Women's Suffrage 100 yrs Ago this Month

Started by Cheshire Cat, March 07, 2013, 06:43:42 PM

Cheshire Cat

It is stunning to think about the reality that 100 years ago, women in this country still did not have the right to vote.  In the early history of our country, Black Freemen actually had the right to vote before women of any race were able to do so.  With all the current focus on voting rights in this Nation today, it is interesting to see the fight for equality and voting rights women undertook a 100 years ago.

What follows is an article with photo's attached that is a picture in time of the Women's Suffrage Movement.  Make sure to click the link to view the photo's.  They are amazing.  :)

From the Atlantic:


Mar 1, 2013 |

Less than a century ago, women in the United States were not guaranteed the right to vote. Many courageous groups worked hard at state and local levels throughout the end of the 19th century, making some small gains toward women's suffrage. In 1913, the first major national efforts were undertaken, beginning with a massive parade in Washington, D.C., on March 3 -- one day before the inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson. Organized by Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association, the parade, calling for a constitutional amendment, featured 8,000 marchers, including nine bands, four mounted brigades, 20 floats, and an allegorical performance near the Treasury Building. Though the parade began late, it appeared to be off to a good start until the route along Pennsylvania Avenue became choked with tens of thousands of spectators -- mostly men in town for the inauguration. Marchers were jostled and ridiculed by many in the crowd. Some were tripped, others assaulted. Policemen appeared to be either indifferent to the struggling paraders, or sympathetic to the mob. Before the day was out, one hundred marchers had been hospitalized. The mistreatment of the marchers amplified the event -- and the cause -- into a major news story and led to congressional hearings, where the D.C. superintendent of police lost his job. What began in 1913 took another seven years to make it through Congress. In 1920, the Nineteenth Amendment secured the vote for women.


http://www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2013/03/100-years-ago-the-1913-womens-suffrage-parade/100465/
Diane Melendez
We're all mad here!