Exploring Women's Suffrage through 50 Historic Treasures

by Jessica D. Jenkins

Overview

A full-color exploration of the history of women's suffrage.

From hunger strikes to massive parades, the American women’s suffrage movement grabbed the attention of citizens and politicians around the United States. Posters, lapel buttons, and even luncheonette plates carried the iconic phrase, “Votes for Women.” Over time this phrase became not only a slogan, but a rallying cry for the movement. Today, museums, libraries, universities, and historic sites across the country care for the objects and places that tell the story of suffrage. Exploring Women’s Suffrage through 50 Historic Treasures brings together a selection of these cultural gems representing the milestones, people, and legacy of the long campaign for women’s voting rights. Through color photos and short essays detailing each object’s story, readers will not only find themselves in the action of a groundbreaking social and political movement, but they are also transported around the nation to the institutions and sites that are the keepers of the country’s past.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781538112809
Publisher:	Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, Inc.
Publication date:	04/20/2020
Series:	AASLH Exploring America's Historic Treasures , #1
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	344
File size:	7 MB

About the Author

Jessica D. Jenkins has worked in museums and cultural institutions for over ten years, specializing in collection and exhibition curation. After receiving a Bachelor of Arts in history at Quincy University she completed a Master of Arts in public history from Central Connecticut State University. As a graduate student Jessica undertook the study of the women’s suffrage movement, continuing to deepen her knowledge and study of the subject since. Her previous publications on the topic include articles for the journal Connecticut History and the magazine Connecticut Explored. In addition to her work on suffrage, Jessica co-authored the 2015 book, House of Worth: Fashion Sketches, 1916-1918 and has written on other historic topics such as World War I poster art. She previously served as curator of collections for the Litchfield Historical Society, Litchfield, Connecticut, where she was responsible for the management of the institution’s museum collection and exhibition program of its two museums – the Litchfield History Museum, and the Tapping Reeve House and Litchfield Law School. In her current role as curator for Minnetrista, Muncie, Indiana, Jessica plays a key role in the care of the institution’s historic collection and the telling of its stories.

Table of Contents

Contents

List of Illustrations

Preface

Timeline

Acknowledgements

Introduction

Part I: Early Years

Chapter 1. Laying a Strong Foundation

Chapter 2. Pawns of Politics

Chapter 3. Change Begins With Education

Chapter 4. Created Equal

Chapter 5. “Ain’t I A Woman?”

Chapter 6. Dressing the Part

Part II: Organizations

Chapter 7. Organizing a Nation

Chapter 8. What’s Old Is New Again

Chapter 9. Scandinavians for Suffrage

Chapter 10. Votes for Justice

Chapter 11. One of Many Cogs

Part III: Symbols

Chapter 12. Votes for Women

Chapter 13. Loyalty, Purity, and Life

Chapter 14. The War of the Roses

Chapter 15. The Spirit of 1776

Chapter 16. Identity Erased

Chapter 17. Martyr for the Cause

Part IV: Consumer Culture and Publicity

Chapter 18. The Modern Shopper

Chapter 19. Posters as Publicity

Chapter 20. All Buttoned Up

Chapter 21. A Recipe For Success

Chapter 22. Suffrage on the Silver Screen

Part V: Allies

Chapter 23. Catching Fire

Chapter 24. Converting to The Cause

Chapter 25. Men for Suffrage

Chapter 26. If You Scratch my Back, I’ll Scratch Yours

Part VI: Roadblocks and Setbacks

Chapter 27. Unrequited Love

Chapter 28. Rampant Racism

Chapter 29. A Formidable Opponent

Chapter 30. Courting the System

Chapter 31. The South

Part VII: Tactics and Public Demonstrations

Chapter 32. Read All About It!

Chapter 33. Suffrage with a Side of Soup

Chapter 34. On the Road to Victory

Chapter 35. Lifting As We Climb

Chapter 36. Lobbying for the Vote

Chapter 37. Swimming for Suffrage

Chapter 38. Falling into Line

Chapter 39. Jailed for Freedom

Part VIII: Milestones

Chapter 40. Winning the West

Chapter 41. Progressing in Politics

Chapter 42. A Move Eastward

Chapter 43. Walking Into History

Chapter 44. Tipping the Scale

Chapter 45. Mother Knows Best

Part IX: Legacy

Chapter 46. Under the Watchful Eye

Chapter 47. Bridges of Hope

Chapter 48. Taking the Next Step 0650

Chapter 49. Going Global

Chapter 50. Reckoning with the Past … and Future

Appendix – Significant Suffrage Victories in the United States

Bibliography

Index

About the Author

Editorial Reviews

This clearly written, engaging book gives a new perspective on the suffrage movement by exploring tangible objects. State and local institutions will be inspired to use objects in their collections to tell new suffrage stories.

Heather Munro Prescott

Who would have guessed that 50 objects could reveal so much complexity in the history of American suffrage? Or that it could be so engaging to explore?

Briann Greenfield

A beautiful combination of historical overview and rich material culture brings the history of women’s suffrage to life. Jessica Jenkins addresses the complex history of the movement in an accessible, engaging way through the brilliant use of objects—famous and little known—collected by public institutions of all kinds.

Stephanie Rowe

This unique, fascinating book carries the reader into the struggle surrounding the 19th amendment, presenting fifty essays about objects related to the people and events that inched the suffragists closer to success.. .. Jenkins, a museum curator, is a wonderful guide, making the story clear and engaging. .. [A] marvelous exploration of a slice of American history.

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