fbpx
Wikipedia

Women's suffrage in Wisconsin

Attempts to secure women's suffrage in Wisconsin began before the Civil War. In 1846, the first state constitutional convention delegates for Wisconsin discussed women's suffrage and the final document eventually included a number of progressive measures. This constitution was rejected and a more conservative document was eventually adopted. Wisconsin newspapers supported women's suffrage and Mathilde Franziska Anneke published the German language women's rights newspaper, Die Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung, in Milwaukee in 1852. Before the war, many women's rights petitions were circulated and there was tentative work in forming suffrage organizations. After the Civil War, the first women's suffrage conference held in Wisconsin took place in October 1867 in Janesville. That year, a women's suffrage amendment passed in the state legislature and waited to pass the second year. However, in 1868 the bill did not pass again. The Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association (WWSA) was reformed in 1869 and by the next year, there were several chapters arranged throughout Wisconsin. In 1884, suffragists won a brief victory when the state legislature passed a law to allow women to vote in elections on school-related issues. On the first voting day for women in 1887, the state Attorney General made it more difficult for women to vote and confusion about the law led to court challenges. Eventually, it was decided that without separate ballots, women could not be allowed to vote. Women would not vote again in Wisconsin until 1902 after separate school-related ballots were created. In the 1900s, state suffragists organized and continued to petition the Wisconsin legislature on women's suffrage. By 1911, two women's suffrage groups operated in the state: WWSA and the Political Equality League (PEL). A voter referendum went to the public in 1912. Both WWSA and PEL campaigned hard for women's equal suffrage rights. Despite the work put in by the suffragists, the measure failed to pass. PEL and WWSA merged again in 1913 and women continued their education work and lobbying. By 1915, the National Woman's Party also had chapters in Wisconsin and several prominent suffragists joined their ranks. The National Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was also very present in Wisconsin suffrage efforts. Carrie Chapman Catt worked hard to keep Wisconsin suffragists on the path of supporting a federal woman's suffrage amendment. When the Nineteenth Amendment went out to the states for ratification, Wisconsin an hour behind Illinois on June 10, 1919. However, Wisconsin was the first to turn in the ratification paperwork to the State Department.

Suffragists campaigning in Wisconsin, June 7, 1916

Pre-Civil War edit

 
Die Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung, October 15, 1852

The first state constitutional convention for Wisconsin met on October 5, 1846.[1] Delegates to the convention proposed giving African Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants in the process of becoming citizens the right to vote.[2][3] James Magone of Milwaukee proposed that the word "male" be removed from the qualifications for a voter.[4] Delegate Moses M. Strong objected to including women voters with Black male voters, but Magone refused to change the language in his proposal and it was not included in the end.[5] The proposed constitution did, however, grant the right to married women to independently control their own property.[6] Unfortunately, it was voted down in a referendum election held on April 6, 1847.[7] The next constitution was more conservative and did not contain women's rights issues.[5]

Mathilde Franziska Anneke founded a German language women's rights newspaper in Milwaukee in 1852 called Die Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung.[8][9][10] Two early newspapers, the Telegraph in Kenosha and the Oshkosh True Democrat also supported women's suffrage.[11] The True Democrat was run by James Densmore, who publicly supported the vote for women and challenged other newspaper editors to do the same.[12]

Early women's suffrage proponents in Wisconsin were also involved in the abolition and temperance movements.[5] In 1853 temperance activists, Clarina I. H. Nichols and Lydia Folger Fowler, toured the state and also talked about the importance of the vote for women.[12][13] Lucy Stone spoke on both abolition and women's suffrage in several Wisconsin towns, including Madison, in 1855.[12] Stone urged women who came to her lectures to petition the legislature.[12] Petitions were written, and three of these were brought to the legislature by a senator from Kenosha County, C. C. Sholes in 1856.[14] However, the petitions did not lead to any legislation in the state Senate.[15] In the state House, Hamilton H. Gray from Lafayette County introduced a limited women's suffrage bill, but it was unsuccessful.[15] Stone may also have inspired the creation of a woman's suffrage group organized in Janesville before the Civil War, but meeting records have been lost.[16] During the Civil War, women in Wisconsin organized relief groups to aid the war effort.[17]

Early efforts edit

 
Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Directory, 1885

The Impartial Suffrage Convention was held in Janesville during October 9 and 10, 1867.[18] It was the first time that activists for the women's vote met statewide and was organized by a group of men and women from different parts of the state.[18] One of the organizers of the Impartial Suffrage Convention, John T. Dow from Rock County, introduced a joint resolution in the state legislature.[18] It passed both houses and was signed on April 11, 1867.[18] All amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution had to be passed by two different legislative sessions.[19] The next year, the same women's suffrage amendment bill was introduced into the state legislation by William C. Whitford.[20] Dow helped support the bill as a lobbyist, since he was no longer part of the legislature.[20] To support the efforts, the Woman Suffrage Association of Wisconsin (WSAW) was organized in Janesville.[13][21] Despite this effort, the bill did not pass a second time, meaning it couldn't become a state amendment.[20] WSAW was a short-lived group, that ended when the amendment failed.[21]

Another state convention was held in Milwaukee in 1869 on February 24–25.[20] Anneke had called for a convention to be held in the city and it was arranged by Lila Peckham and Laura Ross Wolcott and included speakers Susan B. Anthony, Mary Livermore, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.[20][22] The convention helped re-energize the suffrage movement in Wisconsin.[22] At the convention, the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association (WWSA) was formed.[22]

By 1870, there were chapters of WWSA in several Wisconsin towns and cities.[23] The Richland Center Women's Club, organized in 1870 by Laura James, was actually created as "cover" for women's suffrage work in the city.[24] Wolcott served as the president of WWSA.[23] Starting in the 1880s, the WWSA began to hold annual meetings in different places throughout the state.[25] Olympia Brown served as the president for several years, with Emma C. Bascom taking a turn of one year in 1884 with Brown resuming the presidency again the next year.[25] Women's suffrage lectures and conventions were also held in the 1880s.[26] A women's suffrage referendum passed both state houses in 1880, but did not pass in the next year.[27]

In 1884, a referendum bill passed, giving women right to vote for education-related candidates.[28] Alura Collins Hollister, who worked on legislative issues for WWSA, helped ensure the passage of the bill for the second time in 1885.[29] In 1886, the electorate voted in favor of the education suffrage referendum, making it law.[29] However, because of the phrasing of the new law giving women the right to vote at "any election pertaining to school matters," there was lot of confusion.[30] In 1887, the Wisconsin Citizen began publication, originally to help educate new women voters.[31] The paper was first edited by volunteer, Martha Parker Dingee of Racine.[32][29][33] She not only worked as editor, but also did layout, collected subscriptions, and wrote columns.[32] Other women also mobilized in 1887 to encourage women to vote in the next municipal election. Brown left her work as a reverend, and committed herself entirely to advocating for the vote.[34] Speakers from outside the state came to help bolster the lecture circuit.[34]

On the day of the first time women could vote in Wisconsin, April 1887, the Attorney General of Wisconsin, Charles E. Estabrook ordered that women's ballots be thrown out in places where he expected a large turnout of women voters.[34] Brown's vote was outright rejected in Racine.[30] She had voted on municipal issues, arguing that these issues affected school.[35] Brown took the issue to the courts in order to create a test case for the new law.[30] The case went to the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, where it was decided that women were allowed to vote for all candidates on the ballot as long as there were also "school related matters" on the same ballot.[36] This decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States where the decision was changed to specify that women could only vote on school issues, not on other issues on the ballot.[37] In 1889 another case challenged the issue of women voting only on school issues which led to women being disenfranchised for several more years.[38] In 1901, the state legislature created separate ballot boxes for women.[33] Women were able to finally vote again for school issues on April 1, 1902.[39][33][40] The legal fights for the vote put the suffragists into debt.[41][42]

A continuing fight edit

 
Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association (WWSA) convention newsletter, November 1901

In 1890, Theodora W. Youmans began to encourage activists to form women's suffrage clubs in Waukesha, using the Waukesha Freeman newspaper as a platform.[43] In 1890, the first convention of the Wisconsin Federation of Women's Clubs (WFWC) saw delegates from the Waukesha Women's Club in attendance.[44] This club had expressed early support for women's rights and later, Youmans served as president.[45]

During an open house at the Manona Lake Assembly in 1896 Anna Howard Shaw lectured in front of an audience of around 4,000 people.[26] Women's suffrage headquarters were set up in the State House in Madison in 1902.[33] The headquarters were in charge of distributing suffrage literature and also collected information on suffrage supporters in the state.[33] Suffragists shared the "Tax Paying Woman's Pledge" throughout the state, which reinforced the idea that women should not be forced to pay taxes if they could not vote.[46]

Maud Wood Park was brought to Wisconsin in 1908 by Brown and spoke and helped set up suffrage groups at several colleges.[33] At the end of 1909, WWSA helped circulate a petition for a federal women's suffrage amendment.[33] Within six weeks, they had collected more than 18,000 signatures on the petitions.[33] One octogenarian, Mrs. Wentworth, collected 1,000 names herself.[33] Another women's suffrage organization, the Political Equality League (PEL), was formed in 1911 with Ada James as president.[47] This group was created by members who wanted a more active organization.[48] Youmans did public relations for PEL.[49]

Both PEL and WWSA campaigned for the new voter referendum on women's suffrage that was put out by the state legislature in 1911.[33] The two organizations had many differences, but were able to cooperate and share ideas for the state campaign to encourage voters to support women's suffrage.[50] Harriet Grim, an organizer from the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), came to Wisconsin to help organize activists.[51] Campaign headquarters were set up in Milwaukee by the summer of 1911.[52] When the state ruled that PEL and WWSA could only spend $10,000 each per campaign, suffragists organized the Wisconsin Men's League for Women's Suffrage to help raise money.[53] The Men's League also helped increase the number of speakers available and added "prestige" to the suffrage publicity campaign.[54] Literature that was distributed during the campaign was translated into several languages and suffrage groups were formed of German language, Polish language, Norwegian language, and Yiddish language speakers.[55]

Belle Case La Follette and her daughter, Fola, became involved in the campaign.[56] During the campaign, La Follette spoke on women's suffrage throughout the state, seven days a week, several times day.[57] La Follette influenced first both PEL and WWSA to organize on the grassroots level.[58] They contacted women of influence to host suffrage meetings in their hometowns and the state suffrage groups provided speakers.[58] Suffragists also spoke to labor unions and promised that low wages would end when women could vote.[59] The grassroots approach also helped suffragists reach out to working class women, and women who stayed at home.[60]

 
Belle Case La Follette speaks in Fox River, Wisconsin in 1912

Suffragists also showed the film, Votes for Women, featuring Jane Addams, throughout the state.[55] Using cars in the Wisconsin suffrage campaigns was also extremely popular.[54] The first auto tour started in Milwaukee on August 2, 1911 and visited eight counties to the south.[54] Car tours helped build publicity and gave local suffrage groups something to campaign around.[54] Women in the tours used the cars themselves as a speaking platform and often wore matching yellow tunics.[54][61] A "Votes for Women" boat tour on the Wolf River also took place.[62] Buffalo Bill Cody also helped the cause when he visited Green Bay, with a suffrage banner carried by his Wild West circus.[63] The suffragists visited county fairs and set up suffrage booths to get out their message and answer questions.[54] The Wisconsin State Fair in 1911 had a Woman's Day which included special programs and exhibits relating to women's suffrage.[54] During the State Fair Dan Patch, a famous pacing horse, carried a "Votes for Women" banner.[63] Al Ringling was hired by Georgina J. Koppke in Baraboo to create a multimedia women's suffrage production.[63]

Before the election on November 4, 1912, suffragists mailed reminders to vote to individuals who had signed "pledge cards."[54] They mailed out nearly 25,000 reminders.[64] Pilot, Lincoln Beachey, was hired to drop suffrage fliers from an airplane at the 1912 Wisconsin State Fair.[62] Advertisements were purchased and run in the newspapers.[54] At Catholic Churches, around 35,000 leaflets were distributed.[64] The ballots for women's suffrage were on a separate paper and were supposed to be pink.[65] Some areas printed the ballots in white and some didn't receive the separate women's suffrage ballots.[65] During the day of the vote, poll watchers were on hand and also passed out literature.[54] Despite the effort put into the campaign, suffragists lost with 227,024 against and 135,545 for.[64]

Road to ratification edit

 
Waukesha suffragists, June 7, 1916

In January 1913, a joint convention of PEL and WWSA was called by Zona Gale and was held in Madison on February 4–5.[66][67] The two groups merged and kept the name WWSA.[13] Youmans was elected the new president.[68] WWSA wanted to pursue another referendum campaign immediately.[69] A women's suffrage referendum did pass in the state legislature, but the Governor vetoed it, worrying that the referendum was too close to the last one on women's suffrage.[70] In 1913, Brown joined the National Advisory Council of the Congressional Union (CU, later known as the National Woman's Party).[71] La Follett testified in front of the United States Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage on April 26, 1913.[72]

In Madison, a Suffrage School was held in June 1914.[68] The school had sixty-six women regular attendees, and hundreds of people listened to the suffrage lectures sponsored by the school.[68] WWSA lobbied legislators for an unsuccessful voter referendum bill in 1915.[73] Youmans also joined the CU by 1915.[74] In the fall, she went to New York to do press work for their state voter referendum.[75] After the failure of the voter referendum in New York, Youmans came back to Wisconsin where WWSA began to work towards a federal suffrage amendment.[76] In June 1916, suffragists from Wisconsin marched alongside suffragists in Illinois in a parade down Michigan Avenue in Chicago.[77] In the fall of 1916, Carrie Chapman Catt came to speak at the WWSA conference in Milwaukee.[76] By fall of 1916, Youmans and other suffrage group presidents pledged to support the "Winning Plan" that Catt had devised for the National Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA).[76] Catt and NAWSA were going to push hard nationally for a federal suffrage bill.[76] A women's suffrage referendum supported by WWSA in the state legislature was introduced.[78] When Catt found out that WWSA had supported the state legislature, WWSA was censured and the suffragists in Wisconsin stopped lobbying for its success.[78] The referendum failed in February 1917.[79]

Before and during the United States entry into World War I, the suffragists in Wisconsin were divided over whether to support the war effort.[80][79] The WWSA and the Wisconsin National Woman's Party tried to remain neutral, which was criticized and attacked by the press.[79] German-American suffragists in Wisconsin faced anti-German sentiment.[79] Catt's plan during wartime involved suffragists aiding the war effort, which put many Wisconsin suffragists who were also pacifists, in a difficult spot.[81] Brown was one of the activists picketing the White House on March 4, 1917.[71] Meta Berger hosted the first meeting of a NWP branch at her home on October 14, 1917.[82] Berger left WWSA, angry that the organization went on to endorse the war.[83] James and Gale also joined the NWP.[84] Youmans, still in charge of WWSA, continued to work to support the war effort.[85]

 
David G. James with ratification receipt, 1920

In January 1918, the United States House of Representatives passed the amendment that would go on to become the Nineteenth Amendment.[85] WWSA member, Jessie Jack Hooper was on hand to lobby for NAWSA.[85] During 1919, Youmans was called to Washington to lobby Congress on the women's suffrage amendment, which had to go through another legislative session where it passed both houses.[86] After its passage, Youmans returned to Wisconsin to fight for the amendment's ratification.[87] The states of Illinois and Wisconsin fought to become the first to ratify.[87] On June 10, 1919, Wisconsin ratified the Nineteenth Amendment.[87] The legislature of the state of Illinois beat Wisconsin to the ratification by one hour.[88] David G. James was appointed Special Courier for the ratification papers by the governor.[89] The Wisconsin Secretary of State, Merlin Hull, gave James money to travel.[90] Ada James arrived at Madison with a packed suitcase for her father who immediately left for Washington, D.C.[87] Wisconsin became the first state to finalize the ratification by turning in the paperwork to the State Department on June 13, 1919.[90]

African-American women's suffrage in Wisconsin edit

In Milwaukee, the Political Equality League (PEL) set up an African American chapter, with Carrie Horton as president.[91] Alice L. Thompson Waytes of Boston campaigned for women's suffrage in Wisconsin in 1912.[92][93] She also campaigned for the Progressive Party in Wisconsin.[94]

White suffragist, Belle Case La Follette, publicly and strongly criticized racial segregation and also spoke in front of Black audiences.[95] She printed her opinions in La Follette's Magazine.[96] La Follette urged that there could be no peace in the country without racial equality.[97] Her work had an effect on people around the country, both Black and white.[98]

Anti-suffragism in Wisconsin edit

Wisconsin had two major anti-suffrage groups, one in Madison and one in Milwaukee.[82]

See also edit

References edit

  1. ^ Janik, Erika (2017-10-02). "Rights For Women, African-Americans, Immigrants: Wisconsin's Radical 1846 Constitution". Wisconsin Public Radio. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  2. ^ Paxon 1915, p. 14.
  3. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 3.
  4. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 3-4.
  5. ^ a b c Youmans 1921, p. 4.
  6. ^ Paxon 1915, p. 15-16.
  7. ^ Paxon 1915, p. 19.
  8. ^ Krueger 1937, p. 165.
  9. ^ "Wisconsin's First Newspaper...by Women". Quixote. 8 (3 (not a duplicate)): 5–6. March 1974. JSTOR community.28042973 – via JSTOR.
  10. ^ "Anneke, Mathilde, 1817-1884". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2021-01-09.
  11. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 4-5.
  12. ^ a b c d Youmans 1921, p. 5.
  13. ^ a b c "Timeline of Wisconsin Women's Suffrage". University of Wisconsin-Madison. Retrieved 2021-01-06.
  14. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 5-6.
  15. ^ a b Youmans 1921, p. 6.
  16. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 6-7.
  17. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 7.
  18. ^ a b c d Youmans 1921, p. 8.
  19. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 8-9.
  20. ^ a b c d e Youmans 1921, p. 9.
  21. ^ a b Youmans 1921, p. 11.
  22. ^ a b c McBride 1993, p. 46.
  23. ^ a b McBride 1993, p. 52.
  24. ^ McBride 1988, p. 251.
  25. ^ a b Anthony 1902, p. 985.
  26. ^ a b Anthony 1902, p. 986.
  27. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 14.
  28. ^ Gordon, Scott (2018-07-10). "Wisconsin's Halting Path Toward Black Suffrage". WisContext. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  29. ^ a b c Anthony 1902, p. 988.
  30. ^ a b c Youmans 1921, p. 16.
  31. ^ Anthony 1902, p. 987-988.
  32. ^ a b Meldrum, Monica. "Biographical Sketch of Martha Parker Dingee". Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920 – via Alexander Street.
  33. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Harper 1922, p. 700.
  34. ^ a b c Anthony 1902, p. 989.
  35. ^ "The Woman's Suffrage Movement". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2012-08-03. Retrieved 2021-01-17.
  36. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 16-17.
  37. ^ Anthony 1902, p. 990.
  38. ^ Anthony 1902, p. 990-991.
  39. ^ Anthony 1902, p. 991.
  40. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 17.
  41. ^ Grant 1980, p. 108.
  42. ^ Neu 1960, p. 284.
  43. ^ Mueller, Brian. "Waukesha Freeman". Encyclopedia of Milwaukee. Retrieved 2021-01-08.
  44. ^ McBride 1988, p. 248.
  45. ^ McBride 1988, p. 249.
  46. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 18.
  47. ^ Harper 1922, p. 700-701.
  48. ^ Grant 1980, p. 108-109.
  49. ^ McBride 1988, p. 252.
  50. ^ Grant 1980, p. 109.
  51. ^ Harper 1922, p. 701.
  52. ^ Grant 1980, p. 111.
  53. ^ Grant 1980, p. 114-115.
  54. ^ a b c d e f g h i j Grant 1980, p. 115.
  55. ^ a b Grant 1980, p. 114.
  56. ^ Grant 1980, p. 111-112.
  57. ^ Unger 2016, p. 22.
  58. ^ a b Grant 1980, p. 113.
  59. ^ Grant 1980, p. 113-114.
  60. ^ McBride 1993, p. 213.
  61. ^ McBride 1988, p. 255.
  62. ^ a b Youmans 1921, p. 21.
  63. ^ a b c McBride 1993, p. 212.
  64. ^ a b c Grant 1980, p. 116.
  65. ^ a b McBride 1988, p. 258.
  66. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 23-24.
  67. ^ Harper 1922, p. 703-704.
  68. ^ a b c Harper 1922, p. 704.
  69. ^ McBride 1988, p. 260.
  70. ^ Harper 1922, p. 707.
  71. ^ a b Neu 1960, p. 285.
  72. ^ Unger 1999, p. 107.
  73. ^ McBride 1988, p. 263.
  74. ^ McBride 1988, p. 262.
  75. ^ McBride 1988, p. 264.
  76. ^ a b c d McBride 1988, p. 265.
  77. ^ Youmans 1921, p. 25.
  78. ^ a b McBride 1988, p. 265-266.
  79. ^ a b c d McBride 1988, p. 266.
  80. ^ McBride 1988, p. 244-245.
  81. ^ McBride 1988, p. 266-267.
  82. ^ a b Harper 1922, p. 705.
  83. ^ McBride 1988, p. 268.
  84. ^ McBride 1988, p. 269.
  85. ^ a b c McBride 1988, p. 270.
  86. ^ McBride 1988, p. 270-271.
  87. ^ a b c d McBride 1988, p. 271.
  88. ^ "Suffrage 2020 Illinois". Suffrage 2020 Illinois. Retrieved 16 January 2021.
  89. ^ "David G. James with Suffragists | Photograph". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2003-12-01. Retrieved 2021-01-16.
  90. ^ a b "Women's Suffrage in Wisconsin". Wisconsin Historical Society. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2021-01-05.
  91. ^ McBride 1993, p. 214.
  92. ^ "A Colored Suffragist". The Atchison Daily Globe. 1912-09-23. p. 4. Retrieved 2021-01-05 – via Newspapers.com.
  93. ^ Strand, Karla J.; Dunn, Brandon. "Biography of Carrie S. Cook Horton, 1875-1971". Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists, 1890-1920 – via Alexander Street.
  94. ^ Forlaw, Blair. "Biography of Miss Alice L. Thompson Waytes, 1870-1949". Biographical Database of Black Woman Suffragists – via Alexander Street.
  95. ^ Unger 2016, p. 23-24.
  96. ^ Unger 2016, p. 24.
  97. ^ Unger 2016, p. 23.
  98. ^ Unger 2016, p. 24-25.

Sources edit

  • Anthony, Susan B. (1902). Anthony, Susan B.; Harper, Ida Husted (eds.). The History of Woman Suffrage. Vol. 4. Indianapolis: The Hollenbeck Press.
  • Grant, Marilyn (Winter 1980). "The 1912 Suffrage Referendum: An Exercise in Political Action". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 64 (2): 107–118. JSTOR 4635498 – via JSTOR.
  • Harper, Ida Husted (1922). The History of Woman Suffrage. New York: J.J. Little & Ives Company.
  • Krueger, Lillian (December 1937). "Madame Mathilda Franziska Anneke, an Early Wisconsin Journalist". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 21 (2): 160–167. JSTOR 4631172 – via JSTOR.
  • McBride, Genevieve G. (Summer 1988). "Theodora Winton Youmans and the Wisconsin Woman Movement". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 71 (4): 242–275. JSTOR 4636147 – via JSTOR.
  • McBride, Genevieve G. (1993). On Wisconsin Women: Working for Their Rights from Settlement to Suffrage. Madison, Wisconsin: The University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 0299140008.
  • Neu, Charles E. (Summer 1960). "Olympia Brown and the Woman's Suffrage Movement". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 43 (4): 277–287. JSTOR 4633538 – via JSTOR.
  • Paxon, Frederic L. (June 1915). "A Constitution of Democracy -- Wisconsin, 1847". Mississippi Valley Historical Review. 2 (1): 3–24. doi:10.2307/1889103. JSTOR 1889103 – via JSTOR.
  • Unger, Nancy (Winter 1999). "The Two Worlds of Belle Case La Follette". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 83 (2): 82–110. JSTOR 4636846 – via JSTOR.
  • Unger, Nancy C. (Spring 2016). "The Unexpected Belle La Follette". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 99 (3): 16–27. JSTOR 26389466 – via JSTOR.
  • Youmans, Theodora W. (September 1921). "How Wisconsin Women Won the Ballot". The Wisconsin Magazine of History. 5 (1): 3–32. JSTOR 4630337 – via JSTOR.

External links edit

  • Wisconsin Women Vote

women, suffrage, wisconsin, attempts, secure, women, suffrage, wisconsin, began, before, civil, 1846, first, state, constitutional, convention, delegates, wisconsin, discussed, women, suffrage, final, document, eventually, included, number, progressive, measur. Attempts to secure women s suffrage in Wisconsin began before the Civil War In 1846 the first state constitutional convention delegates for Wisconsin discussed women s suffrage and the final document eventually included a number of progressive measures This constitution was rejected and a more conservative document was eventually adopted Wisconsin newspapers supported women s suffrage and Mathilde Franziska Anneke published the German language women s rights newspaper Die Deutsche Frauen Zeitung in Milwaukee in 1852 Before the war many women s rights petitions were circulated and there was tentative work in forming suffrage organizations After the Civil War the first women s suffrage conference held in Wisconsin took place in October 1867 in Janesville That year a women s suffrage amendment passed in the state legislature and waited to pass the second year However in 1868 the bill did not pass again The Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association WWSA was reformed in 1869 and by the next year there were several chapters arranged throughout Wisconsin In 1884 suffragists won a brief victory when the state legislature passed a law to allow women to vote in elections on school related issues On the first voting day for women in 1887 the state Attorney General made it more difficult for women to vote and confusion about the law led to court challenges Eventually it was decided that without separate ballots women could not be allowed to vote Women would not vote again in Wisconsin until 1902 after separate school related ballots were created In the 1900s state suffragists organized and continued to petition the Wisconsin legislature on women s suffrage By 1911 two women s suffrage groups operated in the state WWSA and the Political Equality League PEL A voter referendum went to the public in 1912 Both WWSA and PEL campaigned hard for women s equal suffrage rights Despite the work put in by the suffragists the measure failed to pass PEL and WWSA merged again in 1913 and women continued their education work and lobbying By 1915 the National Woman s Party also had chapters in Wisconsin and several prominent suffragists joined their ranks The National Woman Suffrage Association NAWSA was also very present in Wisconsin suffrage efforts Carrie Chapman Catt worked hard to keep Wisconsin suffragists on the path of supporting a federal woman s suffrage amendment When the Nineteenth Amendment went out to the states for ratification Wisconsin an hour behind Illinois on June 10 1919 However Wisconsin was the first to turn in the ratification paperwork to the State Department Suffragists campaigning in Wisconsin June 7 1916 Contents 1 Pre Civil War 2 Early efforts 3 A continuing fight 4 Road to ratification 5 African American women s suffrage in Wisconsin 6 Anti suffragism in Wisconsin 7 See also 8 References 8 1 Sources 9 External linksPre Civil War edit nbsp Die Deutsche Frauen Zeitung October 15 1852The first state constitutional convention for Wisconsin met on October 5 1846 1 Delegates to the convention proposed giving African Americans Native Americans and immigrants in the process of becoming citizens the right to vote 2 3 James Magone of Milwaukee proposed that the word male be removed from the qualifications for a voter 4 Delegate Moses M Strong objected to including women voters with Black male voters but Magone refused to change the language in his proposal and it was not included in the end 5 The proposed constitution did however grant the right to married women to independently control their own property 6 Unfortunately it was voted down in a referendum election held on April 6 1847 7 The next constitution was more conservative and did not contain women s rights issues 5 Mathilde Franziska Anneke founded a German language women s rights newspaper in Milwaukee in 1852 called Die Deutsche Frauen Zeitung 8 9 10 Two early newspapers the Telegraph in Kenosha and the Oshkosh True Democrat also supported women s suffrage 11 The True Democrat was run by James Densmore who publicly supported the vote for women and challenged other newspaper editors to do the same 12 Early women s suffrage proponents in Wisconsin were also involved in the abolition and temperance movements 5 In 1853 temperance activists Clarina I H Nichols and Lydia Folger Fowler toured the state and also talked about the importance of the vote for women 12 13 Lucy Stone spoke on both abolition and women s suffrage in several Wisconsin towns including Madison in 1855 12 Stone urged women who came to her lectures to petition the legislature 12 Petitions were written and three of these were brought to the legislature by a senator from Kenosha County C C Sholes in 1856 14 However the petitions did not lead to any legislation in the state Senate 15 In the state House Hamilton H Gray from Lafayette County introduced a limited women s suffrage bill but it was unsuccessful 15 Stone may also have inspired the creation of a woman s suffrage group organized in Janesville before the Civil War but meeting records have been lost 16 During the Civil War women in Wisconsin organized relief groups to aid the war effort 17 Early efforts edit nbsp Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Directory 1885The Impartial Suffrage Convention was held in Janesville during October 9 and 10 1867 18 It was the first time that activists for the women s vote met statewide and was organized by a group of men and women from different parts of the state 18 One of the organizers of the Impartial Suffrage Convention John T Dow from Rock County introduced a joint resolution in the state legislature 18 It passed both houses and was signed on April 11 1867 18 All amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution had to be passed by two different legislative sessions 19 The next year the same women s suffrage amendment bill was introduced into the state legislation by William C Whitford 20 Dow helped support the bill as a lobbyist since he was no longer part of the legislature 20 To support the efforts the Woman Suffrage Association of Wisconsin WSAW was organized in Janesville 13 21 Despite this effort the bill did not pass a second time meaning it couldn t become a state amendment 20 WSAW was a short lived group that ended when the amendment failed 21 Another state convention was held in Milwaukee in 1869 on February 24 25 20 Anneke had called for a convention to be held in the city and it was arranged by Lila Peckham and Laura Ross Wolcott and included speakers Susan B Anthony Mary Livermore and Elizabeth Cady Stanton 20 22 The convention helped re energize the suffrage movement in Wisconsin 22 At the convention the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association WWSA was formed 22 By 1870 there were chapters of WWSA in several Wisconsin towns and cities 23 The Richland Center Women s Club organized in 1870 by Laura James was actually created as cover for women s suffrage work in the city 24 Wolcott served as the president of WWSA 23 Starting in the 1880s the WWSA began to hold annual meetings in different places throughout the state 25 Olympia Brown served as the president for several years with Emma C Bascom taking a turn of one year in 1884 with Brown resuming the presidency again the next year 25 Women s suffrage lectures and conventions were also held in the 1880s 26 A women s suffrage referendum passed both state houses in 1880 but did not pass in the next year 27 In 1884 a referendum bill passed giving women right to vote for education related candidates 28 Alura Collins Hollister who worked on legislative issues for WWSA helped ensure the passage of the bill for the second time in 1885 29 In 1886 the electorate voted in favor of the education suffrage referendum making it law 29 However because of the phrasing of the new law giving women the right to vote at any election pertaining to school matters there was lot of confusion 30 In 1887 the Wisconsin Citizen began publication originally to help educate new women voters 31 The paper was first edited by volunteer Martha Parker Dingee of Racine 32 29 33 She not only worked as editor but also did layout collected subscriptions and wrote columns 32 Other women also mobilized in 1887 to encourage women to vote in the next municipal election Brown left her work as a reverend and committed herself entirely to advocating for the vote 34 Speakers from outside the state came to help bolster the lecture circuit 34 On the day of the first time women could vote in Wisconsin April 1887 the Attorney General of Wisconsin Charles E Estabrook ordered that women s ballots be thrown out in places where he expected a large turnout of women voters 34 Brown s vote was outright rejected in Racine 30 She had voted on municipal issues arguing that these issues affected school 35 Brown took the issue to the courts in order to create a test case for the new law 30 The case went to the Supreme Court of Wisconsin where it was decided that women were allowed to vote for all candidates on the ballot as long as there were also school related matters on the same ballot 36 This decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States where the decision was changed to specify that women could only vote on school issues not on other issues on the ballot 37 In 1889 another case challenged the issue of women voting only on school issues which led to women being disenfranchised for several more years 38 In 1901 the state legislature created separate ballot boxes for women 33 Women were able to finally vote again for school issues on April 1 1902 39 33 40 The legal fights for the vote put the suffragists into debt 41 42 A continuing fight edit nbsp Wisconsin Woman s Suffrage Association WWSA convention newsletter November 1901In 1890 Theodora W Youmans began to encourage activists to form women s suffrage clubs in Waukesha using the Waukesha Freeman newspaper as a platform 43 In 1890 the first convention of the Wisconsin Federation of Women s Clubs WFWC saw delegates from the Waukesha Women s Club in attendance 44 This club had expressed early support for women s rights and later Youmans served as president 45 During an open house at the Manona Lake Assembly in 1896 Anna Howard Shaw lectured in front of an audience of around 4 000 people 26 Women s suffrage headquarters were set up in the State House in Madison in 1902 33 The headquarters were in charge of distributing suffrage literature and also collected information on suffrage supporters in the state 33 Suffragists shared the Tax Paying Woman s Pledge throughout the state which reinforced the idea that women should not be forced to pay taxes if they could not vote 46 Maud Wood Park was brought to Wisconsin in 1908 by Brown and spoke and helped set up suffrage groups at several colleges 33 At the end of 1909 WWSA helped circulate a petition for a federal women s suffrage amendment 33 Within six weeks they had collected more than 18 000 signatures on the petitions 33 One octogenarian Mrs Wentworth collected 1 000 names herself 33 Another women s suffrage organization the Political Equality League PEL was formed in 1911 with Ada James as president 47 This group was created by members who wanted a more active organization 48 Youmans did public relations for PEL 49 Both PEL and WWSA campaigned for the new voter referendum on women s suffrage that was put out by the state legislature in 1911 33 The two organizations had many differences but were able to cooperate and share ideas for the state campaign to encourage voters to support women s suffrage 50 Harriet Grim an organizer from the National American Woman Suffrage Association NAWSA came to Wisconsin to help organize activists 51 Campaign headquarters were set up in Milwaukee by the summer of 1911 52 When the state ruled that PEL and WWSA could only spend 10 000 each per campaign suffragists organized the Wisconsin Men s League for Women s Suffrage to help raise money 53 The Men s League also helped increase the number of speakers available and added prestige to the suffrage publicity campaign 54 Literature that was distributed during the campaign was translated into several languages and suffrage groups were formed of German language Polish language Norwegian language and Yiddish language speakers 55 Belle Case La Follette and her daughter Fola became involved in the campaign 56 During the campaign La Follette spoke on women s suffrage throughout the state seven days a week several times day 57 La Follette influenced first both PEL and WWSA to organize on the grassroots level 58 They contacted women of influence to host suffrage meetings in their hometowns and the state suffrage groups provided speakers 58 Suffragists also spoke to labor unions and promised that low wages would end when women could vote 59 The grassroots approach also helped suffragists reach out to working class women and women who stayed at home 60 nbsp Belle Case La Follette speaks in Fox River Wisconsin in 1912Suffragists also showed the film Votes for Women featuring Jane Addams throughout the state 55 Using cars in the Wisconsin suffrage campaigns was also extremely popular 54 The first auto tour started in Milwaukee on August 2 1911 and visited eight counties to the south 54 Car tours helped build publicity and gave local suffrage groups something to campaign around 54 Women in the tours used the cars themselves as a speaking platform and often wore matching yellow tunics 54 61 A Votes for Women boat tour on the Wolf River also took place 62 Buffalo Bill Cody also helped the cause when he visited Green Bay with a suffrage banner carried by his Wild West circus 63 The suffragists visited county fairs and set up suffrage booths to get out their message and answer questions 54 The Wisconsin State Fair in 1911 had a Woman s Day which included special programs and exhibits relating to women s suffrage 54 During the State Fair Dan Patch a famous pacing horse carried a Votes for Women banner 63 Al Ringling was hired by Georgina J Koppke in Baraboo to create a multimedia women s suffrage production 63 Before the election on November 4 1912 suffragists mailed reminders to vote to individuals who had signed pledge cards 54 They mailed out nearly 25 000 reminders 64 Pilot Lincoln Beachey was hired to drop suffrage fliers from an airplane at the 1912 Wisconsin State Fair 62 Advertisements were purchased and run in the newspapers 54 At Catholic Churches around 35 000 leaflets were distributed 64 The ballots for women s suffrage were on a separate paper and were supposed to be pink 65 Some areas printed the ballots in white and some didn t receive the separate women s suffrage ballots 65 During the day of the vote poll watchers were on hand and also passed out literature 54 Despite the effort put into the campaign suffragists lost with 227 024 against and 135 545 for 64 Road to ratification edit nbsp Waukesha suffragists June 7 1916In January 1913 a joint convention of PEL and WWSA was called by Zona Gale and was held in Madison on February 4 5 66 67 The two groups merged and kept the name WWSA 13 Youmans was elected the new president 68 WWSA wanted to pursue another referendum campaign immediately 69 A women s suffrage referendum did pass in the state legislature but the Governor vetoed it worrying that the referendum was too close to the last one on women s suffrage 70 In 1913 Brown joined the National Advisory Council of the Congressional Union CU later known as the National Woman s Party 71 La Follett testified in front of the United States Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage on April 26 1913 72 In Madison a Suffrage School was held in June 1914 68 The school had sixty six women regular attendees and hundreds of people listened to the suffrage lectures sponsored by the school 68 WWSA lobbied legislators for an unsuccessful voter referendum bill in 1915 73 Youmans also joined the CU by 1915 74 In the fall she went to New York to do press work for their state voter referendum 75 After the failure of the voter referendum in New York Youmans came back to Wisconsin where WWSA began to work towards a federal suffrage amendment 76 In June 1916 suffragists from Wisconsin marched alongside suffragists in Illinois in a parade down Michigan Avenue in Chicago 77 In the fall of 1916 Carrie Chapman Catt came to speak at the WWSA conference in Milwaukee 76 By fall of 1916 Youmans and other suffrage group presidents pledged to support the Winning Plan that Catt had devised for the National Woman Suffrage Association NAWSA 76 Catt and NAWSA were going to push hard nationally for a federal suffrage bill 76 A women s suffrage referendum supported by WWSA in the state legislature was introduced 78 When Catt found out that WWSA had supported the state legislature WWSA was censured and the suffragists in Wisconsin stopped lobbying for its success 78 The referendum failed in February 1917 79 Before and during the United States entry into World War I the suffragists in Wisconsin were divided over whether to support the war effort 80 79 The WWSA and the Wisconsin National Woman s Party tried to remain neutral which was criticized and attacked by the press 79 German American suffragists in Wisconsin faced anti German sentiment 79 Catt s plan during wartime involved suffragists aiding the war effort which put many Wisconsin suffragists who were also pacifists in a difficult spot 81 Brown was one of the activists picketing the White House on March 4 1917 71 Meta Berger hosted the first meeting of a NWP branch at her home on October 14 1917 82 Berger left WWSA angry that the organization went on to endorse the war 83 James and Gale also joined the NWP 84 Youmans still in charge of WWSA continued to work to support the war effort 85 nbsp David G James with ratification receipt 1920In January 1918 the United States House of Representatives passed the amendment that would go on to become the Nineteenth Amendment 85 WWSA member Jessie Jack Hooper was on hand to lobby for NAWSA 85 During 1919 Youmans was called to Washington to lobby Congress on the women s suffrage amendment which had to go through another legislative session where it passed both houses 86 After its passage Youmans returned to Wisconsin to fight for the amendment s ratification 87 The states of Illinois and Wisconsin fought to become the first to ratify 87 On June 10 1919 Wisconsin ratified the Nineteenth Amendment 87 The legislature of the state of Illinois beat Wisconsin to the ratification by one hour 88 David G James was appointed Special Courier for the ratification papers by the governor 89 The Wisconsin Secretary of State Merlin Hull gave James money to travel 90 Ada James arrived at Madison with a packed suitcase for her father who immediately left for Washington D C 87 Wisconsin became the first state to finalize the ratification by turning in the paperwork to the State Department on June 13 1919 90 African American women s suffrage in Wisconsin editIn Milwaukee the Political Equality League PEL set up an African American chapter with Carrie Horton as president 91 Alice L Thompson Waytes of Boston campaigned for women s suffrage in Wisconsin in 1912 92 93 She also campaigned for the Progressive Party in Wisconsin 94 White suffragist Belle Case La Follette publicly and strongly criticized racial segregation and also spoke in front of Black audiences 95 She printed her opinions in La Follette s Magazine 96 La Follette urged that there could be no peace in the country without racial equality 97 Her work had an effect on people around the country both Black and white 98 Anti suffragism in Wisconsin editWisconsin had two major anti suffrage groups one in Madison and one in Milwaukee 82 See also editList of Wisconsin suffragists Timeline of women s suffrage in Wisconsin Women s suffrage in states of the United States Women s suffrage in the United StatesReferences edit Janik Erika 2017 10 02 Rights For Women African Americans Immigrants Wisconsin s Radical 1846 Constitution Wisconsin Public Radio Retrieved 2021 01 05 Paxon 1915 p 14 Youmans 1921 p 3 Youmans 1921 p 3 4 a b c Youmans 1921 p 4 Paxon 1915 p 15 16 Paxon 1915 p 19 Krueger 1937 p 165 Wisconsin s First Newspaper by Women Quixote 8 3 not a duplicate 5 6 March 1974 JSTOR community 28042973 via JSTOR Anneke Mathilde 1817 1884 Wisconsin Historical Society 2012 08 03 Retrieved 2021 01 09 Youmans 1921 p 4 5 a b c d Youmans 1921 p 5 a b c Timeline of Wisconsin Women s Suffrage University of Wisconsin Madison Retrieved 2021 01 06 Youmans 1921 p 5 6 a b Youmans 1921 p 6 Youmans 1921 p 6 7 Youmans 1921 p 7 a b c d Youmans 1921 p 8 Youmans 1921 p 8 9 a b c d e Youmans 1921 p 9 a b Youmans 1921 p 11 a b c McBride 1993 p 46 a b McBride 1993 p 52 McBride 1988 p 251 a b Anthony 1902 p 985 a b Anthony 1902 p 986 Youmans 1921 p 14 Gordon Scott 2018 07 10 Wisconsin s Halting Path Toward Black Suffrage WisContext Retrieved 2021 01 05 a b c Anthony 1902 p 988 a b c Youmans 1921 p 16 Anthony 1902 p 987 988 a b Meldrum Monica Biographical Sketch of Martha Parker Dingee Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists 1890 1920 via Alexander Street a b c d e f g h i j Harper 1922 p 700 a b c Anthony 1902 p 989 The Woman s Suffrage Movement Wisconsin Historical Society 2012 08 03 Retrieved 2021 01 17 Youmans 1921 p 16 17 Anthony 1902 p 990 Anthony 1902 p 990 991 Anthony 1902 p 991 Youmans 1921 p 17 Grant 1980 p 108 Neu 1960 p 284 Mueller Brian Waukesha Freeman Encyclopedia of Milwaukee Retrieved 2021 01 08 McBride 1988 p 248 McBride 1988 p 249 Youmans 1921 p 18 Harper 1922 p 700 701 Grant 1980 p 108 109 McBride 1988 p 252 Grant 1980 p 109 Harper 1922 p 701 Grant 1980 p 111 Grant 1980 p 114 115 a b c d e f g h i j Grant 1980 p 115 a b Grant 1980 p 114 Grant 1980 p 111 112 Unger 2016 p 22 a b Grant 1980 p 113 Grant 1980 p 113 114 McBride 1993 p 213 McBride 1988 p 255 a b Youmans 1921 p 21 a b c McBride 1993 p 212 a b c Grant 1980 p 116 a b McBride 1988 p 258 Youmans 1921 p 23 24 Harper 1922 p 703 704 a b c Harper 1922 p 704 McBride 1988 p 260 Harper 1922 p 707 a b Neu 1960 p 285 Unger 1999 p 107 McBride 1988 p 263 McBride 1988 p 262 McBride 1988 p 264 a b c d McBride 1988 p 265 Youmans 1921 p 25 a b McBride 1988 p 265 266 a b c d McBride 1988 p 266 McBride 1988 p 244 245 McBride 1988 p 266 267 a b Harper 1922 p 705 McBride 1988 p 268 McBride 1988 p 269 a b c McBride 1988 p 270 McBride 1988 p 270 271 a b c d McBride 1988 p 271 Suffrage 2020 Illinois Suffrage 2020 Illinois Retrieved 16 January 2021 David G James with Suffragists Photograph Wisconsin Historical Society 2003 12 01 Retrieved 2021 01 16 a b Women s Suffrage in Wisconsin Wisconsin Historical Society 2019 06 05 Retrieved 2021 01 05 McBride 1993 p 214 A Colored Suffragist The Atchison Daily Globe 1912 09 23 p 4 Retrieved 2021 01 05 via Newspapers com Strand Karla J Dunn Brandon Biography of Carrie S Cook Horton 1875 1971 Biographical Database of NAWSA Suffragists 1890 1920 via Alexander Street Forlaw Blair Biography of Miss Alice L Thompson Waytes 1870 1949 Biographical Database of Black Woman Suffragists via Alexander Street Unger 2016 p 23 24 Unger 2016 p 24 Unger 2016 p 23 Unger 2016 p 24 25 Sources edit Anthony Susan B 1902 Anthony Susan B Harper Ida Husted eds The History of Woman Suffrage Vol 4 Indianapolis The Hollenbeck Press Grant Marilyn Winter 1980 The 1912 Suffrage Referendum An Exercise in Political Action The Wisconsin Magazine of History 64 2 107 118 JSTOR 4635498 via JSTOR Harper Ida Husted 1922 The History of Woman Suffrage New York J J Little amp Ives Company Krueger Lillian December 1937 Madame Mathilda Franziska Anneke an Early Wisconsin Journalist The Wisconsin Magazine of History 21 2 160 167 JSTOR 4631172 via JSTOR McBride Genevieve G Summer 1988 Theodora Winton Youmans and the Wisconsin Woman Movement The Wisconsin Magazine of History 71 4 242 275 JSTOR 4636147 via JSTOR McBride Genevieve G 1993 On Wisconsin Women Working for Their Rights from Settlement to Suffrage Madison Wisconsin The University of Wisconsin Press ISBN 0299140008 Neu Charles E Summer 1960 Olympia Brown and the Woman s Suffrage Movement The Wisconsin Magazine of History 43 4 277 287 JSTOR 4633538 via JSTOR Paxon Frederic L June 1915 A Constitution of Democracy Wisconsin 1847 Mississippi Valley Historical Review 2 1 3 24 doi 10 2307 1889103 JSTOR 1889103 via JSTOR Unger Nancy Winter 1999 The Two Worlds of Belle Case La Follette The Wisconsin Magazine of History 83 2 82 110 JSTOR 4636846 via JSTOR Unger Nancy C Spring 2016 The Unexpected Belle La Follette The Wisconsin Magazine of History 99 3 16 27 JSTOR 26389466 via JSTOR Youmans Theodora W September 1921 How Wisconsin Women Won the Ballot The Wisconsin Magazine of History 5 1 3 32 JSTOR 4630337 via JSTOR External links editWisconsin Women Vote Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Women 27s suffrage in Wisconsin amp oldid 1209030772, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.