Cover of New Southern Citizen.
Cover of New Southern Citizen, October 1914, Madeline Breckinridge Papers, Library of Congress Manuscript Division (via Wikimedia Commons).
Postcard from the Georgia Association Opposed to Woman’s Suffrage.
Postcard from the Georgia Association Opposed to Woman’s Suffrage, ca. 1915 (HR64A-F20.4). Record Group 233: Records of the U.S. House of Representatives, 1789-2015. National Records and Archives Administration.
Background
The debate over women’s suffrage was complicated by widespread racism. Most Southern states had laws that severely limited the rights of Black citizens. Many white Southerners feared that the passage of a women’s suffrage amendment might lead to the United States government shutting down these discriminatory laws. Another concern was voting numbers. In some regions of the South, Black Americans outnumbered white Americans. White Americans feared that granting Black women the right to vote would result in white people in those regions losing control of local government.
For some white women, reinforcing white supremacy was more important than expanding women’s rights. Some refused to support women’s suffrage at all. Others only supported the pursuit of state suffrage laws, believing that local laws would allow discrimination against Black voters to continue. This led to Black suffragists getting sidelined in the national movement for women’s suffrage by leaders who thought the movement would fail without the support of white Southern women.
About the Resources
The first resource is the cover of a pamphlet produced by the Southern States Woman Suffrage Conference (SSWSC). SSWSC opposed a women’s suffrage amendment to the constitution. They feared that a new amendment would undermine state laws that prevented Black people from voting. Instead, SSWSC wanted women’s suffrage to be passed by each state. They thought this improved their chances of keeping laws that discriminated against Black voters.
The second image is a postcard produced by the Georgia chapter of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage (NAOWS). It was mailed to Congress between 1915 and 1917.
Vocabulary
- amendment: A formal change or addition to the US Constitution.
- suffrage: The right of voting; in this era, suffrage often referred specifically to women’s suffrage, or the right of women to vote.
- suffragist: A person who campaigned to win women the right to vote.
- white supremacy: A racist belief that white people are superior to people of all other races.
Discussion Questions
- What is the double meaning behind the slogan “Make the Southern States White?” What does this reveal about the Southern State’s Woman Suffrage Conference’s approach to the question of women’s suffrage?
- Why did the Georgia anti-suffrage group send this postcard to members of Congress?
- Taken together, what do these two sources reveal about white Southern suffragists and anti-suffragists?
Suggested Activities
- Consider these documents alongside the Fourteenth and Fifteenth Amendments of the US Constitution. How do these documents contradict the Constitution? Why do you think people pursued them anyway?
- To learn about the consequences of the widespread racism in the Southern women’s suffrage movement, see Race and the Suffrage Parade.
- For a more comprehensive study of the role of race in the suffrage movement, consider this collection of resources along with these additional materials:
- Pair this resource with Resources 8 and 13 in the Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow curriculum. How did the culture of Jim Crow contribute to Southern attitudes about women’s suffrage?
Themes
AMERICAN IDENTITY AND CITIZENSHIP; ACTIVISM AND SOCIAL CHANGE
