Alice Duer Miller
Father, what is a Legislature?
A representative body elected by the people of the state.
Are women people?
No, my son, criminals, lunatics and women are not people.
Do legislators legislate for nothing?
Oh, no; they are paid a salary.
By whom?
By the people.
Are women people?
Of course, my son, just as much as men are.
The War of Civil Disobedience: The Debate of Women’s Rights to Vote
In the early 1900s and earlier the law did not protect women, it was a husband’s job to do so, and if he was abusive there was nothing to protect her. If a woman was raped, beaten, or became pregnant before marriage, it was her fault. In a time when law did not protect women against domestic violence; the law didn’t even have a name for it. Many said that a women’s vocabulary should have three words, Husband, obedience, and God. Women were suppressed in the dark, not allowed to learn, not allowed to own, and not allowed to make their own income once married.
Though the suffrage movement was for women’s right to vote, but also for a change in a way of life. For these reasons the suffrage movement began.
Women’s suffrage was opposed by many reasons, one of them being gender ideology, sexism, and for the African-American women, race.
"Gender ideology refers to attitudes regarding the appropriate roles, rights, and responsibilities of women and men in society,” and this was a big deal to many people.
Women’s suffrage in the United States officially started at the Seneca Falls, New York Convention, of 1848. At the convention it was stated that women should have the right to preach, be educated, teach, and be able to make living. With this, the suffrage movement got started to back track centuries of history of how women were treated.
There were critics of this convention, A New York newspaper said: “This bolt is the most shocking and unnatural incident ever recorded in the history of humanity. It will...prove a monstrous injury to all mankind.”
THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT (Introduced In 1878)
TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
The right of citizens of the United States to vote Shall not be denied or abridged By the United States Or b y any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Neither the United nor any state has the right to keep a citizen from voting because she is a woman. Congress has the power to make laws that will make this amendment effective.
The oppositions to the Suffrage movement:
Religion: Some said that, “God gives man the authority over women.”
Moralists: People who felt women’s only place was with the family and taking care of the family.
The liquor industry: Didn’t want women to get the vote because, many women wanted temperance and to make alcohol illegal.
Heads of Industry: Feared that if women got the vote they would take money out of their pockets by enforcing child labor laws, and trying to get better working conditions.
Anti-Suffragists: Were the people who thought of women as beneath men, or that any woman who voted would be corrupted by politics, and would not attend to her domestic duties.
Leaders of Women’s Suffrage:
Feminism
Alice Duer Miller
“Mother, what is a Feminist?”
“A Feminist, my daughter,
Is any woman now who cares?
To think about her own affairs
As men don’t think she oughter.”
The Suffrage movement was lead by many women throughout time, female organizers, lobbyists, politicians, journalists, visionaries, rabble-rousers, and mothers. Lead by the brightest and boldest women in America.
The “pioneers” of the movement were Lucy Stone the first ever recorded American woman to keep her own last name, Susan B. Anthony Co-founder of the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who organized first women’s rights and suffrage movements. Later in the 1900s the movement was lead by Lucy Burns, Alice Paul a close friend of Lucy Burns, together they created the National Women’s Party, and Carrie Chapman Catt who served as president to the NAWSA (National American Woman’s Suffrage Association).
“Civil disobedience is a public, non-violent breach of law undertaken with the aim of bringing about a change in laws or government policies.”
Starting in the early 19th century, supporters of the 19th amendment practiced forms of Civil disobedience, such as lecturing, writing, campaigning, marching, and lobbying to achieve the radical change in the constitution. While more radical suffragists used hunger strikes, and picketing.
On March 3, 1913, The NAWSA sponsored a Woman Suffrage Parade and demonstration in Washington D.C. Inez Milholland Boissevai, a suffragette, led more than 5,000 suffragettes down Pennsylvania Avenue, riding a white horse. The women from countries that had already given women the right to vote was in a place of honor in the front row. The “Pioneers” who started the movement so many years back at the Seneca Falls convention came next. After them came the working women, who were grouped by their profession and wore their work garb, women farmers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, and actresses.
Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, having seen the success in Britain, used more radical tactics. The NAWSA did not agree with the tactics. This in turn, led to the starting of the National Women’s Party.
In the years of 1917 and 1918, Five hundred suffragists were arrested for picketing the white house. While 168 of them, including Alice Paul, were convicted and sent to jail. They held signs in front of the White House for days. President Wilson hoped that sending the women to jail would keep them from coming, but every time a woman was sent to jail another would take her place. They were in incarcerated for seven months on the charges of blocking sidewalk traffic. A crime given to them, because picketing was legal. During the picketing women were attacked and physically hurt. The police on the scene turned a blind eye to the violence to the women. In a last run to keep the women from picketing the guards mistreated and beat some women to scare them from coming back. Many women went on hunger strikes and were force-fed. The unfair treatment to these women got out to the public, and protesters came, the women were than freed from jail.
All the suffragettes used Civil disobedience as their sword for Women’s suffrage Movement. This in the end held a long term and peaceful transition into wining the vote for the 19th amendment.
The House voted for the 19th amendment in January of 1918. The vote was so close,
Four representatives came from their sick beds to vote yes on the amendment, another representative left the deathbed of his wife, a dedicated suffragist, to be present for a yes votes. Then the amendment went to the Senate, it lost by two votes. However the suffragists would not give up yet, they kept speaking, and lobbying. Until in 1919 the amendment finally passed the Senate.
The last process to winning this “battle” was ratifying it in 36 states. It took a lot of lobbying, campaigning, and writings to finally ratify the 19th amendment, and the ratification came with the vote from Tennessee, the vote almost didn’t pass. State Representative, Harry Burn, gave a deciding vote, with a letter from his mother.
Dear Son:
Hurrah, and vote for suffrage! Don’t keep them in doubt. I notice some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet.
Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the “rat” in ratification.
Your Mother.
-
Note from Phoebe Burn to her son, 1920
Harry Burn when asked why he voted for suffrage
“I believe in full suffrage as a right. I believe we had a moral and legal right to ratify.
I know a mother’s advice is always safest for her boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification.”
On August 24, 1920, the Secretary of State signed the 19th Amendment into law.
Giving half the population of US the elective franchise and the 70-year “war” for suffrage was won!
The women of The United States have the right to vote today because of the woman suffrage movement.
“Inspired by idealism and grounded in sacrifice, the suffrage campaign is of enormous political and social significance yet it is virtually unacknowledged in the chronicles of American history.” – Robert Cooney
If the suffrage movement had not been so ignored, women like Alice Paul and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, would be as familiar to us as George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln.
Americans would know the history of how women were denied the right to vote despite the words written in the Constitution. We would understand the stories of their trials of how they defeated and cheated in elections, and how they were forced to fight for their rights against the more powerful oppositions.
If more was known about the suffrage movement we could realize how much our country changed only after the courageous efforts of American citizens, ones who had almost no financial, legal or political power.
You will realize that the Suffrage movement is one of the most profound nonviolent movements to change ingrained social attitudes and institutions that had been formed centuries before.
"Perhaps some day men will raise a tablet reading in letters of gold: "All honor to women, the first disenfranchised class in history who unaided by any political party won enfranchisement by its own effort alone, and achieved the victory without the shedding of a drop of human blood. All the honor to the women of the world!'"--- Harriot Stanton Blatch.
Father, what is a Legislature?
A representative body elected by the people of the state.
Are women people?
No, my son, criminals, lunatics and women are not people.
Do legislators legislate for nothing?
Oh, no; they are paid a salary.
By whom?
By the people.
Are women people?
Of course, my son, just as much as men are.
The War of Civil Disobedience: The Debate of Women’s Rights to Vote
In the early 1900s and earlier the law did not protect women, it was a husband’s job to do so, and if he was abusive there was nothing to protect her. If a woman was raped, beaten, or became pregnant before marriage, it was her fault. In a time when law did not protect women against domestic violence; the law didn’t even have a name for it. Many said that a women’s vocabulary should have three words, Husband, obedience, and God. Women were suppressed in the dark, not allowed to learn, not allowed to own, and not allowed to make their own income once married.
Though the suffrage movement was for women’s right to vote, but also for a change in a way of life. For these reasons the suffrage movement began.
Women’s suffrage was opposed by many reasons, one of them being gender ideology, sexism, and for the African-American women, race.
"Gender ideology refers to attitudes regarding the appropriate roles, rights, and responsibilities of women and men in society,” and this was a big deal to many people.
Women’s suffrage in the United States officially started at the Seneca Falls, New York Convention, of 1848. At the convention it was stated that women should have the right to preach, be educated, teach, and be able to make living. With this, the suffrage movement got started to back track centuries of history of how women were treated.
There were critics of this convention, A New York newspaper said: “This bolt is the most shocking and unnatural incident ever recorded in the history of humanity. It will...prove a monstrous injury to all mankind.”
THE NINETEENTH AMENDMENT (Introduced In 1878)
TO THE CONSTITUTION OF THE UNITED STATES
The right of citizens of the United States to vote Shall not be denied or abridged By the United States Or b y any State on account of sex. Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. Neither the United nor any state has the right to keep a citizen from voting because she is a woman. Congress has the power to make laws that will make this amendment effective.
The oppositions to the Suffrage movement:
Religion: Some said that, “God gives man the authority over women.”
Moralists: People who felt women’s only place was with the family and taking care of the family.
The liquor industry: Didn’t want women to get the vote because, many women wanted temperance and to make alcohol illegal.
Heads of Industry: Feared that if women got the vote they would take money out of their pockets by enforcing child labor laws, and trying to get better working conditions.
Anti-Suffragists: Were the people who thought of women as beneath men, or that any woman who voted would be corrupted by politics, and would not attend to her domestic duties.
Leaders of Women’s Suffrage:
Feminism
Alice Duer Miller
“Mother, what is a Feminist?”
“A Feminist, my daughter,
Is any woman now who cares?
To think about her own affairs
As men don’t think she oughter.”
The Suffrage movement was lead by many women throughout time, female organizers, lobbyists, politicians, journalists, visionaries, rabble-rousers, and mothers. Lead by the brightest and boldest women in America.
The “pioneers” of the movement were Lucy Stone the first ever recorded American woman to keep her own last name, Susan B. Anthony Co-founder of the National American Woman’s Suffrage Association, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton who organized first women’s rights and suffrage movements. Later in the 1900s the movement was lead by Lucy Burns, Alice Paul a close friend of Lucy Burns, together they created the National Women’s Party, and Carrie Chapman Catt who served as president to the NAWSA (National American Woman’s Suffrage Association).
“Civil disobedience is a public, non-violent breach of law undertaken with the aim of bringing about a change in laws or government policies.”
Starting in the early 19th century, supporters of the 19th amendment practiced forms of Civil disobedience, such as lecturing, writing, campaigning, marching, and lobbying to achieve the radical change in the constitution. While more radical suffragists used hunger strikes, and picketing.
On March 3, 1913, The NAWSA sponsored a Woman Suffrage Parade and demonstration in Washington D.C. Inez Milholland Boissevai, a suffragette, led more than 5,000 suffragettes down Pennsylvania Avenue, riding a white horse. The women from countries that had already given women the right to vote was in a place of honor in the front row. The “Pioneers” who started the movement so many years back at the Seneca Falls convention came next. After them came the working women, who were grouped by their profession and wore their work garb, women farmers, doctors, nurses, lawyers, and actresses.
Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, having seen the success in Britain, used more radical tactics. The NAWSA did not agree with the tactics. This in turn, led to the starting of the National Women’s Party.
In the years of 1917 and 1918, Five hundred suffragists were arrested for picketing the white house. While 168 of them, including Alice Paul, were convicted and sent to jail. They held signs in front of the White House for days. President Wilson hoped that sending the women to jail would keep them from coming, but every time a woman was sent to jail another would take her place. They were in incarcerated for seven months on the charges of blocking sidewalk traffic. A crime given to them, because picketing was legal. During the picketing women were attacked and physically hurt. The police on the scene turned a blind eye to the violence to the women. In a last run to keep the women from picketing the guards mistreated and beat some women to scare them from coming back. Many women went on hunger strikes and were force-fed. The unfair treatment to these women got out to the public, and protesters came, the women were than freed from jail.
All the suffragettes used Civil disobedience as their sword for Women’s suffrage Movement. This in the end held a long term and peaceful transition into wining the vote for the 19th amendment.
The House voted for the 19th amendment in January of 1918. The vote was so close,
Four representatives came from their sick beds to vote yes on the amendment, another representative left the deathbed of his wife, a dedicated suffragist, to be present for a yes votes. Then the amendment went to the Senate, it lost by two votes. However the suffragists would not give up yet, they kept speaking, and lobbying. Until in 1919 the amendment finally passed the Senate.
The last process to winning this “battle” was ratifying it in 36 states. It took a lot of lobbying, campaigning, and writings to finally ratify the 19th amendment, and the ratification came with the vote from Tennessee, the vote almost didn’t pass. State Representative, Harry Burn, gave a deciding vote, with a letter from his mother.
Dear Son:
Hurrah, and vote for suffrage! Don’t keep them in doubt. I notice some of the speeches against. They were bitter. I have been watching to see how you stood, but have not noticed anything yet.
Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt put the “rat” in ratification.
Your Mother.
-
Note from Phoebe Burn to her son, 1920
Harry Burn when asked why he voted for suffrage
“I believe in full suffrage as a right. I believe we had a moral and legal right to ratify.
I know a mother’s advice is always safest for her boy to follow, and my mother wanted me to vote for ratification.”
On August 24, 1920, the Secretary of State signed the 19th Amendment into law.
Giving half the population of US the elective franchise and the 70-year “war” for suffrage was won!
The women of The United States have the right to vote today because of the woman suffrage movement.
“Inspired by idealism and grounded in sacrifice, the suffrage campaign is of enormous political and social significance yet it is virtually unacknowledged in the chronicles of American history.” – Robert Cooney
If the suffrage movement had not been so ignored, women like Alice Paul and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, would be as familiar to us as George Washington, or Abraham Lincoln.
Americans would know the history of how women were denied the right to vote despite the words written in the Constitution. We would understand the stories of their trials of how they defeated and cheated in elections, and how they were forced to fight for their rights against the more powerful oppositions.
If more was known about the suffrage movement we could realize how much our country changed only after the courageous efforts of American citizens, ones who had almost no financial, legal or political power.
You will realize that the Suffrage movement is one of the most profound nonviolent movements to change ingrained social attitudes and institutions that had been formed centuries before.
"Perhaps some day men will raise a tablet reading in letters of gold: "All honor to women, the first disenfranchised class in history who unaided by any political party won enfranchisement by its own effort alone, and achieved the victory without the shedding of a drop of human blood. All the honor to the women of the world!'"--- Harriot Stanton Blatch.
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