Women's suffrage in South Dakota

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Sioux Falls women's suffrage parade "float" July 4, 1918 Sioux Falls women's suffrage parade "float" July 4, 1918.jpg
Sioux Falls women's suffrage parade "float" July 4, 1918

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.

Contents

Territorial Dakota

John and Alice Pickler March 20, 1890 John and Alice Pickler March 20, 1890.webp
John and Alice Pickler March 20, 1890

Women's suffrage in North Dakota started in the Dakota Territory. [1] One of the earliest efforts to grant women full suffrage was proposed in the Territorial House by Enos Stutsman in 1868. [2] Stutsman's bill passed the house but did not pass the full legislative session. [2] In 1872 another full women's suffrage bill nearly passed the Territorial Legislature, only failing by one vote in 1872. [1]

Women were allowed to vote in school meetings in Dakota Territory starting in 1879. [1] In 1883, changes made to the law specified that women would use separate ballots to vote for school issues. [2] This caused a disruption for women voters in some areas of the territory. [1] During the summer of 1883, Matilda Joslyn Gage lectured in the Dakota Territory on women's suffrage. [3] During the Sioux Falls territorial convention held in the fall, suffragists presented a petition for women's suffrage that was signed by more than 1,000 people. [3]

During the next territorial legislative session in 1885, John Pickler introduced a full women's suffrage bill in the House. [1] Pickler was known as "Petticoats Pickler," because both he and his wife, Alice M. Alt Pickler fought for the vote. [4] The bill passed both the House and the Territorial Council, but was vetoed by Governor Gilbert A. Pierce. [1]

The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) held a convention in Minneapolis in October of 1885 where many Dakota suffragists attended. [5] The Picklers attended the convention, where John discussed the loss of the suffrage bill. [6] The first women's suffrage club in the territory was formed in Webster by Marietta Bones shortly after the convention. [5] [7] Several other suffrage organizations were also created in the southern part of the territory. [3]

In the next legislative session in 1887, a bill expanding the ability of women to vote in school elections was passed. [1] Also that year, the franchise department of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU), made up of Helen M. Barker, Alice Pickler, and S. V. Wilson presented petitions for full women's suffrage to the territorial legislature. [5] The legislature considered a full equal suffrage bill, but it did not pass. [5] WCTU members, including Barker and Philena Everett Johnson, returned to Bismarck to set up headquarters in 1889. [6]

When the Dakota Territory was admitted as two states to the United States in 1889, two distinct suffrage movements emerged. [5]

Early efforts

South Dakota Equal Suffrage Mass Convention August 1890 South Dakota Equal Suffrage Mass Convention August 1890.jpg
South Dakota Equal Suffrage Mass Convention August 1890

When South Dakota was admitted as a state on November 2, 1889, the new constitution required that a women's suffrage referendum be submitted to the voters by the first legislature, leading to a Fall 1890 constitutional amendment proposal. [8] Plans to organize and campaign started to emerge. [9] Emma Smith DeVoe and her husband, John, founded the South Dakota Equal Suffrage Association (SDESA) on October 21, 1889. [4] [10] Emma DeVoe helped create chapters around the state before she and her husband moved. [4] The motto of the organization was based on the state motto: "Under God the People Rule; Women are People." [9] The group did not have a large amount of funding and set about to securing sources of funding. [11] Susan B. Anthony came to South Dakota to do a lecture tour, starting on November 11, 1889.

Suffragists had support of the WCTU, the Farmers' Alliance, and the Knights of Labor for the upcoming referendum. [12] By February of 1890, the national suffrage leaders decided to help fund the campaign. [13] The liquor interests in the state put a strong campaign against women's suffrage. [13] During the campaign, Marietta Bones and Anthony publicly disagreed about separating prohibition from women's suffrage in the campaign. [14] This public fight allowed the press to make fun of the suffragists throughout the campaign, though L. Frank Baum "was highly critical of the adverse press coverage" and supported women's suffrage in the press. [15] [16] In April of 1890 Anthony returned to South Dakota to establish suffrage campaign headquarters in Huron. [9] Anthony worked with DeVoe during this time. [15] DeVoe went to organize activists in the Black Hills in early May. [17] However suffragists in Aberdeen were not happy with Anthony and the press reflected this, stating that "Miss Anthony seems to have been an element of discord ever since she stepped foot in our state," according to the Aberdeen Saturday Pioneer . [18] During the state suffrage convention in July, the tensions between Anthony and other suffragists made the news. [19] After the convention, Anthony supporters asked the original members of SDESA to resign and created a new group with the same name and new officers. [20]

During the campaign during a hot and dry 1890 summer, there were 789 national speakers and 707 state speakers on women's suffrage. [21] The WCTU also brought in 104 speakers. [21] Many of the speakers were well-known activists such as Henry Browne Blackwell, Carrie Chapman Catt, and Anna Howard Shaw. [22] Speakers often had to drive 20 miles between morning and evening sessions and some audiences would drive 30 miles to listen. [21] In August, suffragists requested access to the Republican Political nominating convention held in Mitchell. [23] Anthony and Anna Howard Shaw were given access, but were placed in the back of the hall and were not able to address the convention. [24] John Pickler, however did mention women's suffrage in his acceptance speech when he was nominated for United States representative. [24] When the Farmer's Alliance and the Knights of Labor formed an independent part that did not include women's suffrage in their party platform. [21] By August, the main political parties in South Dakota were not in support of women's suffrage. [24] On November 4, 1890, the women's suffrage amendment was defeated soundly in South Dakota. [25]

Activists decided to push for increases in school suffrage rights. [26] Officers of SDESA, Anna R. Simmons and Emma Amelia Cranmer lobbied for a bill so that women could vote for state and county superintendents. [26] The bill passed in the 1893 legislature and went out as a referendum to be voted on in November of 1894. [26] The vote did not pass. [26] Simmons and Cranmer worked on another bill in 1897. [26] Laura Gregg came to help campaign in the state. [26] The referendum took place in 1898 and was defeated again. [26] After this defeat, women's suffrage was mostly inactive until 1901. [27]

Continued efforts

State Headquarters at Sioux Falls S. Dakota, Mrs. Tinsley and Sec'y taken before 1918 State Headquarters at Sioux Falls S. Dakota, Mrs. Tinsley and Sec'y taken before 1918.jpg
State Headquarters at Sioux Falls S. Dakota, Mrs. Tinsley and Sec'y taken before 1918

In 1901, Anna Pickler and Philena Everett Johnson started the South Dakota Political Equality Association (SDPEA). [27] Pickler called for a suffrage convention to be held in Watertown in October of 1902. [27] Activists decided to petition the state for a constitutional amendment for women's suffrage. [28] They started the petition on the mistaken assumption that they could petition for an amendment, which was not part of South Dakota law. [29] While the secretary of state, O. C. Berg, could not legally receive the petition submitted in 1903, he was personally supportive of women's suffrage. [29] Pickler and Anna R. Simmons, president of the South Dakota WCTU, continued work educating people in the state about women's suffrage. [29] In 1906, they petitioned the state legislature to consider women's suffrage during the next legislative session. [29] Activists from both SDPEA and the WCTU lobbied for a women's suffrage amendment referendum in 1909. [29] The current governor, Robert S. Vessey, was supportive of the women's vote and signed the legislation for the referendum, which would be voted on in November 1910. [30] Despite an "active campaign," the referendum was defeated. [31]

After 1910, Mamie Shields Pyle became a major leader in the South Dakota suffrage movement. [32] The South Dakota Universal Franchise League (SDUFL) was organized in September of 1911. [33] The SDUFL was a reorganization of the former state suffrage association. [32] The state was divided into campaign districts with May Billinghurst, Susie Bird, Edith M. Fitch, and Katherine Powell, serving as chairs who organized smaller clubs in their districts. [34] Pyle made sure that the organization would not be associated with temperance or other controversial issues. [35] The SDUFL also sponsored a newspaper called the South Dakota Messenger . [36] Pyle knew that anti-suffrage propaganda, especially women who promoted it "could be the deadliest deterrent" of achieving suffrage goals in the state. [32]

During a state suffrage convention in July 1912 in Huron, Pyle called for activists to lobby the next legislative session to pass a women's suffrage amendment. [37] Pyle was very successful in getting members of the state legislature to meet with the legislative committee of SDUFL. [38] A bill for a referendum on a women's suffrage amendment was the first to pass in the 1913 legislative session. [39]

A state suffrage amendment was going to be voted on in November of 1914, and this was Pyle's first major campaign. [36] Anti suffragists had a strong opposition and had the support of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage. [36] Suffragists used the Messenger as a method to educate voters in the state about women's suffrage. [40] The Messenger had a large circulation and helped activists reach out to all areas of South Dakota. [41] Even though the amendment didn't pass, there was an increase in the number of people supporting women's suffrage. [42] Democratic, Progressive, and Republican parties came out in favor of women's suffrage by the end of 1914. [43]

In 1915, the legislative committee members of the SDUFL, Mabel Rewman and Etta Estey Boyce were successful in lobbying the state legislature on women's suffrage. [42] In the winter of 1915, the legislature passed a state women's suffrage amendment which would go out for a voter referendum in November 1916. [44] In addition to the suffrage amendment, was also an amendment for state prohibition, as well as seven other issues. [45] At the end of July, Elsie Lincoln Benedict and Effie McCollum Jones arrived in South Dakota to campaign for women's suffrage. [44] At the same time, anti-suffragists were organizing throughout the state. [46] They affiliated with the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage (NAOWS) and published a newspaper called the South Dakota Anti-Suffragist. [46] Women's involvement in opposing women's suffrage helped to reassert the idea that women really didn't want to vote. [47] The vote on the suffrage referendum was defeated, though by a much smaller margin than before. [48] The prohibition measure did pass, which meant that liquor interests would no longer lobby against women's suffrage in the state. [49]

During World War I, suffragists used suspicions against German and other European immigrants in South Dakota as a way to promote their cause. [50] Anna Howard Shaw used this division to promote the vote for "native-born women" over immigrant men. [50] In the early twentieth century, it was true that many German and German-Russian immigrants were historically opposed to women's suffrage in the state. [51] Pyle also worked with Governor Peter Norbeck to find ways to curtail the voting rights of resident aliens, including German immigrants, in the state. [49] A new full women's suffrage amendment, called Amendment E or the Citizenship Amendment, was proposed that would also include the provisions that voters must be American citizens and that women citizens could vote. [52] Because women's suffrage was tied into citizenship, Anti-suffragists had a difficult time campaigning against the bill because it made them look pro-German. [53] The Citizenship Amendment passed with a 64 percent vote on November 6, 1918. [54]

Nineteenth Amendment

South Dakota activists wanted the state to be one of the first to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment and urged Governor Norbeck to call a special legislative session. [55] Norbeck agreed as long as the legislators paid for their own transportation to the state capital. [55] The South Dakota legislature ratified the amendment during a "special midnight session" on December 4, 1919 at 12:44 am. [56]

Native American suffrage

In 1890, South Dakota voted not to block Native Americans to vote in the state. [57] [58] Anna Howard Shaw was upset about this because in the same election, the voters had denied women's suffrage. [57] However, this small win for Native Americans wasn't well-sustained. [59] White politicians worked to limit citizenship and voting rights to Native Americans. [59] When the Indian Citizenship Act was passed in 1924, the state refused to comply with the law until the 1940s. [59] Some areas of South Dakota, including Todd, Ogala Lakota, and Washabaugh Counties continued to be disenfranchised until 1974. [59]

Anti-suffragism in South Dakota

German Anti-Suffrage event ad in Sioux Falls in the Deutscher Herold, October 19, 1916 German Anti-Suffrage event ad in Sioux Falls, October 19, 1916.png
German Anti-Suffrage event ad in Sioux Falls in the Deutscher Herold, October 19, 1916

Many immigrants in South Dakota were bitterly opposed to women's suffrage during the first women's suffrage amendment campaign in 1890. [60] During the Republican Convention held in 1890, a large group of Russian immigrants wore buttons that read, "Against Woman Suffrage and Susan B. Anthony." [21] German immigrants were also largely against women voting. [48] Liquor and gambling interests were also against women's suffrage. [26] These groups spread the idea that women really didn't want to or need to vote and get into politics. [61]

In the 1910s, anti-suffrage efforts became more organized. [33] Two major anti-suffragists were brewers, Henry Schlichting and Edward Dietrich. [33] They often took credit for defeats of women's suffrage efforts in the state. [33] The Society Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women sent propaganda and anti-suffrage speakers to the state. [36] In 1916, the anti-suffragists officially became an auxiliary of the National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage (NAOWS). [46]

See also

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

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<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">Women's suffrage in Wisconsin</span>

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.

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

In 1893, Colorado became the second state in the United States to grant women's suffrage and the first to do so through a voter referendum. Even while Colorado was a territory, lawmakers and other leaders tried to include women's suffrage in laws and later in the state constitution. The constitution did give women the right to vote in school board elections. The first voter referendum campaign was held in 1877. The Woman Suffrage Association of Colorado worked to encourage people to vote yes. Nationally-known suffragists, such as Susan B. Anthony and Lucy Stone spoke alongside Colorado's own Alida Avery around the state. Despite the efforts to influence voters, the referendum failed. Suffragists continued to grow support for women's right to vote. They exercised their right to vote in school board elections and ran for office. In 1893, another campaign for women's suffrage took place. Both Black and white suffragists worked to influence voters, gave speeches, and turned out on election day in a last-minute push. The effort was successful and women earned equal suffrage. In 1894, Colorado again made history by electing three women to the Colorado house of representatives. After gaining the right to vote, Colorado women continued to fight for suffrage in other states. Some women became members of the Congressional Union (CU) and pushed for a federal suffrage amendment. Colorado women also used their right to vote to pass reforms in the state and to support women candidates.

<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 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">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.

<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

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Sources