One Woman, One Vote

What does the term “We Demand” refer to?
“We Demand” was women’s stand for their rights despite preconceived notions that women have no need to be involved in politics. It was the final straw for women and they were willing to do all in their power to be enfranchised. Rather than dwell on the what they couldn’t do, the suffragists moved forward and did all in their power to achieve their rights. They decided their efforts were worth more than any hardship that they would encounter. Women would no longer stand for the male population to disregard their right over themselves but their right as inhabitants of the United States. They decided not to stand for the unequal treatment any longer and were willing to fight for it.

Who attended the parade in Washington D.C.? Who did not? Why?
Inez Milholland and Lucy Burns led the great woman suffrage parade with more than 5,000 marchers. It was organized by Alice Paul for the National American Woman Suffrage Association and grabbed attention for the suffrage movement. Another notable leader in attendance was Ida Wells-Barnett, a black woman suffragist who led colored suffragists in the parade. It is also important that there were women who didn’t support the suffrage movement. The National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage led by Mrs. Arthur Dodge included wealthy, influential women who did not want to loose white supremacy nor get involved in such politics. Least of all did they want to be associated with the black suffragists at the time.

What role did the police and the law play, in the success or lack of success, in the women’s movement?
While the police made the physical hardships of radical suffragists harder, it also helped create an image for the suffragist that they needed. With the harsh treatment from the police, people began to support the suffragists and began to notice them. Rather than harshly send them away, people began to support the suffragists and chastised the government and police for not protecting women when they were defenseless. Reporters wrote several articles revealing the harsh treatment of women who were detained and made strong advocates like Alice Paul into heroes regardless of the population that was against enfranchising women.

What was one of the most exciting jobs to have within the movement? Why?
A woman’s place was at home taking care of her family’s domestic needs. There were very few women who could travel and experience a world outside their household responsibilities. Women were attracted to becoming strong advocates and speakers and organizers of suffrage organizations so that they could experience the world outside their closed off world in the house. The women who were organizers of the suffrage movement were able to travel and meet new people and venture into new environments. They enjoyed the new opportunities available to them, the freedom that came with their journeys.

What was Catt’s influence? What did she do?
Catt grew up challenging the way men viewed her. She sought for a higher education despite her father’s opposition and decided that she can control her own life. It was in Mason City were Carrie Chapman Catt first became active in the women’s rights crusade. Her success in jobs usually reserved for men convinced her that since women could do the work of men, women should also have the right to vote. She was courageous, intelligent and faced ridicule by people who believed a woman’s place was in the home. As a young widow she began lecturing and working for women’s suffrage. She joined the Iowa Woman’s Suffrage Association. She replaced Susan B. Anthony in 1900 as the president of National American Woman Suffrage Association and served in the position for four years. In 1915 she became president of the national association for the second time. During this time Catt led the campaign for women’s suffrage with a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution. As an organizer and a strategist she turned the National American Woman Suffrage Association from loosely run local organizations into a tightly knit political machine. Carrie Chapman Catt’s leadership kept the cause of women’s suffrage alive through her writings and speeches.

“Resistance to tyranny is obedience to God,”. What does this quote mean?
The court asked Anthony if she had anything to say before the sentence of her trial was to be read. Anthony responded that she had a great many things to say, and declared that in her trial every principle of justice had been violated. She argued that every right had been denied and that she had had no trial by her peers. Anthony went on to say that the court and jurors were her political superiors and not her peers, and announced her determination to continue her labors until equality was obtained. She found that her trial was an example of the governments tyranny and decided that her mission for women’s rights were fueled by a higher power and should not be ignored.