Women's suffrage in Nevada

Last updated
"Two More Bright Spots on the Map" by Harry Osborn, November 14, 1914 "Two More Bright Spots on the Map" by Harry Osborn, November 14, 1914.jpg
"Two More Bright Spots on the Map" by Harry Osborn, November 14, 1914

Women's suffrage began in Nevada began in the late 1860s. Lecturer and suffragist Laura de Force Gordon started giving women's suffrage speeches in the state starting in 1867. In 1869, Assemblyman Curtis J. Hillyer introduced a women's suffrage resolution in the Nevada Legislature. He also spoke out on women's rights. Hillyer's resolution passed, but like all proposed amendments to the state constitution, must pass one more time and then go out to a voter referendum. In 1870, Nevada held its first women's suffrage convention in Battle Mountain Station. In the late 1880s, women gained the right to run for school offices and the next year several women are elected to office. A few suffrage associations were formed in the mid 1890s, with a state group operating a few women's suffrage conventions. However, after 1899, most suffrage work slowed down or stopped altogether. In 1911, the Nevada Equal Franchise Society (NEFS) was formed. Attorney Felice Cohn wrote a women's suffrage resolution that was accepted and passed the Nevada Legislature. The resolution passed again in 1913 and will go out to the voters on November 3, 1914. Suffragists in the state organized heavily for the 1914 vote. Anne Henrietta Martin brought in suffragists and trade unionists from other states to help campaign. Martin and Mabel Vernon traveled around the state in a rented Ford Model T, covering thousands of miles. Suffragists in Nevada visited mining towns and even went down into mines to talk to voters. On November 3, the voters of Nevada voted overwhelmingly for women's suffrage. Even though Nevada women won the vote, they did not stop campaigning for women's suffrage. Nevada suffragists aided other states' campaigns and worked towards securing a federal suffrage amendment. On February 7, 1920, Nevada became the 28th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.

Contents

Early efforts

Newspaper poll for women's suffrage, Reno Gazette-Journal, January 7, 1895 Newspaper poll for women's suffrage, Reno Gazette-Journal, January 7, 1895.png
Newspaper poll for women's suffrage, Reno Gazette-Journal, January 7, 1895

Laura de Force Gordon, a lecturer and suffragist, came to Nevada in 1867. [1] She had large audiences for her appearances in Gold Hill and Virginia City. [1] Gordon left for California after a few weeks but returned to speak throughout Nevada in 1868. [1] In these later talks, she focused more on women's suffrage. [1] Gordon's speeches were well covered by the press. [1]

On February 16, 1869, Assemblyman Curtis J. Hillyer introduced a bill for equal women's suffrage in the Nevada Assembly. [2] In addition to introducing this bill, Hillyer's speech about women deserving equal rights became famous and was printed in full and discussed in the press. [2] Hillyer's equal suffrage amendment bill for women passed the Nevada Legislature that year. [3] To become a state constitutional amendment, the bill would have to pass again in two years and then go out for a voter referendum. [4] [5]

The first women's suffrage convention in Nevada was held on July 4, 1870 at Battle Mountain Station. [6] Gordon was at the convention along with Emily Pitts Stevens from California. [6] Senator M. S. Bonnifield of Humboldt County and journalist, John I. Ginn, served as chair and secretary for the event. [6] Gorden spoke at the convention, and gave a very stirring speech. [7] The participants created a state suffrage group with Gordon as president. [8] Gordon and Stevens campaigned in Carson, Elko, Virginia City and in mining towns throughout Humboldt County. [9]

Hilyer's bill was considered for the second time in early 1871. [10] Gordon was given the Assembly Chamber in the Nevada Capitol to speak for women's suffrage and she had "her audience spellbound." [10] Unfortunately, the bill lost by a narrow margin in the Assembly in February "after a bitter struggle." [3] Assemblyman Oscar Grey put forward an unsuccessful women's suffrage resolution in January 1873. [11] In 1881, a Nevada Legislature joint legislative committee recommended amending the state constitution in favor of women's suffrage, but it doesn't gain full support. [11]

In 1883, Hannah K. Clapp was among a group of women to successfully lobby the Nevada Senate to pass a women's suffrage bill. [12] This bill did not pass the Assembly. [12] In 1885, the legislature passed another equal suffrage resolution and like the 1869 bill, it had to be approved again in two years. [11] In 1887, the suffrage resolution failed to pass. [11] Positive legislation for suffragists came in the form of a resolution in 1889 that allowed women to run for school offices. [11] The next year, several women won school trustee positions and two women, Susan Miller of Humboldt County and Josephine Taylor of Elko County, were elected as superintendents. [11] The next legislation that expanded the rights of women happened in 1893 with the passage of a law that allowed women to work as attorneys and counselors in law. [11] Laura May Tilden helped pass the law and became the first woman attorney in Nevada. [11]

On November 30, 1894 the Lucy Stone Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage League was formed in Austin, Nevada with Fannie Weller as president. [11] [12] Frances Slaven Williamson was also involved with creating the non-partisan suffrage group. [13] Williamson started to get her writing about women's suffrage published in newspapers around the state. [13] The group helped lobby for another suffrage resolution in the Nevada Legislature which passed in 1895. [13] The Lucy Stone group dissolved by late April 1895. [13]

On May 17, 1895 Susan B. Anthony and Anna Howard Shaw visited Reno and spoke at McKissick's Opera House. [13] Anthony and Howard suggested to the large group that a state suffrage group be formed. [13] Emma Smith DeVoe was sent to Nevada from the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) to help canvass the state. [12] A state convention was held in Reno on October 29 and 30. [12] At the convention, the State Equal Suffrage Association was formed with Williamson as president. [13] [14] Willamson spoke in every town in Nevada over the next year and helped organize suffrage clubs. [14] She and her daughter, Mary Laura Williamson, also published a newspaper that promoted women's rights issues. [13] The paper, The Nevada Citizen, was distributed throughout Nevada and also outside the state. [13] The paper ran for two years and was funded and managed solely by the two women. [14]

In 1897, the suffrage bill that the Lucy Stone Non-Partisan Equal Suffrage League fought for did not pass a second time. [13] Williamson continued to canvas Nevada counties, finding a significant part of the population was in support of women's suffrage. [15] On October 30, 1897 the third state suffrage convention was held in Carson City with 300 delegates attending. [16] [13] The fourth convention was held two years later, in 1899. [16] That year, the Nevada Legislature again fails to approve an equal suffrage bill and removed the right of women to run as school superintendents. [11] Women were only allowed to run as school trustees. [11] The state suffrage group ceased activity around 1899. [17] Any suffrage work that continued was carried on by the Nevada Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) and other groups. [18]

Working for the vote

Anne Martin and Mabel Vernon campaigning for women's suffrage in Nevada, 1914. Anne Martin and Mabel Vernon supporting women's suffrage in Nevada, 1914.jpg
Anne Martin and Mabel Vernon campaigning for women's suffrage in Nevada, 1914.

Katherine Duer Mackay wrote to Jeanne Elizabeth Wier of the University of Nevada in November 1909 about setting up a branch of the Equal Franchise Society in Nevada. [17] Wier visited Mackay in New York to plan a society. [17] Wier also secured the support of several prominent people in Reno to support a group. [17] On February 4, 1911, a large group met to form the Nevada Equal Franchise Society (NEFS) with Margaret Stanislawsky as president. [19] [11] After formation, the group set up a committee to lobby the legislature. [20]

In 1911, the Nevada Legislature went on to approve more women's rights legislation. [11] Attorney from Carson City, Felice Cohn, wrote the women's suffrage bill that passed in March 1911. [11] [21] Cohn also started the Non-Militant Suffrage Association which helped campaign for women's suffrage in Nevada. [21] Members of the NEFS also worked hard to help influence the passage of Cohn's suffrage bill. [22] The passage of this bill received both local and national attention. [22] A six-foot banner reading "Nevada, Votes for Women" was sent from New York by Mrs. Arthur Hodges to commemorate the moment. [22] This banner would show up in processions in Nevada, London, and in New York City. [22] Mrs. Hodges also supported the rent for the headquarters of NEFS which was set up in Reno inside the Cheney Building. [22]

In 1912, Anne Henrietta Martin became the president of NEFS. [23] The group affiliated itself with NAWSA and the International Woman Suffrage Alliance (IWSA). [18] Martin also secured more funds for the suffrage fight from attendees at the National Suffrage Convention in Philadelphia. [24] Attorney Bird Wilson, from Goldfield wrote, published, and distributed a pamphlet called "Women Under Nevada Laws." [25] [11] Around 20,000 of these pamphlets were printed up and they were able to educate women with a "sense of their rights and wrongs." [25] [26] NEFS organized throughout Nevada counties, setting up local chapters. [27] On member, Mrs. H. C. Taylor drove "many miles from her ranch to attend every meeting." [27] The organization of the state allowed suffrage literature and advocacy to penetrate into all areas of the state. [27] By October 1912, several county-level Democratic Party groups in Nevada had endorsed women's suffrage. [28] Suffragists obtained further endorsements from the Progressive and Socialist parties. [29] Individual Republicans gave their support, but not as a group. [29] Labor unions were also supportive of women's suffrage in the state. [29]

In 1913, the women's suffrage bill authored by Cohn was passed by the Nevada Legislature and would go out to a voter referendum in 1914. [30] In October 1913 the Nevada Federation of Women's Clubs (NFWC) officially endorsed women's suffrage. [27] Ida Husted Harper wrote that the press was important in reaching potential voters in the predominantly rural and scattered state of Nevada. [27] Several large newspapers in Nevada were actively supportive of women's suffrage. [27] Martin developed a press network and wrote a weekly column that was even printed in papers who did not support suffrage. [31] The editor of the San Francisco Bulletin gave reporter Bessie Beatty time off and expenses paid so she could do publicity work in Nevada. [32]

Martin and Mabel Vernon traveled more than 3,000 miles around the state, driving on unimproved roads campaigning. [27] [23] Martin rented a Ford Model T, which she sometimes used as her speaking platform. [23] The car was able to travel an average of 15 miles a day on the dusty roads and the women sometimes slept in the car. [23] Other times, they took very long trips, making 100 miles in one day to reach seventy voters. [33] The suffragists called their work "prospecting for votes" and did, in fact, go down into mines by "tunnel, ladder or in buckets lowered by a windlass" to talk to voters where they worked. [34] Vernon used the experience of the grueling trip she and Martin took to reach voters. [35] People in Nevada had made similar journeys themselves and respected the "courage" of the suffragists to do the same. [35]

Martin also helped the suffrage cause by raising money for the suffrage campaign and paid for her own travel expenses. [36] She also helped bring in many seasoned suffragists and trade unionists to help her campaign, since the suffragists in Nevada had less experience in this area. [31] One of these women, Margaret Foley, a trade unionist and suffragist, visited eight mines in Nevada, "attended fifty dances, made one thousand speeches, and wore out three pairs of shoes." [37] Anna Howard Shaw arrived in Reno to speak on women's suffrage on October 4, 1914. [38] Along with Shaw, many other suffragists from NAWSA came to speak and organize in Nevada before the election. [39]

On November 3, 1914, the voters approved women's suffrage for Nevada with 10,936 to 7,257 votes. [40] This was the largest proportionate vote for women's suffrage at the time. [36]

After suffrage

Governor Emmet D. Boyle signs the ratification for the 19th Amendment presented to him by Sadie Hurst on February 7, 1920. Emmett D. Boyle of Nevada 160070v.jpg
Governor Emmet D. Boyle signs the ratification for the 19th Amendment presented to him by Sadie Hurst on February 7, 1920.

After Nevada women gained the right to vote, they continued to organize. The Washoe County Equal Franchise Society voted to form the Woman Citizens' Club after women gained the right to vote in Nevada. [41] NEFS dissolved and formed the Nevada Women's Civic League. [42] Other suffragists went on to campaign outside Nevada for women's suffrage in other states. [43] The plan was to raise a "veritable suffrage cyclone." [44]

In 1916, women from the Congressional Union (CU) toured the United States with the Suffrage Special. [45] The women of the CU wanted to recruit women who could already vote in their states to help them support efforts towards a national suffrage amendment. [46] The Suffrage Special arrived in Reno on April 26, 1916. [47] The next day, they stopped in Carson City where they were met by Governor Emmet D. Boyle and later had a car tour of the city. [48] The women were not won over by the idea of a new group, especially because of the threat of World War I. [49] Anne Henrietta Martin was involved in part of the Suffrage Special trip. [50] Also in 1916, Nevada women voted in their first county and state elections. [11]

In 1918, Reno suffragist, Sadie D. Hurst, was endorsed by the Woman Citizens' Club in her run for Nevada Assembly. [51] Hurst became the first woman elected to the Assembly. [51] On January 22, 1919 Hurst pressed for a resolution to the United States Congress to share that Nevada was in favor of a federal suffrage amendment on women's suffrage. [51] Hurst's resolution passed easily and was presented to Congress. [51] In November 1919, a women voters conference was held in Reno with Carrie Chapman Catt speaking. [52] The Nevada League of Women Voters was formed on the last day of the convention. [52]

A special session of the Nevada Legislature was convened to consider the Nineteenth Amendment on February 7, 1920. [52] Hurst introduced the resolution to ratify the amendment in the Assembly. [52] At the same time, the Senate had already passed a resolution in favor of ratification. [52] At this point, the resolution was reported out for final passage. [53] Hurst again presided, and gave a speech, thanking the men of Nevada for their support of the women in the state. [53] The resolution passed with only one dissenting vote. [53] Nevada was the 28th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. [54]

Anti-suffrage in Nevada

Anna Fitch, wife of Congressman Thomas Fitch, wrote an open letter that was published on the front page of the Territorial Enterprise in 1869. [55] Fitch believed that giving women the vote would harm women because it would take away their feminine qualities to become involved in politics. [55]

In November, the Nevada Association of Women Opposed to Equal Suffrage (NAWOWS) was formed in Reno in 1914. [11] [56] The president was Emma Adams. [11] Also in 1914, as the referendum for women's suffrage came up for the vote, Republican and investor George Wingfield announced he would leave Nevada if the referendum passed. [57] While Wingfield was wealthy and influential, he was also hated because he had helped break up the Goldfield Labor Union in 1907. [57] Wingfield's political pressure did have an effect on politicians and institutions alike. [31] Democrats became pro-suffrage in the state in order to counter Wingfield. [31] Other politicians developed what was termed "Wingfield cold feet" when they were hesitant to support suffrage. [31]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in states of the United States</span> Womens right to vote in individual states of the United States

Women's suffrage was established in the United States on a full or partial basis by various towns, counties, states and territories during the latter decades of the 19th century and early part of the 20th century. As women received the right to vote in some places, they began running for public office and gaining positions as school board members, county clerks, state legislators, judges, and, in the case of Jeannette Rankin, as a member of Congress.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in Montana</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Montana. The fight for women's suffrage in Montana started early, before Montana became a state. In 1887, women gained the right to vote in school board elections and on tax issues. In the years that followed, women battled for full, equal suffrage, which culminated in a year-long campaign in 1914 when they became one of eleven states with equal voting rights for most women. Montana ratified the Nineteenth Amendment on August 2, 1919 and was the thirteenth state to ratify. Native American women voters did not have equal rights to vote until 1924.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in Alabama</span>

Early women's suffrage work in Alabama started in the 1860s. Priscilla Holmes Drake was the driving force behind suffrage work until the 1890s. Several suffrage groups were formed, including a state suffrage group, the Alabama Woman Suffrage Organization (AWSO). The Alabama Constitution had a convention in 1901 and suffragists spoke and lobbied for women's rights provisions. However, the final constitution continued to exclude women. Women's suffrage efforts were mainly dormant until the 1910s when new suffrage groups were formed. Suffragists in Alabama worked to get a state amendment ratified and when this failed, got behind the push for a federal amendment. Alabama did not ratify the Nineteenth Amendment until 1953. For many years, both white women and African American women were disenfranchised by poll taxes. Black women had other barriers to voting including literacy tests and intimidation. Black women would not be able to fully access their right to vote until the passage of the Voting Rights Act of 1965.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in Nevada</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Nevada. In 1869, Curtis J. Hillyer introduced a women's suffrage resolution in the Nevada Legislature which passed, though it would wait for another legislative session to approve a second time. The first women's suffrage convention took place in 1870 in Battle Mountain Station. Several women's suffrage resolutions are voted on, or approved, but none complete the criteria to become amendments to the Constitution of Nevada. In the 1880s, women gain the right to run for school offices and several women run and win. Some Nevada women's suffrage groups work throughout the 1890s and hold more conventions. However, most suffrage work slows down or stops around 1899. The Nevada Equal Franchise Society (NEFS) was created in 1911. That same year, Attorney Felice Cohn writes a women's suffrage resolution that is accepted and passed by the Nevada Legislature. Anne Henrietta Martin becomes president of NEFS in 1912. The next year, Cohn's resolution passes a second time and will go out as a voter referendum the next year. On November 3, 1914 Nevada voters approve women's suffrage. Women in Nevada continue to be involved in suffrage campaigning. On February 7, 1920 Nevada ratifies the Nineteenth Amendment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in Florida</span>

The first women's suffrage effort in Florida was led by Ella C. Chamberlain in the early 1890s. Chamberlain began writing a women's suffrage news column, started a mixed-gender women's suffrage group and organized conventions in Florida.

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Florida. Ella C. Chamberlain began women's suffrage efforts in Florida starting in 1892. However, after Chamberlain leaves the state in 1897, suffrage work largely ceases until the next century. More women's suffrage groups are organized, with the first in the twentieth century being the Equal Franchise League in Jacksonville, Florida in 1912. Additional groups are created around Florida, including a Men's Equal Suffrage League of Florida. Suffragists lobby the Florida Legislature for equal suffrage, hold conventions, and educate voters. Several cities in Florida pass laws allowing women to vote in municipal elections, with Fellsmere being the first in 1915. Zena Dreier becomes the first woman to legally cast a vote in the South on June 19, 1915. On May 26, 1919, women in Orlando vote for the first time. After the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment, Helen Hunt West becomes the first woman in Florida to register to vote under equal franchise rules on September 7, 1920. Florida does not ratify the Nineteenth Amendment until May 13, 1969.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in Arizona</span>

The movement for women's suffrage in Arizona began in the late 1800s. After women's suffrage was narrowly voted down at the 1891 Arizona Constitutional Convention, prominent suffragettes such as Josephine Brawley Hughes and Laura M. Johns formed the Arizona Suffrage Association and began touring the state campaigning for women's right to vote. Momentum built throughout the decade, and after a strenuous campaign in 1903, a woman's suffrage bill passed both houses of the legislature but was ultimately vetoed by Governor Alexander Oswald Brodie.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in Arizona</span> Review of the topic

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Arizona. The first women's suffrage bill was brought forward in the Arizona Territorial legislature in 1883, but it did not pass. Suffragists work to influence the Territorial Constitutional Convention in 1891 and lose the women's suffrage battle by only three votes. That year, the Arizona Suffrage Association is formed. In 1897, taxpaying women gain the right to vote in school board elections. Suffragists both from Arizona and around the country continue to lobby the territorial legislature and organize women's suffrage groups. In 1903, a women's suffrage bill passes, but is vetoed by the governor. In 1910, suffragists work to influence the Arizona State Constitutional Convention, but are also unsuccessful. When Arizona becomes a state on February 14, 1912, an attempt to legislate a women's suffrage amendment to the Arizona Constitution fails. Frances Munds mounts a successful ballot initiative campaign. On November 5, 1912, women's suffrage passes in Arizona. In 1913, the voter registration books are opened to women. In 1914, women participate in their first primary elections. Arizona ratified the Nineteenth Amendment on February 12, 1920. However, Native American women and Latinas would wait longer for full voting rights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in Maine</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Maine. Suffragists began campaigning in Maine in the mid 1850s. A lecture series was started by Ann F. Jarvis Greely and other women in Ellsworth, Maine in 1857. The first women's suffrage petition to the Maine Legislature was sent that same year. Women continue to fight for equal suffrage throughout the 1860s and 1870s. The Maine Woman Suffrage Association (MWSA) is established in 1873 and the next year, the first Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) chapter was started. In 1887, the Maine Legislature votes on a women's suffrage amendment to the state constitution, but it does not receive the necessary two-thirds vote. Additional attempts to pass women's suffrage legislation receives similar treatment throughout the rest of the century. In the twentieth century, suffragists continue to organize and meet. Several suffrage groups form, including the Maine chapter of the College Equal Suffrage League in 1914 and the Men's Equal Suffrage League of Maine in 1914. In 1917, a voter referendum on women's suffrage is scheduled for September 10, but fails at the polls. On November 5, 1919 Maine ratifies the Nineteenth Amendment. On September 13, 1920, most women in Maine are able to vote. Native Americans in Maine are barred from voting for many years. In 1924, Native Americans became American citizens. In 1954, a voter referendum for Native American voting rights passes. The next year, Lucy Nicolar Poolaw (Penobscot), is the Native American living on an Indian reservation to cast a vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in Maine</span>

While women's suffrage had an early start in Maine, dating back to the 1850s, it was a long, slow road to equal suffrage. Early suffragists brought speakers Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone to the state in the mid-1850s. Ann F. Jarvis Greely and other women in Ellsworth, Maine, created a women's rights lecture series in 1857. The first women's suffrage petition to the Maine Legislature was also sent that year. Working-class women began marching for women's suffrage in the 1860s. The Snow sisters created the first Maine women's suffrage organization, the Equal Rights Association of Rockland, in 1868. In the 1870s, a state suffrage organization, the Maine Women's Suffrage Association (MWSA), was formed. Many petitions for women's suffrage were sent to the state legislature. MWSA and the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) of Maine worked closely together on suffrage issues. By the late 1880s the state legislature was considering several women's suffrage bills. While women's suffrage did not pass, during the 1890s many women's rights laws were secured. During the 1900s, suffragists in Maine continued to campaign and lecture on women's suffrage. Several suffrage organizations including a Maine chapter of the College Equal Suffrage League and the Men's Equal Rights League were formed in the 1910s. Florence Brooks Whitehouse started the Maine chapter of the National Woman's Party (NWP) in 1915. Suffragists and other clubwomen worked together on a large campaign for a 1917 voter referendum on women's suffrage. Despite the efforts of women around the state, women's suffrage failed. Going into the next few years, a women's suffrage referendum on voting in presidential elections was placed on the September 13, 1920 ballot. But before that vote, Maine ratified the Nineteenth Amendment on November 5, 1920. It was the nineteenth state to ratify. A few weeks after ratification, MWSA dissolved and formed the League of Women Voters (LWV) of Maine. White women first voted in Maine on September 13, 1920. Native Americans in Maine had to wait longer to vote. In 1924, they became citizens of the United States. However, Maine would not allow individuals living on Indian reservations to vote. It was not until the passage of a 1954 equal rights referendum that Native Americans gained the right to vote in Maine. In 1955 Lucy Nicolar Poolaw (Penobscot) was the first Native American living on a reservation in Maine to cast a vote.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in Pennsylvania</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Pennsylvania. Activists in the state began working towards women's rights in the early 1850s, when two women's rights conventions discussed women's suffrage. A statewide group, the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association (PWSA), was formed in 1869. Other regional groups were formed throughout the state over the years. Suffragists in Pittsburgh created the "Pittsburgh Plan" in 1911. In 1915, a campaign to influence voters to support women's suffrage on the November 2 referendum took place. Despite these efforts, the referendum failed. On June 24, 1919, Pennsylvania became the seventh state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment. Pennsylvania women voted for the first time on November 2, 1920.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in Pennsylvania</span>

The women's suffrage movement in Pennsylvania was an outgrowth of the abolitionist movement in the state. Early women's suffrage advocates in Pennsylvania wanted equal suffrage not only for white women but for all African Americans. The first women's rights convention in the state was organized by Quakers and held in Chester County in 1852. Philadelphia would host the fifth National Women's Rights Convention in 1854. Later years saw suffragists forming a statewide group, the Pennsylvania Woman Suffrage Association (PWSA), and other smaller groups throughout the state. Early efforts moved slowly, but steadily, with suffragists raising awareness and winning endorsements from labor unions.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in North Dakota</span>

Women's suffrage began in North Dakota when it was still part of the Dakota Territory. During this time activists worked for women's suffrage, and in 1879, women gained the right to vote at school meetings. This was formalized in 1883 when the legislature passed a law where women would use separate ballots for their votes on school-related issues. When North Dakota was writing its state constitution, efforts were made to include equal suffrage for women, but women were only able to retain their right to vote for school issues. An abortive effort to provide equal suffrage happened in 1893, when the state legislature passed equal suffrage for women. However, the bill was "lost," never signed and eventually expunged from the record. Suffragists continued to hold conventions, raise awareness, and form organizations. The arrival of Sylvia Pankhurst in February 1912 stimulated the creation of more groups, including the statewide Votes for Women League. In 1914, there was a voter referendum on women's suffrage, but it did not pass. In 1917, limited suffrage bills for municipal and presidential suffrage were signed into law. On December 1, 1919, North Dakota became the twentieth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in North Dakota</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in North Dakota. Women's suffrage in North Dakota began while it was still part of the Dakota Territory. In 1879, women in the territory gained the right to vote in school meetings. Later, this was more formalized in 1883, providing women separate ballots for school issues. After North Dakota was a state, suffragists continued to work for full suffrage. A referendum on equal suffrage took place in 1914, but failed. In 1917, women gained the right to vote in municipal and presidential elections. On December 1, 1919, North Dakota became the 20th state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Women's suffrage in South Dakota</span>

Women's suffrage started in South Dakota when it was part of Dakota Territory. Prior to 1889, it had a shared history of women's suffrage with North Dakota. While South Dakota was part of the territory, women earned the right to vote on school related issues. They retained this right after it became a separate state. The state constitution specified that there would be a women's suffrage amendment referendum in 1890. Despite a large campaign that included Susan B. Anthony and a state suffrage group, the South Dakota Equal Suffrage Association (SDESA), the referendum failed. The state legislature passed additional suffrage referendums over the years, but each was voted down until 1918. South Dakota was an early ratifier of the Nineteenth Amendment, which was approved during a special midnight legislative session on December 4, 1919.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in South Dakota</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in South Dakota. The early history of women's suffrage in the state is shared with North Dakota. When South Dakota became a state, it held a voter referendum in 1890 on an equal suffrage amendment. This effort failed, but suffragists continued to organize and lobby the legislature to pass voter referendums. None passed until 1918. South Dakota ratified the Nineteenth Amendment on December 4, 1919.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in New Jersey</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in New Jersey. Women and African Americans had the right to vote in New Jersey until the state constitution was changed in 1807, disenfranchising all but white men. Any early suffrage protest was taken by Lucy Stone in 1857 who refused to pay her property taxes because she could not vote. Additional attempts to make women more equal under the law took place in the 1880s and 1890s. There were also several court cases that challenged women's right to vote in the state. Eventually, a voter referendum on a state constitutional suffrage amendment took place in 1915, however the measure was voted down. Activists continued to fight both in the state and to protest in Washington, D.C. as Silent Sentinels. By February 10, 1920, New Jersey ratified the Nineteenth Amendment.

Mae Caine was a 20th-century American suffragist and women's rights activist, civic leader, and government official in Nevada. President of the Suffrage Society in Elko County, she was also a vice president of the Nevada Equal Franchise Society, and a delegate from Nevada to the 45th convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association in Washington, D.C.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Timeline of women's suffrage in Iowa</span>

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Iowa. Women's suffrage work started early in Iowa's history. Organizing began in the late 1960s with the first state suffrage convention taking place in 1870. In the 1890s, women gained the right to vote on municipal bonds, tax efforts and school-related issues. By 1916, a state suffrage amendment went to out to a voter referendum, which failed. Iowa was the tenth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment in 1919.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 177.
  2. 1 2 Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 174.
  3. 1 2 Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 174-175.
  4. "Women in Nevada History". Nevada Suffrage. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  5. Mead 2004, p. 152.
  6. 1 2 3 Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 181.
  7. Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 181-182.
  8. Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 182-183.
  9. Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 183.
  10. 1 2 Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 184.
  11. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 Bennett, Dana R.; Reno, Mona. "Nevada Suffrage Timeline". Nevada Suffrage Centennial. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 Anthony 1902, p. 810.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Wilkins, Sally. "FRANCES SLAVEN WILLIAMSON". Nevada Women's History Project. Retrieved 2020-11-26.
  14. 1 2 3 Anthony 1902, p. 811.
  15. Anthony 1902, p. 811-812.
  16. 1 2 Anthony 1902, p. 812.
  17. 1 2 3 4 Harper 1922, p. 384.
  18. 1 2 Martin 1913, p. 783.
  19. Harper 1922, p. 384-385.
  20. Harper 1922, p. 385.
  21. 1 2 "Felice Cohn". ONE. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  22. 1 2 3 4 5 Harper 1922, p. 386.
  23. 1 2 3 4 Marcus, Emerson (29 October 2014). "'Epic in politics': Nevada women got vote a century ago". Reno Gazette Journal. Retrieved 2020-11-27.
  24. Harper 1922, p. 386-387.
  25. 1 2 Martin 1913, p. 784.
  26. Harper 1922, p. 387.
  27. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Harper 1922, p. 388.
  28. "Woman Suffrage". Reno Gazette-Journal. 1912-10-01. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-11-28 via Newspapers.com.
  29. 1 2 3 Harper 1922, p. 396.
  30. Zajani, Sally Springmeyer (28 April 2014). "History of the Women's Suffrage Movement in Nevada | Nevada Suffrage Centennial". Nevada Suffrage Centennial. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  31. 1 2 3 4 5 Mead 2004, p. 162.
  32. Mead 2004, p. 164.
  33. Lumsden 1997, p. 30.
  34. Harper 1922, p. 395.
  35. 1 2 Lumsden 1997, p. 31.
  36. 1 2 Harper 1922, p. 398.
  37. Mead 2004, p. 162-163.
  38. "National Suffrage Head to Arrive in Reno Today". Nevada State Journal. 1914-10-04. p. 6. Retrieved 2020-11-28 via Newspapers.com.
  39. Harper 1922, p. 397.
  40. Harper 1922, p. 389.
  41. Harper 1922, p. 389-390.
  42. "Miss Anne Martin to Help Women of West". The Washington Herald. 1916-04-05. p. 5. Retrieved 2020-11-28 via Newspapers.com.
  43. Clifton, Guy (17 February 2020). "Women's suffrage in Nevada detailed in Carson City lecture". Nevada Appeal. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  44. Mead 2004, p. 169.
  45. O'Gan, Patri (2014-03-26). "Traveling for Suffrage Part 4: Riding the rails". National Museum of American History. Archived from the original on 3 November 2019. Retrieved 2020-11-28.
  46. "Pioneers to Lead". The Anaconda Standard. 1916-05-01. p. 9. Retrieved 2020-11-28 via Newspapers.com.
  47. "Suffrage Special Welcomed to Reno". Oakland Tribune. 1916-04-27. p. 10. Retrieved 2020-11-27 via Newspapers.com.
  48. "Suffrage Special' Arrives and Members Put in a Busy Day". The Daily Appeal. 1916-04-27. p. 1. Retrieved 2020-11-27 via Newspapers.com.
  49. "Their Mission in Nevada a Failure". The Daily Appeal. 1916-04-28. p. 2. Retrieved 2020-11-28 via Newspapers.com.
  50. "Miss Anne Martin to Help Women of West". The Washington Herald. 1916-04-05. p. 5. Retrieved 28 November 2020 via Newspapers.com.
  51. 1 2 3 4 Harper 1922, p. 390.
  52. 1 2 3 4 5 Harper 1922, p. 391.
  53. 1 2 3 Harper 1922, p. 392.
  54. "The 19th Amendment in Nevada". Nevada Secretary of State. Retrieved 2020-11-29.
  55. 1 2 Ford & Hulse 1995, p. 179.
  56. "The Last Word of Protest Against Woman Suffrage". NSJ. 1 November 1914. Retrieved 28 November 2020.
  57. 1 2 "Woman Suffrage – When Leaders Failed to Lead". Nevada Suffrage Centennial. Retrieved 2020-11-29.

Sources