Women have struggled for many years to have equal status in society to their counterparts. Many tactics were employed such as hunger strikes, marches, and pickets. Although women were mistreated because of these controversial actions, they persisted for their cause and remained active in the streets despite backlash. Women of color tried to collaborate with the white women for suffrage, but they were ignored and left behind in their efforts.
Woman suffragists used New York City as a platform to promote change in politics. For instance, Hornsby and Blair both took off from Staten Island in order to raise awareness about their cause. They were among the first women to take advantage of the political climate in New York City. In the late 19th century, a new term was coined in New York known as “New Women”. The spike in the literacy rates and careers available to middle and upper class women allowed them to take on a new role like never before in New York. Women felt empowered because of the education and achievements that they got in the workforce, and, as a result, created organizations for voting rights. Voting rights have been given to women in the western states, but not in the eastern states. Women of color were ignored in their efforts to help with the suffrage movements as a result of the white’s personal prejudice. The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) became the first women’s organization to bring activism among women for suffrage. These women were inspired by the actions of the Woman’s Social and Political Union in England. Jaffe states, “In the nation’s largest, busiest, and most distracting city, suffragists had learned the first lesson of urban activism: Eye catching and ear catching street theater was a powerful tool– and a necessity— for winning the attention of the passing crowd” (147). Women who went out of their comfort zones and declared attention to raise awareness were seen as controversial in the early 1900’s. Men were offended by these brave women, showing hostility towards the pioneers’ uprisings. The suffrage spokeswomen used their own newspapers “to publicize their mistreatment thus making the point that they needed the vote to counterbalance the political power of such ‘low’ men” (Jaffe 148). The opposition among the men didn’t stop the women from leaving their mark on the movement. In 1915, women’s suffrage made its way onto the ballot in New York, which prompted thousands of marchers on the streets, one day strikes, and automobile parades on the streets of Manhattan. Although the referendum lost in 1915, activists continued fighting by carrying petitions and World War I banners. On November 6, 1917, the majority of male voters allowed New York to gain women’s suffrage. However, the women were still not pleased because they weren’t able to pass the Anthony Amendment. As a result of the NWP’s civil disobedience and “arrest and martyrdom”, they were able to achieve their goal of passing the 19th amendment in 1919.
The public called for women’s suffrage since 1848 with the Women’s Rights Convention in Seneca Falls. Around the end of the 1800’s, many of the western states such as Utah, Colorado, and Idaho passed suffrage laws while many others were unsuccessful. Alice Paul and Lucy Burns were the main women who were in charge of organizing a suffrage parade in Washington D.C the day before President WIlson’s inauguration. Lampert states, “The event would create a highly choreographed visual spectacle that foreshadowed how women would keep the issue of suffrage before Wilson throughout his presidency” (Lampert 112). The efforts of the white middle class women failed as men insulted them and ignored their demands. Yet, the women were able to raise awareness and gain media coverage because of their actions. In 1917, many middle class women picketed with banners in front of the White House and harrassed President Woodrow Wilson when he arrived in public. The NWP believed that President WIlson had the power to progress the passing of the 19th Amendment without resistance from the public. These acts of civil disobedience resulted in jail time since women were unwilling to pay fees because they were innocent. Women escalated their protests and “compared Wilson to the enemy, German Kaiser Wilhelm II” (Lampert 116). Women were fined with longer jail terms and were attacked as a result of their actions. Paul was definitely among the braver women who led a hunger strike and disobeyed all of the commands of the prison officers. This led to a public outcry, which caused more chaos in the Occoquan jail where hundreds of women were brutally attacked. President Wilson considered the idea of a federal amendment for women’s suffrage, but the Senate denied this with a filibuster. Finally in 1919, the states voted to ratify the 19th Amendment after all of the hard work and dedication of the women. The different tactics of picketing, hunger strikes, and marches led to an increase in coverage and awareness among the public. Women persevered in the cause for their own freedom to vote and were steadfast in the many approaches that they took to succeed against the President and other important men in society.
The struggle for women’s rights, lead by Susan B Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, has been one of the most influential movements in history that continues to inspire us today. The most important thing that Brent Staples notes is that the reality of the racism that existed during that time period was hidden by Stanton from others in the fight for women’s suffrage. African-American women didn’t really have a voice in the suffrage movement, due to leaders bowing to white supremacists’ pressure and general bigotry. “Black feminists in particular were enthusiastic to see if these remembrances own up to the real history of the fight for the vote — and whether black suffragists appear in them”(Staples). African American women were eager to advance the women’s suffrage movement to pass the 19th amendment, but their efforts were disregarded by the white women. Douglass, an African American man, made a significant contribution to the passing of the amendment that would’ve failed otherwise. Both white women and black women had different incentive for the right to vote. White women wanted to be equal to their husbands and sons, while black women wanted to feel entitled after the Emancipation Proclamation. Staples also mentions the mentality of white women who believed that “white woman would be degraded if Negro men preceded them into the franchise”. This quote emphasizes the nature of the argument that the whites thought of themselves as superior compared to other races. Although African American were also women who were fighting for the same right to vote, they were most ironically discriminated against for their color amongst white women. Even though the 19th Amendment was passed and was celebrated among white suffragists, African Americans experienced high levels of fraud and intimidation when they went to vote. African Americans were officially given the right to vote through the Voting Rights Act of 1965 half a century later. These hidden thoughts were out of the public’s eye and everyone congratulated the “white” women’s right to vote unknowing what happened to the African Americans. History tends to sublimate wrongdoings of the majority to exhibit the victories of the nation as a whole.
Jaffe and Lampert both characterize the women’s suffrage movement as a collective effort of all women. They highlight the marches, jail time, and activism that women struggled through in order for men to perceive them as equal. Men were against the unladylike actions that women were seen portraying in the 1900s. Jaffe tends to mention the beginnings of the suffrage movement and how women were able to raise awareness of the suffrage movement for women. Lampert emphasizes the specific actions of civil disobedience that women took to get legislation passed. He portrays the extreme measures that women went through for their equal voting rights. Lampert and Jaffe rarely mentioned the women of color who also tried to progress the issue of women’s rights. While Staples portrays the women’s suffrage as a phenomenal movement, he presents the concealed secrets that aren’t examined while discussing the women’s suffrage movement. He mentions the degradation of African American women and the elite mentality that the white women had. They were unwilling to accept the women of color into the marches and protests for the women’s suffrage movement. Two of the readings intertwine the notion of women fighting for their rights, while the other exposes the harsh reality that was unspoken in that time period.
We have discussed the white men having all of the power and advantages throughout history. Women had been domesticated and were unable to reach the same achievements as men. The women’s suffrage movement was a change from the status quo on the part of women. They worked for equal rights, as we know it. History tends to “forget” to acknowledge the colored women who were barred from showing their activism. As a result, white women were the only ones who achieved the right to vote from the 19th Amendment.
Anisha Bhuiyan
