Introduction
Women used this strategy of parades and pageants to win over the support of men so that they could vote themselves. They would hold big parades before important moments like the inauguration of a new president. Their most famous parade was probably in 1913 with a parade the day before the inauguration of President Wilson. This parade gathered a lot of media attention and had a large impact around the country. This parade really opened the minds of Americans to women suffrage and was one of the reasons they got the right to vote in 1920. This strategy was very effective because it raised awareness for the suffragists and really got people in the movement. They also made it so that the president could not ignore them and when you get the president involved, then you get everyone involved.
This photo is of Hedwig Reicher in the suffrage parade pageant on the steps of the Treasury Building in 1913. In this picture, Hedwig Reicher is dressed as the American goddess Columia (Columbia is a kind of American goddess, an imaginary Statue of Liberty before the Statue of Liberty came along ), with an American flag draped across her back like a cape. She is also holding a staff with an eagle on the top.
In this photograph, a lawyer named Inez Milholland is sitting on a horse in a white gown. There are men gathering around her in fancy clothing. This image was taken in 1913 at the women's march for the right to vote. The horse is white and Inez seems to be wearing a tiara. The horse is elegant. It shows leadership and power. The reason the horse is white is perhaps to align with the white that was worn by other suffragists. The color white was used to push back on stereotypes including aggressiveness, dirtiness, and roughness. Milholland is wearing a tiara and a cape. This is special clothing not worn everyday. It gets the attention of the public, and it seems elegant and powerful.
This is the official program of the Woman Suffrage Procession. This happened on March 3, 1913 in Washington D.C. There is a woman behind another woman in a fancy gown on a horse playing some sort of wind instrument. The color of the horse is white. This color is probably to represent the suffrage movement because the women in the movement wore white. They did this to combat bad stereotypes about suffragists being dirty and not organized. By wearing white, they tried to show that they were clean and organized because white is seen as a clean color. Also, the program shows the women marching in front of the Capitol building. The reason they did that is because the people they want to hear them out the most, like politicians, are there. They also chose to march on the day before President Wilson’s inauguration so they could get his attention and persuade him to give them the right to vote. They hoped that getting the president to agree with them would make other people agree with them in a bandwagon style.
This paragraph from an article in the New York Times explains what happened during the 1913 Women's Suffrage Parade when the parade reached Pennsylvania Avenue. In the paragraph, the writer describes how at the beginning the weather was fine and the march started. Then the writer talks about how as soon as the parade turned on to Pennsylvania Avenue, the atmosphere changed and the onlookers started to move toward the parade. The police knew what was happening but they hadn't made plans for this outcome. They were not ready. One quote can summarize the beginning of this whole thing “ It was when the head of the procession turned by the great Peace Monument and started down Pennsylvania Avenue that the first indication of trouble came.” This is talking about how everyone knew that something bad was going to happen as soon as they turned on to the street.
This section of a New York Times article describes the women's suffrage march on March 4, 1913. The writer describes yellow banners in the wind and a woman wearing white. This article is from the New York Times. The headline is “5,000 Women March in a Woman’s Suffrage Demonstration, Beset By Crowds.” The subheadline is “Demonstration at Capital Badly Hampered and Congress is Asked to Investigate. Cavalry to Their Aid.” This language highlights the large number of women surrounded by crowds. This article describes the fact that there was a fight that broke out at the parade by men who harassed the marchers. Cavalry was needed to break up the fight. The fact that it is printed in the New York Times means the parade got much attention from the general public.
These women are holding a long petition to persuade the Senator of New Mexico for their right to vote. There are four women, and all of them are from different places to show that women all around the country want equal rights. This photo was published in 1918. The women in this picture are Bertha C. Moller, Annie Fraher, Anita Pollitzer, and Bertha Arnold. Bertha C. Moller is from Sweden. Berthe Arnold is from Colorado Springs. Anita Pollitzer is from Charleston, South Carolina. By creating this group from women who lived in many different places, they showed that women around the country wanted equal rights.
This text is from a sort of pamphlet that explains how people will get to the capitol and New York for the parade. There is a part about how if a train overflows then an extra car will be added that can hold 50 people. These cars cost $6.80 to ride in.
This pamphlet also talks about how there will be a grandstand erected outside the Treasury Building for people to watch what happens and for tableau and processions. These seats cost 5 dollars each. The cost for a seat that is a procession is $1. This page is part of a larger pamphlet for women’s suffrage. The second page reads, “Votes for Women on the Home Stretch,” which suggests that they believe they are near to getting the vote.
In this article for the Woman's Journal and Suffrage New, the reporter describes the suffrage parade of 1913. There are several pictures of women on the front page. The pictures show women marching with many people around them. The photos on the front page show different things but they all have women in a parade marching to victory. One photo shows a woman on a horse wearing a cape and all white. These photos might have been chosen because they are photographs that show the most positive parts of the parade. For instance, the photograph at the bottom of the page shows many women marching in an army-like arrangement, and it also demonstrates just how many people attended the parade, showing how popular it was.
In this picture, there are three women in front of the White House demanding equal voting rights. These women seem to be wearing some kind of uniform and similar hats. One woman holds up a flag. They are standing like they are posing for a picture with their sign. Whoever read the sign would be able to tell that this message is aimed straight to their president at the time. The sign says, “‘We shall fight for the things which we have always carried nearest our hearts. For democracy. For the right of those men who submit to authority to have a voice in their government.’ President Wilson’s war message. April 2nd, 1917.” By using President Wilson’s own quote about the war, the women are making a point that he cannot say he is fighting for other people’s freedom when half of his own citizens do not have the right to vote.
Gale: "The Woman Suffrage Procession of 1913"
Library of Congress: "Deputation Leaving Headquarters to Take Petition to Senator Jones of New Mexico"
National Women's History Museum: "The National Women’s Party: Jailed for Freedom"
VCU Libraries Social Welfare History Project: "5,000 Women March for Equality: 1913"
WETA: "Chaos and Persistence at the 1913 Women's Suffrage March"