WOMEN SUFFRAGE WOMEN womens professions new woman clubwomen

WOMEN & SUFFRAGE

WOMEN • “women’s professions” • “new woman” • clubwomen A local club for nurses was formed in New York City in 1894. Here the club members are pictured in their clubhouse reception area. (Photo courtesy of the Women's History and Resource Center, General Federation of Women's Clubs. ) The Women's Club of Madison, Wisconsin conducted classes in food, nutrition, and sewing for recent immigrants. (Photo courtesy of the Women's History and Resource Center, General Federation of Women's Clubs. )

Women’s Suffrage • National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) • Carrie Chapman Catt Ohio Woman Suffrage Headquarters, Cleveland, 1912

Anti-Suffrage Pamphlet (c. 1910) • “Housewives! – You do not need a ballot to clean out your sink spout. A handful of potash and some boiling water is quicker and cheaper… – Why vote for pure food laws, when your husband does that, while you can purify your Ice-box with saleratus water? ” • “Vote NO on Woman Suffrage – BECAUSE 90% of the women either do not want it, or do not care. – BECAUSE it means competition of women with men instead of co-operation. – BECAUSE 80% of the women eligible to vote are married and can only double or annul their husband’s votes… – BECAUSE in some States more voting women than voting men will place the Government under petticoat rule. – BECAUSE it is unwise to risk the good we already have for the evil which may occur. “ 5

Alice Miller: Why We Don't Want Men to Vote (1915) • “Why We Don't Want Men to Vote – Because man's place is in the army. – Because no really man wants to settle any question otherwise than by fighting about it. – Because if men should adopt peaceable methods women will no longer look up to them. – Because men will lose their charm if they step out of their natural sphere and interest themselves in other matters than feats of arms, uniforms, and drums. – Because men are too emotional to vote. Their conduct at baseball games and political conventions shows this, while their innate tendency to appeal to force renders them unfit for government. ” 6

Woman suffrage before 1920

Women’s Suffrage • • Alice Paul National Woman’s Party Nineteenth Amendment Equal Rights Amendment Suffragette Banner 1918 19 th Amendment National Woman’s Party members picketing in front of the White House, 1917 (All: Library of Congress)

Women's Voting Rights • Possibly the biggest change in the political landscape of the 20 th century has been the enfranchisement of women. When the century began, only one small country (New Zealand) allowed women to vote, but now, only one small country (Kuwait) does not allow women to 9 vote.

ESSENTIAL QUESTION (JAM) To what extent did economic and political developments as well as the assumptions about the nature of women affect the position of American women during the period 1890 -1925?