stages.

CURRICULUM CONNECTIONS:

suffrage, Civil Rights, black activism, education opportunities for black women, segregation, Jim Crow racism