Moving Mountains: What can we learn from the woman

suffrage movement?

Woman suffrage

Outline

A little history. . .Some sociological jargon . . .What we now know about social movement success . . .

What does it matter?

Abigail Adams to John AdamsMarch 31, 1776

"I long to hear that you have declared an independency. And, by the way, in the new code of laws which I suppose it will be necessary for you to make, I desire you would remember the ladies and be more generous and favorable to them than your ancestors.

"Do not put such unlimited power into the hands of the husbands. Remember, all men would be tyrants if they could. If particular care and attention is not paid to the ladies, we are determined to foment a rebellion, and will not hold ourselves bound by any laws in which we have no voice or representation.”

Early activists

A Vindication of the Rights of Woman (Mary Wollstonecraft, 1792)—

The 19th century “triumvirate” of woman suffrage Susan B. Anthony Elizabeth Cady Stanton Lucy Stone Blackwell +Lucretia Mott

The Subjection of Women (John Stuart Mill with Harriet Taylor Mill)--1851

What did these women want?Declaration of Sentiments 1848

Elective Franchise (suffrage)Property OwnershipFreedom from dominance of husbands and

recognition before the lawCustody of children in case of divorceAccess to well paying occupationsEducational opportunitiesPublic participation in the affairs of their

churchesRepresentation as a tax paying citizen

Conservatism and Woman Suffrage

Woman’s Christian Temperance Union, 1873 Francis Willard Focus on social reform

Alcoholism Prohibition Moral reform Prison reform

Evangelical Christian “more traditionally

feminine and appropriate organization for women”

Mountain West led the way

1869: Wyoming territorial legislature extends the vote to women.

1870: Utah territorial legislature extends the vote to women. 1870: Colorado territorial legislature does not grant women the

right to vote. 1876: Colorado enters the Union without enfranchising women. 1877: Colorado’s first woman suffrage referendum campaign

goes down to defeat. Women receive the right to vote in school elections and to hold school office (partial suffrage).

1883: Washington territorial legislature extends the vote to women.

1887: Congress rescinds woman suffrage in Utah. Territorial Supreme Court of Washington rescinds woman suffrage.

1890: Wyoming admitted to the Union as a suffrage state. 1895: Utah Statehood Convention approves woman suffrage. 1893: Colorado becomes the first state to grant women the

right to vote by popular referendum. 1896: Idaho adopts a constitutional amendment granting

suffrage to women.

Utah Suffrage Movement

Support from anti-polygamy activists in the East

Mormon women organized through the Relief Society

LDS Church leadershipsupportive

Lost vote; Edmunds- Tucker Act of 1887.

Woman suffrage successes by 1919, a state by state strategy

W A1910

O R1912

C A1911

NV1914

ID1896

UT1896

AZ1912

W Y1890

CO1893

SD1918

KS1912

OK1918

MI1918

NY1917

MT1914

Full Suffrage1890 - 18961910 - 19141915 - 1918No Suffrage

Was there something about the West?

Not easy More successes Successes came earlier 11 Western states have the vote by 1912 Encouraged women in the East

Susan B. Anthony votes in 1872 election after touring Western states

Alice Paul and the Women’s Party (13 Western states have the vote) pickets the White House hunger strike

Women in the West can vote?#!@

Social movementsWoman suffrage

Labor movement

Civil Rights movement

Women’s movement

Anti-War movements

Pro-Choice

Right to Life

LGBT movement

Environmental movement

Tea Party

Occupy Wall Street

Social movements

Social movements  Organized action Focused on specific political or social issues. Carry out, resist, or undo social change. Made up of many different social movement organizations

Suffrage movement consisted of many different SMOs (social movement organizations) National Woman Suffrage (1869) American Woman Suffrage (1869) National American Woman Suffrage Movement (1890) Women’s Party (Alice Paul & Lucy Burns 1917) Women’s Christian Temperance Union (1873) finally joins suffrage

movement under the leadership of Francis Willard

Sometimes, but not always,

and only in certain ways

Do social movements matter?

“WHETHER A MOUNTAIN CAN BE MOVED DEPENDS AS MUCH ON THE CHARACTER OF THE MOUNTAIN

AS ON THE RESOURCES, STRATEGIES, AND COMMITMENT OF THE WOULD-BE MOVER”

What does matter?

The Character of the Mountain matters

The political process mattersRules and regulations regarding how to

change the constitution Constitutional majority required # of sessions required

Support of political elites Party support

Openness of the political system Initiative and referendum

Third Party challengers

Paths to woman suffrage

Constitutional Convention Seven conventions, three successful (Utah, Wyoming,

Nebraska)Initiative and Referenda

Nine initiatives, two successful (Oregon and Arizona)Legislation

582 bills between 1854 and 1918 24 state legislatures passed full suffrage amendments at

least once56 total referenda between 1867 and 1920

40 via legislative process 9 initiative and referenda 7 constitutional convention

Referenda Held (1848-1920)

First territorial success, 1869

First state-levelsuccess, 1883

Legislating suffrage

Legislative process Bill introduced by a state senator or representative Bill read and sent to committee Bills often stalled in committee or returned from

committee with unfriendly proposal Third reading and roll-call vote. As constitutional amendment, majority varied

51% 2/5 2/3 ¾

Introduced in the other house.

Summary of legislative successes

1860-1879 1880-1899 1900-1919 Total

Sessions 576 504 435 1515

Bill introduced 55 104 181 290

Roll call vote 31 70 103 204

Passed 1 house 16 29 60 115

Passed 2 houses

6 22 39 67

Success rate 1% 4.5% 9%

*Only 56 referenda held out of the 67. Some legislatures required that the amendment pass in consecutive sessions; in some states there was a limit as to how many amendments could be on the ballot.

How do social movements matter?

Mobilizing people

Framing issues

Setting agendas

Initiating the political process

ActivistsActivists PoliticiansPoliticians

Sense of political efficacy instigates action

Seek confirmation goals are within reach

Spurred on by “small victories”

Consider different strategies, weigh different tactics

Outline sequence of actions toward end goals

Legislators respond to threats to their political careers

Responsible to the will of the people

Attend to shifts in public opinion

Seek for ways to symbolically appease activists

Are less responsive at most consequential stages of political process

Opportunities for mobilization are not opportunities for policy reform

Cultural effects are important

Strong indicators of success?

Women’s employment in professional occupations provided resources for establishing state suffrage organizationsBill passage more likely in states with greater involvement of women in non-agricultural employment

What stalls the progress of change?

Lack of agreement among women

Intersections of race, social class, religion, marital status, sexual orientation, age, nation.

Interests are shaped by the things that divide. Black women voting rights sacrificed Regional divides (East vs. West) Agendas (social agendas vs. voting) Religious women and well-to-do women did not support

suffrage battle in early years

Insights for creating policy changes

Organizing social movements is an activity worlds apart from creating change Mobilizing resources—human capital, finances,

adherents Reading the environment, planning, and strategizing Framing issues and drawing media attention

Accessing support of political system is difficult; early support more easily achieved than in consequential stage of the legislation.

Suffrage movement was successful because women coalesced on one issue.