What is Suffrage

 

Suffrage comes from the old Latin word suffragium, meaning clamoring support for a candidate.

Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the late 19th century, besides women working for broad-based economic and political equality and for social reforms, women sought to change voting laws to allow them to vote.

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Suffrage in America

 

The first person to bring up the idea of Suffrage was Abigail Adams who asked her husband John Adams to, "Remember the ladies," when creating the laws of government during the American Revolution. 

 

New Jersey 

 

New Jersey granted some women the right to vote from 1776 to 1807. The women had three requirements to vote: they had to be white, single, and  own land. If a women were to marry she would loose her voting rights. The law was over turned in 1807 when fear of women swaying the vote to gain power threatened the status quo of wealthy male land owners.

 

Wyoming 

 

Known as the, "Equality State," Wyoming was the first western territory to grant women the right to vote in 1869 as part of the territorial charter.

 

Colorado

 

Colorado became the first state to grant women the right to vote by popular referendum. Meaning that Colorado men voted to give white  women the right to vote as equal citizens in 1893.        

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Margaret's Role in Suffrage 

 

Margaret lived in New Port Rode Island in 1914 after the Ludlow disaster. Margaret was drawn to the independent women of Newport even though her fortune was small in comparison. She was quickly accepted by Newport’s leaders, particularly Alva Vanderbilt Belmont, the President of the National Women’s Suffrage Association.

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Margaret and Alva on a Mission

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Together, Margaret and Alva became involved in the National Women’s Trade Union League. Unlike other women’s organizations or labor groups, the League included both women of the upper classes and working women in an effort to advocate for a minimum wage and an eight-hour workday. Margaret traveled the country speaking about both women’s issues and labor issues, and authored dozens of newspaper articles. She became increasingly close to the radical side of the women’s party, led by Alice Paul, which pushed hard for a national suffrage amendment.

 

The Conference of Great Women

 

In July 1914, Margaret worked with Alva Belmont to organize the Conference of Great Women, a lead-up to the August announcement of more aggressive suffrage campaigns. Margaret spoke at the Conference, detailing the plight of Colorado miners and rallying for a “rights for all” movement, which would counter the greed of big business with universal suffrage.

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The momentum created by the Conference of Great Women and the support of national suffrage leaders like Alva Belmont and Alice Paul propelled Margaret to her final bid for a political seat as a U.S. Senator representing Colorado. Her style appealed to both men and women, many of whom supported the progressive platform. Colorado newspapers and the New York Times favored her victory.

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The 19th Amendment 

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The 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution:

 

Women's Right to Vote (1920) ... Passed by Congress June 4, 1919, and ratified on August 18, 1920, the 19th amendment granted women the right to vote.

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