Suffrage (suffering)

Important People

Definite people on the test are bolded

President Woodrow Wilson(served from 1913 to 1921):

• Opposed the Women’s Suffrage Movement by not backing the Susan B. Anthony Amendment

• Did not act until he was politically cornered

• Contradicted himself in WWI and women's suffrage

• Change of heart in 1918, when he commended the work and intelligence of suffragists

Carrie Chapman Catt (NAWSA):

• A suffragist herself, but thought that the protests went too far for seeking to “embarrass the president”

Susan B. Anthony (NAWSA):

• Founded the National American Women Suffrage Association with Elizabeth Cady Stanton (two presidents)

• 19th Amendment named after her

Alice Paul (NWP + NAWSA):

• Highly educated, graduated from top colleges (Swarthmore, Columbia University, University of Pennsylvania)

• founded the National Woman's Party with Lucy Burns

• A prominent figure in securing the ratification of the 19th Amendment

Christabel Pankhurst (WSPU):

• Militant suffragist who inspired Alice Paul with tactics such as pickets, arrests, imprisonment, and hunger strikes to gain attention

• Her mother, Emmeline Pankhurst founded the WSPU: Women's Social & Political Union

Lucy Burns (NAWSA + WSPU + NWP):

• Highly educated as well, became involved in Women’s suffrage in England where she also met Alice Paul (in London).

• founded the National Woman's Party(Successor of Congressional Union) with Alice Paul

• Spent the most jail time out of all suffragists (unapologetic nature)

Mentioned in the article (only study if you have extra time)

Harriot Stanton Blatch: Introduced the plan at Cameron House, daughter of Elizabeth Cady Stanton

Major Raymond W. Pullman: Superintendant of police, knew that suffragists did not violate the law, but agreed to find whatever excuse to arrest the suffragists due to complaints

John Hopkins: Husband of Alice Hopkins, worked with Wilson politically for years (financed his campaign), and confronted the president after seeing how the women (including his wife) were being treated at the Occoquan Workhouse

Dudley Field Malone: Attorney who resigned from Wilson’s administration in support of the suffragists

Mathew O’Brien: The lawyer working with Malone, showed evidence of the abuse happening in the workhouse to Judge Edmund Waddill, who allowed their transfer to district jail.

Dora Lewis: Hit her head on the wall and crumpled to the floor in the workhouse

Alice Cosu: Had a heart attack and vomited throughout the night

Timeline

• 1917 (Winter)- Protesting and picketing the White House begins

• 1917 (April and onwards)- War and aggression toward suffragists

• 1918- Jail and Occoquan Workhouse

• 1919- Passed and Ratified

1879: Lucy Burns born in New York

1885: Alice Paul born in New Jersey

1916: Wilson is reelected as president (1913 was when he first took office)

1917: Alice Paul and Lucy Burns meet in Cameron House; Harriot Stanton Blatch suggests a new form of protest

• Plan: silently protest “until his inauguration in March”, but it’s actually until the Susan B. Anthony Amendment passes

1917 (January): Suffragists silently protest in front of the White House on 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue

• Waved an American flag to show that they were patriots too

• Circled the White House 4 times for each year they pressed for a federal amendment

• Every day 10 am-6 pm except for Sundays

Advice-

1. Don’t be provoked into physical/verbal confrontation

2. No eye contact with angry bystanders

3. Stay quiet

4. Backs to the gate

5. Make sure signs are readable

1917 (April): The U.S. enters WWI and people assume that protesters will “hang up their sashes” to focus on contributing to the war effort (they don’t)

• Michigan, Rhode Island, and Nebraska grant voting rights to women

1917 (June): Outrage ensues due to a 10-foot sign reading “America is not a democracy. Twenty million American Women are denied the right to vote.”

• seen as a direct attack on the president

• the crowd was aggressive: destroyed the sign; pushed Burns

• suffragists persisted despite the threat of arrest and negotiations and protests with a new sign which was also destroyed

June 22: First arrest made, but released on personal recognizance (no-cost bail)

• When suffragists were given the choice of a lighter punishment (fines) or jail, they chose jail

Occoquan Workhouse (Washington D.C., Virginia)

16 more suffragists including Alice Hopkins are arrested/sent here

• inedible food, limited contact, harsh conditions

• John Hopkins visits his wife, becomes angry, and suggests passing the Susan B. Anthony Amendment which Wilson does not like (he offers a pardon instead, but the women refuse)

August: protests continue, and so does aggression towards the women

October: Alice Paul gets arrested for 7 months (district jail)

November:

• Paul begins a hunger strike, to which doctors respond by force-feeding her milk and raw eggs three times a day

• Lucy Burns arrested for 6 months (Occoquan Workhouse)

• The women were treated inhumanely and like they were crazy

Waddill hearing: Suffragists are transferred to district jail after Mathew O’Brien and Malone present evidence of their cruel treatment, and are later released

1918: Wilson, being in a tough position, announces his support for the Susan B. Amendment (said his personal opinion was unchanged but he had a change of heart later).

1919: Susan B. Anthony amendment is passed

1920: The 19th amendment is ratified: and becomes “law of the land”

“The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex”

Additional Information

Women’s Suffrages competed for headlines with news about WWI

“Silent Sentinels”

Picketed the White House, a place where President Wilson would not make it through without seeing them

Rapport

Bond; empathy; link

Clarion Call

A button made in 1915 proclaiming the suffrage caused (10 stars: 10 states that granted women the right to vote)