If you see an injustice and
want to change it, what
would you do?
What does “taxation without
representation” mean?
Alice Paul and the
19th Amendment
Origins of the American
Women’s Suffrage Movement
• Elizabeth Cady
Stanton
• Lucretia Mott
Seneca Falls Convention,
New York 1848
• Considered the beginnings
of the women’s movement
in the United States.
• 300 women and men
attended the convention
• The goals of convention
including publicizing how
women were treated as
lower citizens.
• Demanded that women be
allowed to vote.
Seneca Falls Convention,
New York 1848
Susan B Anthony
• Friend of Cady Stanton
• Powerful speaker
• In 1869, Anthony and
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
founded the National
Woman Suffrage
Association which was
dedicated to gaining
women's suffrage.
Origins of the American
Women’s Suffrage Movement
• Sojourner Truth
• Victoria Woodhull
During the late 1800s the American
Women’s Suffrage Movement became
divided by many important issues.
• Examples include the • Carry Nation
following movements:
• Abolition
• Temperance/18th
Amendment
• Fair Wages
• Labor/Unions
• 14th and 15th
Amendments
• Roles of woman in
society.
Women’s Suffrage Movement was
divided between state and federal
movements.
• Some people
thought women’s
suffrage should be
fought for state by
state.
• Other people
thought one national
amendment was
needed to get
women the right to
vote.
The first territories/states
to allow women to vote.
• 1869: Wyoming Territory’s
Constitution grants women the right to
vote and to hold public office.
• 1870: Utah territory gives full
suffrage to women.
• 1893: Colorado gives women full
suffrage.
• 1911: Women have full suffrage in
California
Equal Suffrage Map
Why so much earlier for the
western states?
Women’s Suffrage movement in
England
• Some women in the Suffrage movement
became fed up with the slow process and
backtracking of England’s government on the
Women’s Suffrage Act.
• The Women’s Suffrage movement in England
went to more extreme measures to try
convince the government to change its
policies.
• New measures included harassment, throwing
bricks, and an attempted bombing of the
Prime Minster’s House.
Emily Davison throws herself in front of
the King’s Horse during a derby in England
• June 1913 Derby
Alice Paul
• Alice Paul was one of the
most influential people in
getting the 19th Amendment
passed in the United States.
• Very intelligent, she earned
Ph.D in Civil Law
• Became very active in the
Women’s Suffrage movement
at a young age
• Powerful speaker and political
organizer
• Went to college in England in
1907 and started following
the Suffrage movement in
England
Alice Paul
• Alice Paul returned to
the United States in
1910.
• In 1912 Alice Paul and
her friend Lucy Burns
took over the National
American Woman
Suffrage Association.
• Alice Paul was warned
by the committee not
to use any tactics used
by suffragists from
England.
Alice Paul
• Alice Paul quickly
organized the National
American Woman
Suffrage Association
into powerful political
organization.
• Alice Paul searched for
political support and
fundraising money.
• Both Democrats and
Republicans wanted the
support of NAWSA in
1912 presidential
elections.
• NAWSA supported
Democrat Woodrow
Wilson and expected
that he would support
a National Suffrage
Amendment.
Alva Belmont/Vanderbilt
• Alva
Belmont/Vanderbilt
was a prominent multimillionaire and a major
figure in the women
suffrage movement.
She helped sponsor the
Suffragette
newspaper.
Who did the Women’s Suffrage
Campaign Represent?
• The original women’s
suffrage movement was
centered on educated,
middle-class white
women, who were often
reluctant to accept
immigrants, blacks,
and the working class
into their ranks.
• Alice Paul and Alva
Belmont/Vanderbilt
started to recruit and
reach out to all
women.
• Alice Paul tried to
show how women’s
suffrage would improve
the lives of all
Americans.
Ida B.Wells
• Early Civil Rights
Activist
• Spoke out against
lynchings in America.
• Supported African
Americans through
being one of the
creators of the NAACP.
• Supported suffrage for
all women.
1913 Women Suffrage Parade
• March 3, 1913
• The parade was held the
day that the new president
Woodrow Wilson arrived in
Washington, D.C.
• Five to eight thousand
suffragists marched from
the U.S. Capitol past the
White House.
• Most people in
Washington ignored the
arrival of the new
president and attended
the parade
• At least 250,000 people
watched the Suffrage
Parade.
• During the parade a riot
broke out and women were
spit on and some were
beaten by the crowd.
• The police did nothing to
protect the marchers.
• The publicity of the march
brought new support to the
women’s suffrage
movement.
The cover of the official program
for the 1913 parade.
Many of the marchers dressed
in white.
Ida B.Wells
• During the 1913
National Suffrage
March Ida B. Wells
refused to march at
the back with other
black delegates during
a demonstration.
• Many people in
Washington D.C. were
shocked be her bold
actions.
The crowd of spectators grows along suffrage
march route.
Many members of the crowd
attacked the marchers.
A crowd surrounds an ambulance at
the Washington suffrage parade.
The parade and riot brought a lot of publicity
to the women’s suffrage movement.
The Woman’s Movement
becomes divided again.
• Many women in the
National American
Woman Suffrage
Association thought
Alice Paul was bringing
bad publicity to the
women’s movement.
NAWSA thought
women could win the
right to vote state by
state.
State Reform vs. Federal
Amendment
• Alice Paul and her
supporters split from
NAWSA and formed
the National Woman’s
Party in 1916. They
began introducing some
of the methods used
by the suffrage
movement in Britain.
• Alice Paul and her
supporters were
some of the first
Americans to use
non-violent and civil
disobedience to
convince Americans
of their cause.
A pre-election women's suffrage
parade in New York City, October,
1915. 20,000 women marched.
Woodrow Wilson
• During his first
term as president,
Woodrow Wilson did
not actively support
the Women’s
Suffrage
Movement.
Alice Paul and her supporters felt
betrayed by Wilson.
• During the 1916
presidential election,
the Alice Paul and her
supporters campaigned
vigorously against
Woodrow Wilson’s
refusal to support the
women’s suffrage
amendment.
NAWSA’s Declaration
to the Nation
Of the many reasons that
women fought for the right
to vote, one that most
resonated with American
citizens was the fact that
these women were paying
taxes into a government
that did not endow them
the same rights as male
citizens. (Taxation without
representation)
After the second inauguration of President Woodrow Wilson,
suffragists started non-stop picketing around the White House
to hold Wilson to his promise of support for woman suffrage.
Minnesota and Women’s Suffrage
• Minnesota 1917
• Rep. Thomas Girling of
Robbinsdale argued
that "women shouldn't
be dragged into the
dirty pool of politics.“
Approving such a
measure would "cause
irreparable damage at
great expense to the
state.
• In 1917, Women’s
Suffrage Amendment
passed in the
Minnesota House of
Representative by a
85-41 vote.
• In the Minnesota
Senate the women’s
suffrage proposal was
defeated in a 31-35
vote.
• Finally, in 1919,
women’s suffrage was
passed in Minnesota.
April 1917
America enters World War 1
Most politicians felt the
Woman’s Suffrage Movement
should stop while the war was
going on.
Picketing the White House
• Alice Paul and her
supporters decided
to increase their
picketing of the
White House and
use Wilson’s own
words against him
in their protests.
• Why is he
referred to as
“Kaiser” Wilson?
Suffragettes picket the White
House
Crowds grew to watch the women, sometimes
the crowds became very hostile.
The suffragettes were assaulted by a mob
and the police arrested the women.
In July 1917, picketers were arrested
on charges of "obstructing traffic”
The Trial
• In 1917 and 1918, almost
500 suffragists were
arrested during their
picketing of the White
House; 168, including
National Woman's Party
Chairperson Alice Paul,
were tried, convicted, and
imprisoned for terms of up
to seven months for
blocking traffic on a
sidewalks.
• Most of the women refused
to pay fines as low as five
dollars and instead chose to
be imprisoned.
• The women believed they
were imprisoned for their
political beliefs and became
the first U.S. citizens to
claim that their government
held them as political
prisoners.
The protesters, including Alice Paul
were sent to a jail/workhouse outside
of Washington, D.C.
Alice Paul went on a hunger
strike.
The Hunger Strikes!
• Many of imprisoned
women also went on
hunger strikes to
support Alice Paul.
• The women were
forcibly fed by having a
tube forced up their
nose.
• The reports of the
“tortures” were
released by newspapers
and the American public
became outraged at the
treatment of these
women.
Alice Paul and her supporters were
released from jail, but they continued to
protest.
1918 Elections
• Many Americans
disagree with
Wilson’s handling of
the war, civil
liberties, and
women’s suffrage.
• In the 1918
elections, the
Democrats lost
control of both the
House and Senate.
For the next two
years, most of
Wilson’s programs
and policies were
blocked by the
Republicans.
Warren Harding, a
Republican, was
elected President in
1920.
American women did everything
their country asked of them in
World War I.
American women did everything
their country asked of them in
World War I.
How did World War I give women
more power in America?
Wilson’s Viewpoints change
• In January, 1918,
Wilson announced
that women's
suffrage was
urgently needed as
a "war measure",
and strongly urged
Congress to pass
the legislation.
• Many politicians
thought Wilson was
trying to gain more
votes for
Democrats in 1918
elections.
The 19th Amendment gains
support!
• In May 1919, the
amendment passed the
House.
• On June 4, 1919, the
amendment passed the
Senate.
• Wisconsin became the first
state to approve the 19th
Amendment on June 10,
1919.
• 2/3 of the states approved
the 19th Amendment by
August 1920.
• Women were able to vote in
the election of 1920.
• Minnesota was the
15th state to
approve the 19th
Amendment in
September 1919.
• Mississippi was the
last state to
approve the 19th
Amendment in
1984.
Alice Paul sewed stars on the woman
suffrage ratification flag, representing
another state that has ratified the 19th
amendment.
The War of the Roses
Tennessee was the last state needed for a
2/3 majority of the Women’s Suffrage
Amendment.
The War of the Roses
• When the Tennessee
Representatives first voted
on the amendment they
tied, 48 for and 48 against
the amendment.
• The same thing happened on
the second vote.
• By the time of the third
vote, Harry Burns, who was
initially against the
amendment, received a
letter from his mother
asking him to support the
new amendment.
• Harry changed his vote
and the women’s
suffrage amendment
passed by one vote.
• Some Representatives
were so mad at Harry
Burns they begin
chasing him around the
capital building. Harry
escaped out of a
window and later hid in
the attic of the capital
out of fear of being
beaten or killed.
The War of the Roses
• 1920: On August
26, the
constitutional
amendment is
adopted when
Tennessee ratifies
it, granting full
woman suffrage in
all states of the
United States.
Alice Paul celebrates the passage of
the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920.
When Tennessee became the 36th state to
ratify the woman suffrage amendment, Alice
Paul unfurled a 36-star victory banner at
National Woman's Party headquarters.
Jeannette Rankin
• The first woman
elected to the U.S.
House of
Representatives.
• She represented
Montana.
• She was elected
statewide in Montana.
• There are currently 93
women in Congress.
• 76 women in the House
and 17 women in the
Senate.
What voting issues might be
more important to women then
men?
What has been the impact
of women being able to
vote?
What did you learn today?
List three things you learned
about the Women’s Suffrage
Movement.
Resources
• Books
• Woman Suffrage and
Women's Rights
• A Woman's Crusade:
Alice Paul and the
Battle for the Ballot
• Century of Struggle:
The Woman's Rights
Movement in the
United States
• Videos
• One Woman, One Vote
• Not for Ourselves
Alone: The Story of
Elizabeth Cady Stanton
& Susan B. Anthony
• Iron Jawed Angels