Votes for Women! The American Woman Suffrage Movement and the Nineteenth Amendment: A Reference Guide

by Marion W. Roydhouse

Overview

This contextual narrative of the 70-year history of the woman suffrage movement in the United States demonstrates how an important mass political and social movement coalesced into a political force despite class, racial, ethnic, religious, and regional barriers.
Votes for Women! provides an updated consideration of the questions raised by the mass movement to gain equality and access to power in our democracy. It interprets the campaigns for woman suffrage from the 1830s until 1920, analyzes the impact of the Nineteenth Amendment, and presents primary documents to allow a glimpse into the minds of those who campaigned for and against woman suffrage.

The book's examination of the 70-year woman suffrage campaign shows how the movement faced enormous barriers, was perceived as threatening the very core of accepted beliefs, and was a struggle that showcased the efforts of strong protagonists and brilliant organizers who were intellectually innovative and yet were reflective of the great divides of race, ethnicity, religion, economics, and region existing across the nation. Included within the narrative section are biographies of significant personalities in the movement, such as militant Alice Paul and anti-suffragist Ida Tarbell as well as more commonly known leaders Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9798765129623
Publisher:	Bloomsbury Academic
Publication date:	07/25/2024
Series:	Guides to Historic Events in America
Pages:	348
Product dimensions:	6.12(w) x 9.25(h) x 1.00(d)

About the Author

Marion W. Roydhouse, PhD, is emerita professor of history and founding director of the Center for Teaching Innovation and Nexus Learning at Philadelphia University, Philadelphia, PA.

Table of Contents

Series Foreword
Preface
Introduction—Women Vote: The Brief Episode of New Jersey
Chronology: Woman Suffrage
Chapter 1. A World of Hope: Abolition and Woman's Rights, 1807–1861
Chapter 2. The Civil War and the Great Schism, 1861–1870
Chapter 3. The New Departure and the Rights of Citizens, 1870–1880
Chapter 4. Woman Suffrage Becomes Respectable, 1870–1900
Chapter 5. The History of Woman Suffrage and Unification, 1880–1890
Chapter 6. Out of the Doldrums, 1905–1915
Chapter 7. New Coalitions, New Suffragists, and New Tactics, 1910–1915
Chapter 8. The Final Triumph, 1910–1920
Aftermath—New Voters: What Changed?
Biographical Essays
Abigail Jane Scott Duniway (October 22, 1834 to October 11, 1915)
Kate M. Gordon (July 14, 1861 to August 24, 1932)
Leonora O'Reilly (February 16, 1870 to April 3, 1927)
Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin (August 31, 1842 to March 13, 1924)
Maud Younger (January 1870 to June 1936)
Primary Documents
1. The Nineteenth Amendment as passed and ratified, 1920
2. Sojourbaner Truth, Address to the American Equal Rights Association (1867)
3. Debates at the American Equal Rights Association Meeting (1869)
4. Virginia L. Minor's petition to the circuit court of St. Louis County, Missouri, 1872
5. The United States of America v. Susan B. Anthony, 1873
6. Belle Kearney, "The South and Woman Suffrage," 1903
7. Jane Addams, "The Modern City and the Municipal Franchise for Women," NAWSA Convention, Baltimore, Maryland, February 7–13, 1906
8. Caroline A. Lowe, Address to NAWSA Convention, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, November 21–26, 1912
9. The New York Campaign, 1915
10. "Women Must Fight, Says Mrs. Belmont: Suffrage Leader, Ready to Sail for World Convention, Praises Militancy," New York Times, 1913
11. "Mrs. Brannan Tells of Jail Treatment: Asserts That Women Pickets Were Roughly Handled at Occoquan. Demands Removal of Flag. Believes That Attempt Was Made to Break Prisoners Spirit by Torture of Fear," New York Times, 1917
12. "Pickets Are Praised: Dudley Field Malone Talks to Mass Meeting in Their Honor," Special to the New York Times, 1917
Appendix: Suffrage Timetable
Selected Bibliography
Index

Editorial Reviews

The engaging, warts-and-all approach to a broad range of historical figures makes this a good complement to history lessons.” —Booklist

“A skilled blend of interpretative essays and primary documents about the women's suffrage movement recommended for students, teachers, and general readers.” —Library Jourbanal

“Clear writing, ample integration of primary sources, and a masterful use of state-by-state chronology make this book a pleasure to read and reference. Essential. All undergraduates.” —Choice

From the Publisher

10/01/2020

Roydhouse (emerita, history, founding director, Ctr. for Teaching Innovation and Nexus Learning, Thomas Jefferson Univ.) tells the story of how American women earned the right to vote through the lens of those who directly fought in suffrage campaigns. Examining their actions in the context of economic, political, and social issues unfolding in the United States during the 19th and early 20th centuries, she illustrates how women organized and put pressure on the U.S. political system, resulting in white women being allowed to participate in local, state, and federal government politics. She also provides insights and perspectives that can help resolve current conflicts over voter registration, polling places, gerrymandering, and other barriers to voter participation. The book follows the same format as other titles in the series: a time line, a historical overview, topical chapters, and an annotated bibliography. Eight compelling chapters form the core; a thought-provoking section is devoted to what happened in the years following passage of the amendment, including how Black women obtained the right to suffrage through the Voting Rights Act of 1965. The 12 primary documents, such as Sojourner Truth's "Address to the American Equal Rights Association" in 1867, and five short biographical essays on suffragists Abigail Duniway, Kate M. Gordon, Leonora O'Reilly, Josephine St. Pierre Ruffin, and Maud Younger, are excellent complementary pieces. VERDICT A skilled blend of interpretative essays and primary documents about the women's suffrage movement recommended for students, teachers, and general readers.—Rob Tench, Old Dominion Univ. Libs., Norfolk, VA

Library Journal