suffrage

These Books Tell of Change Happening Slowly, then Suddenly

Historians Lynn Hunt, Adam Hochschild, Kate Clifford-Larse and Keenaga-Yamahtta Taylor are among the authors whose books dig beneath the surface of famous leaders to describe how social movements built the strength to change laws, institutions and ideas. 

"Mrs. Frank Leslie" Grew a Media Empire and Bankrolled the Women's Movement

Betsy Prioleau's book details the scandalous life and political impact of Mrs. Frank Leslie, who legally changed her name to that of her late husband and built a publishing empire. 

The Real Legacy of the Suffrage Movement

by Deborah Cohen

Historian Deborah Cohen reviews new books on the early womens movement by Rachel Holmes and Martha S. Jones. 

How History Classes on the Women’s Suffrage Movement Leave Out the Work of Black Voting Rights Activists

Historian Lisa Tetrault argues that the idea of the 1848 Seneca Falls convention as the birthplace of the American women's movement was a retroactive story used to include white, respectable, moderate suffragists and exclude both more radical women and women of color from the movement. 

Patsy Takemoto Mink Blazed The Trail For Kamala Harris – Not Susan B. Anthony

by Judy Tzu-Chun Wu

Patsy Takemoto Mink, elected in 1972 as the first woman of color in Congress, deserves recognition as a pioneering advocate for gender equity and the rights of Americans Caribbean and Pacific territories, and for preparing a path for Kamala Harris's election as Vice President. 

The Shine is off the City on the Hill: American Democracy Seen From Abroad

by Niels Eichhorn

Viewed from abroad, the American belief that their nation exemplifies democracy has always been viewed with skepticism. 

Radical Protests Propelled the Suffrage Movement. Here’s How a New Museum Captures That History

A prison employee named Irma Clifton was instrumental in preserving the site's legacy as the place where suffrage picketers in Washington DC were incarcerated, beaten and tortured in 1917.

Suffrage: Women's Long Battle for the Vote (Virtual Event, 10/26)

Speaker Ellen DuBois will be joined by panelists Kimberly A. Hamlin and Marcia Chatelain to discuss the history of Woman Suffrage for the Washington History Seminar, hosted by the Woodrow Wilson Center and the National History Center. 

Women Would Abolish Child Labor (and Other Anti-Suffrage Excuses)

A host of reactionary forces let by southern segregationists and big businesses mounted a last-ditch campaign to thwart the Nineteenth Amendment, raising false accusations of bribery and corruption against state officials who supported the amendment. When that failed, they took their case all the way to the Supreme Court, to no avail. 

For Black Women, The 19th Amendment Marked Not The End, But The Beginning Of The Movement For Voting Rights

by Martha S. Jones

Black women sought ways to exercise political power without the vote at the same time as they labored in a long campaign to win access the ballot. 

This Ida B. Wells Mosaic is also a Monument to Women’s Suffrage

While women of color have been sometimes overlooked throughout history, you can’t miss suffragist and civil rights icon Ida B. Wells inside Washington, D.C.’s Union Station right now.

Life Of Brooklyn Suffragette Shows Influence Black Women Had On The Historic Movement

Through her sister, historians are beginning to learn more about Sarah Jane Smith Garnet — a Suffragette whose role in the movement has been almost entirely overlooked.

"A History of Great Glory": The Consequential, Evolving Role of Black Sororities in Suffrage

From suffrage to 2020’s vice presidential nominee, Black sororities have been part of the political process. But some sisters believe their actions could be bolder. Historian Paula Giddings discusses the significance of Black sororities and social clubs in fighting for voting rights.   

She Was More Than Just the ‘Most Beautiful Suffragist’

A contemporary artist is recreating the final campaign of suffrage activist Inez Milholland through historical ephemera, primary documents, and photographic reenactments. 

Trump's Pardon May Be Undermining Anthony's Wishes, Historians Say

Susan B. Anthony was found guilty for voting in 1872. According to historians Deborah Hughes and Ann Gordon, Anthony "absolutely" did not want to be pardonned.

Susan B. Anthony was Arrested for Voting when Women Couldn’t. Now Trump will Pardon Her

Historian Ann Gordon, who has edited the papers of Susan B. Anthony, says that Trump's pardon is an especially misguided example of today's politicians trying to use Anthony's legacy for their own purposes.   

100 Years Later: The Complicated History Of The Women’s Suffrage Movement (Audio)

Historians Adele Logan Alexander and Lisa Tetrault discuss the complicated history of women's suffrage including racial divisions in the movement. 

Suffragists' Work Didn't End in 1920

by Mary Henold

Women of color and their allies truly won the right to vote for all American women not in 1920, but in 1965, with the passage of the Voting Rights Act. 

The Improbable Journey of the Suffragist Sash

by Hilary Levey Friedman

The sash embodies the suffragists’ vision of womanhood — one that was simultaneously progressive and regressive.  That vision helped move women into the public and political spheres, but it did so by emphasizing their appearance. 

How Queer Women Powered the Suffrage Movement

Many of the women who fought for representation were rebels living nonnormative, queer lives.