Introduction
The strategy explored in our exhibit was lobbying and petitions. Lobbying is when a suffragist would attempt to convince politicians to support suffrage. Petitioning is when a suffragist would get a piece of paper or document and write on it their demands, and ask people to sign it. This strategy was effective because it wasn’t violent and it wasn’t harming anyone, and petitions can show how many people support your cause so that politicians can know how popular your movement is. Lobbying allowed suffragists to give longer arguments to people so that they would be more likely to join the cause.
This petition was dated January 29 1866. This petition directed at the House of Representatives and the Senate is asking for women's suffrage. Here is an excerpt, “The undersigned, women of the United States, respectfully ask an amendment of the Constitution that shall prohibit several States from disenfranchising any of their citizens on the grounds of sex.” This quote is asking for an amendment that would give women the right to vote. Another excerpt reads, “The constitution classes us as ‘free people’ and counts us whole persons on the basis of representation; and yet we are governed without our consent, compelled to pay taxes without appeal, and punished for violations of law without choice of judge or juror. ” This quote is making the argument that women are counted to determine representation, forced to pay taxes, and punished for breaking the law without having a fair jury, all without the right to vote. Finally, another excerpt reads, “Placing new safeguards round the individual rights of 4 million emancipated slaves, we ask that you extend the right of suffrage to women- the only remaining class of disenfranchised citizens.” This petition is trying to ride the momentum of expanding suffrage to former slaves by saying, “the only remaining class of disenfranchised citizens [is women].”
Source: https://www.visitthecapitol.gov/exhibitions/artifact/petition-universal-suffrage-january-29-1866
This is a picture of a card given out to women lobbyists. The card provides many details about the representative that is being lobbied like their party, their previous positions of power, whether they previously held public office, and their support of the Susan B. Anthony amendment or lack thereof. Other important details about the representative or senator include how much they won their election by, influences that helped elect them, and their present stand on suffrage. These details were important because the lobbyist would need to be informed about the politician’s situation. It would be much easier for a suffragist to attempt to sway a politician to their cause if the suffragist knew about the politician's views and knew what influenced the politician.
This letter is dated in April 10, 1917 addressed to the Speaker of the House. It is not requesting immediate suffrage, rather it is asking for the House of Representatives and the Senate to appoint a committee on women's suffrage: “I write to ask that a committee on women’s suffrage be appointed in the House of Representatives as in the Senate.” This letter points out that, “Our republic stands upon the threshold of what may prove the severest test of loyalty and endurance our country has ever had. It needs its women; and they are ready -- as fearless, as willing, as able, as loyal as any woman of the world. ” This text previously mentioned that women of many nations were promised the right to vote because of their loyalty during the still ongoing war (World War I). The quote was pointing out the fact that America needs its women and that American women are as loyal as the women who were promised the right to vote, and thus deserved the right to vote.
Source: https://history.house.gov/HouseRecord/Detail/15032436242
This article was published on April 29th, 1917 in the New York Times. It talks about how the suffragists have an efficient organization, and specifically about how the New York suffragists do their campaigning and financing. It seems that this writer is pro-suffrage or neutral because they are admitting that their organization is well organized, but they also said “Women have been supposed to lack the mental qualities necessary to make organizers. Whether this is true or not….” This person seems to care about seeming neutral because they say “Whether this is true or not…” which I think means that they don’t want to make claims without evidence. The writer also said “This work has been developed in New York City by another woman with great executive ability and mastery of detail, Miss Mary Garret Hay, who is affectionately known among the suffragists as the ‘Suffrage Big Boss.’” The word “affectionately” also shows something about the writer’s opinion. If this person was anti-suffrage, they would probably make fun of this label of Mary Garret Hay. Therefore, this article seems to be much more fact/pro suffrage based.
Source: https://timesmachine.nytimes.com/timesmachine/1917/04/29/96863781.pdf
This letter was written relatively soon before August 18, 1920 from Febb Ensminger Burn to her son Harry T. Burn. In it, Harry’s mother asked Harry to vote for the suffragists and ratify the 19th amendment. This website also includes background information about the letter, and the reaction to Harry Burns’ unexpected vote. In the letter, Harry’s mother told Harry to “Don’t forget to be a good boy and help Mrs. Catt with her “Rats.” Harry later said that it was always wise for a son to follow his mother’s advice, so he voted for the suffragists, and ratified the 19th amendment. Before he read this letter, he was a anti-suffrage politician, but then he realized that “An opportunity such as seldom comes to a mortal man to free seventeen million women from political slavery…”, as he wrote in his person statement in the House Journal Newspaper. It seems that his mom really helped him see what was right.
This is an 1878 petition that was signed by Frederick Douglass, Jr., the son of Fredrick Douglass, and asks the House and Senate to amend the Constitution to allow women to vote. The petition also includes the right for colored men and women to vote. On the labels, it also crosses out states and is replaced with Dist. of Col., and “Men” and “Women” is replaced with “Colored Men” and “Colored Women”. It had 33 signatures. It was signed by people in the Uniontown neighborhood in Washington D.C. It seems that the black people in Uniontown cared about women’s suffrage and because of the altered document, shows their residential and representational situation.
Source: https://history.house.gov/Records-and-Research/Listing/pm_012/