Remembering the Struggle for Suffrage

Right now, lots of media outlets are helping to commemorate this, the 90th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th amendment, which granted women the right to vote. You can find good accounts of the process of gaining suffrage elsewhere.

What I want to remind readers is that it was, indeed, a fight for women to earn the right to vote. Women, often at great peril fought. Sometimes, the fight was physical, as many women were jailed for their protests and force-fed while imprisoned. And the suffragists made mistakes, too, like jettisoning the needs of people of color to sway Southern politicians.

In American history, we are taught about as children and commemorate as adults battles waged for independence from England, against slavery (among other reasons), and in favor of civil rights. We often fail to remember how recent, difficult, and yes, violent the struggle for women’s suffrage was.

I’ve only touched on parts of the story because unfortunately, I don’t know nearly enough about this battle. The little I know, I learned very recently. The documentary One Woman, One Vote provides an overview of this struggle. Watching this film, I was profoundly moved at points. It was the first time I had seen American history that was truly my history, a history of women in America, rather than how various women (like Martha Washington, Betsy Ross, and Harriet Tubman) had played supporting roles in the grander history of men. I am not a tearful person generally, but I was moved to tears. Although I’ve not seen it, I have also heard recommended Not for Ourselves Alone: The Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton & Susan B. Anthony.

However you learn about the fight for full citizenship for women in the United States, do learn about it. It’s a fascinating chapter in our not-so-distant history.