Womanhood & Citizenship: The American Woman

Suffrage Movement, 1869-1920

Declaration of Sentiments, 1848

Movement split, 1869

Fifteenth Amendment, 1870

Minor v. Happersett, 1874

Origins

Held first Women’s Rights Convention, 1848

“Brains” of the movement: inspirational writings and speeches

Increasingly radical views (The Woman’s Bible)

Dies in 1902

Elizabeth Cady Stanton

“Legs” of the movement

Living symbol of suffrage cause due to ceaseless travel

“Aunt Susan” to many

Dies in 1906

Susan B. Anthony

Legislation: Married Women’s Property Acts

Higher Education

WCTU founding, 1874; NACW, 1896

United in one organization/one cause, 1890

Women voting in 4 western states: Wyoming(1869); Utah(1870); Colorado(1893); Idaho(1896).

Successes

Challenges:

Other compelling issues drawing women away

Arduous state-by-state campaigns

New leaders needed

Woman Suffrage in 1900

Harriot Stanton Blatch

New Leaders

Alice Stone Blackwell

New Leaders

Carrie Chapman Catt, c. 1900 Anna Howard Shaw

"Nothing bigger can come to a human being than to love a great cause more than life itself."

Movement now international

British Pankhursts spur new assertiveness

4 more western states won 1910-2(WA, CA, KS, OR)

New generation of women unwilling to wait

Suffrage in the “Doldrums”?

The Pankhursts

Emmeline Pankhurst Christabel Pankhurst

The Pankhursts

The Pankhursts

Blatch steps forward

New Organizations

New Tactics

More British inspiration

Alice Paul

► Quaker from Moorestown NJ

► Early twenties ► Studying in Britain 1908-09

Back to America

► Alice Paul returns 1910

► How to use British experience for American suffrage?

► Approaches leaders of NAWSA in 1912

NAWSA Hesitance

Anna Howard Shaw, c. 1910

Suffrage parade of 1913

Womanhood & Citizenship:

► Generations

► Strategy

► Tactics

Suff ragists split

NAWSA TACTICS

Carrie Chapman Catt, c. 1915

NWP Tactics

Picketing begins

► First pickets outside White House in January 1917

► “Silent Sentinels” with banners

► More controversial after WWI declared in April

Arrests Begin

Arrests continue

Arrest & Prison

► Lucy Burns most often arrested

► Prominent women in jail drew attention

► Nearly 200 eventually imprisoned

Arrest & Prison

Alice Paul in Prison

► Long sentence drew criticism

► Daily articles about AP condition

► Mental examination

► Pickets continued

Release—Victory?

► All pickets released before Thanksgiving 1917

► New York state had won suffrage in meantime

► Wilson declares support for constitutional amendment January 1918; House passes.

► Senate passes June 1919

States Ratify

19th Amendment Ratified

August 26, 1920

Themes:

Women moving into public life esp. after 1870 Suffrage part of Progressive reforms Using publicity to get results Consumer society: creating posters, small goods to gain

support, advertise. What’s worth going to jail for?

Using Suffrage in classroom

Class activities

► Create posters, broadsides incorporating favorite images and persuasive techniques

► Examine posters, etc. for symbolic content and connect to suffrage

Suff rage Art

► Using suffrage songs to sing; create new; examine means of persuasion.

► Examine supporters/non-supporters of suffrage as a window on society pre-WWI.

►Use controversy over picketing to talk about meaning of patriotism.

Other activities

Questions?