Yet, through this brazen tactic, suffragists were able to elevate their public image to a position where they were seen as legitimate participants in the public political arena. Onlookers began to see suffragists as serious and dignified, and as individuals who had courage to make public appearances, presenting themselves to onlookers (McCammon). Much of the effectiveness of these parades was due to the manner in which they were held.
As McCammon notes, woman suffrage parades were neither festive nor frivolous. The women typically marched in formation. They wore white dresses and carried signs and banners stating reasons why women should have the right to vote. In eastern parades, primarily, a variety of women from all social levels were found participating in the parades, from working class women to professional women, to college women, to society women.
In fact, some women even brought their children to march in the parades. This solidarity of women was an effective means of attracting the attention of the press, with newspapers regularly reporting on the parades.
Even when the media coverage was less than favorable, it still helped the suffragists spread the word about the movement.
During the first half century of the WSM word was spread in small groups, in living rooms and churches. Supporters could express "their belief by signing petitions, giving money, buying suffrage souvenirs and literature, and working as organizers" (Borda). The time for education was over. and, once women took to the streets en mass support of suffrage became even more popular, as it raised the consciousness of a nation.
Woman suffrage parades were effective because they took the movement one step further from it's traditionally more passive activities. It was a natural evolution of development for the social movement. As King, Cornwall and Dahlin note, American political change is not a single, discrete outcome. There is a sequence of stages that must occur in order for the ultimate success of the change. At first, suffrage needed to educate key members of society and the political world in the most socially acceptable means possible. However, once that education had reached its maximum potential only by stepping their campaigns up a notch, and actually taking action contrary to the accepted social norms, by putting themselves into the public space via suffrage parades, could the WSM continue to make headway in their campaign. These parades allowed society to see women in action, in the exact political forum they were discussing. They also reached a wider variety...
Woman's Suffrage Women in the United States made the fight for suffrage their most fundamental demand because they saw it as the defining feature of full citizenship. The philosophy underlying women's suffrage was the belief in "natural rights" to govern themselves and choose their own representatives. Woman's suffrage asserted that women should enjoy individual rights of self-government, rather than relying on indirect civic participation as the mothers, sisters, or daughters of
Support like this was not uncommon. Women were demonstrating how useful they could become and by asserting their knowledge along with their feminine nature, they were showing men they could be a positive influence on society. As the effort grew, it became more organized and it gained momentum. In 1869, Lucy Stone helped establish the American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA), which worked for women's right to vote. The association
In 1869, Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, another prominent 19th century suffragist, formed the National Woman Suffrage Association (NWSA) to collectively lobby for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women the right to vote. The NWSA also focused their attention on universal suffrage for African-Americans. Their efforts toward abolition succeeded first, as the 15th Amendment passed in 1871. Also in 1869 Lucy Stone, Julia Ward Howe, and other suffragists formed a separate suffragist
149-150). References Balu, R. (Fall 1995). History comes alive: How women won the right to vote. Human Rights, 22(4). Retrieved March 23, 2005, from Academic Search Premier database. Colorado: Popularism, panic and persistence. (No date). Retrieved March 23, 2005, at http://www.autry-museum.org/explore/exhibits/suffrage/suffrage_co.html. Marilley, S.M. (1996). Woman suffrage and the origins of liberal feminism in the United States, 1820-1920. Cambridge, Mass.: Harvard University Press. Suffrage appeals to lawless and hysterical women. (30 May 1913). New York
Women's Movement During the early 19th century, advocacy for equal suffrage was conducted by few people. Frances Wright first publicly advocated womens suffrage in an extensive series of lectures. In 1836, Ernestine Rose carried out a similar lecture series, which eventually resulted in a personal hearing before the New York Legislature. However, the petition contained only five signatures and was subsequently denied. The first true women's movement marks July 13,
Women The sphere of women's work had been strictly confined to the domestic realm, prior to the Industrial Revolution. Social isolation, financial dependence, and political disenfranchisement characterized the female experience prior to the twentieth century. The suffrage movement was certainly the first sign of the dismantling of the institutionalization of patriarchy, followed by universal access to education, and finally, the civil rights movement. Opportunities for women have gradually unfolded since the
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