Women's suffrage in Wisconsin

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Suffragists campaigning in Wisconsin, June 7, 1916 Suffragists campaigning in Wisconsin, June 7, 1916.jpg
Suffragists campaigning in Wisconsin, June 7, 1916

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.

Contents

Pre-Civil War

Die Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung, October 15, 1852 Die Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung, October 15, 1852.png
Die Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung , October 15, 1852

The first state constitutional convention for Wisconsin met on October 5, 1846. [1] Delegates to the convention proposed giving African Americans, Native Americans, and immigrants in the process of becoming citizens the right to vote. [2] [3] James Magone of Milwaukee proposed that the word "male" be removed from the qualifications for a voter. [4] Delegate Moses M. Strong objected to including women voters with Black male voters, but Magone refused to change the language in his proposal and it was not included in the end. [5] The proposed constitution did, however, grant the right to married women to independently control their own property. [6] Unfortunately, it was voted down in a referendum election held on April 6, 1847. [7] The next constitution was more conservative and did not contain women's rights issues. [5]

Mathilde Franziska Anneke founded a German language women's rights newspaper in Milwaukee in 1852 called Die Deutsche Frauen-Zeitung . [8] [9] [10] Two early newspapers, the Telegraph in Kenosha and the Oshkosh True Democrat also supported women's suffrage. [11] The True Democrat was run by James Densmore, who publicly supported the vote for women and challenged other newspaper editors to do the same. [12]

Early women's suffrage proponents in Wisconsin were also involved in the abolition and temperance movements. [5] In 1853 temperance activists, Clarina I. H. Nichols and Lydia Folger Fowler, toured the state and also talked about the importance of the vote for women. [12] [13] Lucy Stone spoke on both abolition and women's suffrage in several Wisconsin towns, including Madison, in 1855. [12] Stone urged women who came to her lectures to petition the legislature. [12] Petitions were written, and three of these were brought to the legislature by a senator from Kenosha County, C. C. Sholes in 1856. [14] However, the petitions did not lead to any legislation in the state Senate. [15] In the state House, Hamilton H. Gray from Lafayette County introduced a limited women's suffrage bill, but it was unsuccessful. [15] Stone may also have inspired the creation of a woman's suffrage group organized in Janesville before the Civil War, but meeting records have been lost. [16] During the Civil War, women in Wisconsin organized relief groups to aid the war effort. [17]

Early efforts

Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Directory, 1885 Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Directory, 1885.jpg
Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Directory, 1885

The Impartial Suffrage Convention was held in Janesville during October 9 and 10, 1867. [18] It was the first time that activists for the women's vote met statewide and was organized by a group of men and women from different parts of the state. [18] One of the organizers of the Impartial Suffrage Convention, John T. Dow from Rock County, introduced a joint resolution in the state legislature. [18] It passed both houses and was signed on April 11, 1867. [18] All amendments to the Wisconsin Constitution had to be passed by two different legislative sessions. [19] The next year, the same women's suffrage amendment bill was introduced into the state legislation by William C. Whitford. [20] Dow helped support the bill as a lobbyist, since he was no longer part of the legislature. [20] To support the efforts, the Woman Suffrage Association of Wisconsin (WSAW) was organized in Janesville. [13] [21] Despite this effort, the bill did not pass a second time, meaning it couldn't become a state amendment. [20] WSAW was a short-lived group, that ended when the amendment failed. [21]

Another state convention was held in Milwaukee in 1869 on February 24–25. [20] Anneke had called for a convention to be held in the city and it was arranged by Lila Peckham and Laura Ross Wolcott and included speakers Susan B. Anthony, Mary Livermore, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. [20] [22] The convention helped re-energize the suffrage movement in Wisconsin. [22] At the convention, the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association (WWSA) was formed. [22]

By 1870, there were chapters of WWSA in several Wisconsin towns and cities. [23] The Richland Center Women's Club, organized in 1870 by Laura James, was actually created as "cover" for women's suffrage work in the city. [24] Wolcott served as the president of WWSA. [23] Starting in the 1880s, the WWSA began to hold annual meetings in different places throughout the state. [25] Olympia Brown served as the president for several years, with Emma C. Bascom taking a turn of one year in 1884 with Brown resuming the presidency again the next year. [25] Women's suffrage lectures and conventions were also held in the 1880s. [26] A women's suffrage referendum passed both state houses in 1880, but did not pass in the next year. [27]

In 1884, a referendum bill passed, giving women right to vote for education-related candidates. [28] Alura Collins Hollister, who worked on legislative issues for WWSA, helped ensure the passage of the bill for the second time in 1885. [29] In 1886, the electorate voted in favor of the education suffrage referendum, making it law. [29] However, because of the phrasing of the new law giving women the right to vote at "any election pertaining to school matters," there was lot of confusion. [30] In 1887, the Wisconsin Citizen began publication, originally to help educate new women voters. [31] The paper was first edited by volunteer, Martha Parker Dingee of Racine. [32] [29] [33] She not only worked as editor, but also did layout, collected subscriptions, and wrote columns. [32] Other women also mobilized in 1887 to encourage women to vote in the next municipal election. Brown left her work as a reverend, and committed herself entirely to advocating for the vote. [34] Speakers from outside the state came to help bolster the lecture circuit. [34]

On the day of the first time women could vote in Wisconsin, April 1887, the Attorney General of Wisconsin, Charles E. Estabrook ordered that women's ballots be thrown out in places where he expected a large turnout of women voters. [34] Brown's vote was outright rejected in Racine. [30] She had voted on municipal issues, arguing that these issues affected school. [35] Brown took the issue to the courts in order to create a test case for the new law. [30] The case went to the Supreme Court of Wisconsin, where it was decided that women were allowed to vote for all candidates on the ballot as long as there were also "school related matters" on the same ballot. [36] This decision was appealed to the Supreme Court of the United States where the decision was changed to specify that women could only vote on school issues, not on other issues on the ballot. [37] In 1889 another case challenged the issue of women voting only on school issues which led to women being disenfranchised for several more years. [38] In 1901, the state legislature created separate ballot boxes for women. [33] Women were able to finally vote again for school issues on April 1, 1902. [39] [33] [40] The legal fights for the vote put the suffragists into debt. [41] [42]

A continuing fight

Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association (WWSA) convention newsletter, November 1901 Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association, November 1901 01.jpg
Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association (WWSA) convention newsletter, November 1901

In 1890, Theodora W. Youmans began to encourage activists to form women's suffrage clubs in Waukesha, using the Waukesha Freeman newspaper as a platform. [43] In 1890, the first convention of the Wisconsin Federation of Women's Clubs (WFWC) saw delegates from the Waukesha Women's Club in attendance. [44] This club had expressed early support for women's rights and later, Youmans served as president. [45]

During an open house at the Manona Lake Assembly in 1896 Anna Howard Shaw lectured in front of an audience of around 4,000 people. [26] Women's suffrage headquarters were set up in the State House in Madison in 1902. [33] The headquarters were in charge of distributing suffrage literature and also collected information on suffrage supporters in the state. [33] Suffragists shared the "Tax Paying Woman's Pledge" throughout the state, which reinforced the idea that women should not be forced to pay taxes if they could not vote. [46]

Maud Wood Park was brought to Wisconsin in 1908 by Brown and spoke and helped set up suffrage groups at several colleges. [33] At the end of 1909, WWSA helped circulate a petition for a federal women's suffrage amendment. [33] Within six weeks, they had collected more than 18,000 signatures on the petitions. [33] One octogenarian, Mrs. Wentworth, collected 1,000 names herself. [33] Another women's suffrage organization, the Political Equality League (PEL), was formed in 1911 with Ada James as president. [47] This group was created by members who wanted a more active organization. [48] Youmans did public relations for PEL. [49]

Both PEL and WWSA campaigned for the new voter referendum on women's suffrage that was put out by the state legislature in 1911. [33] The two organizations had many differences, but were able to cooperate and share ideas for the state campaign to encourage voters to support women's suffrage. [50] Harriet Grim, an organizer from the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), came to Wisconsin to help organize activists. [51] Campaign headquarters were set up in Milwaukee by the summer of 1911. [52] When the state ruled that PEL and WWSA could only spend $10,000 each per campaign, suffragists organized the Wisconsin Men's League for Women's Suffrage to help raise money. [53] The Men's League also helped increase the number of speakers available and added "prestige" to the suffrage publicity campaign. [54] Literature that was distributed during the campaign was translated into several languages and suffrage groups were formed of German language, Polish language, Norwegian language, and Yiddish language speakers. [55]

Belle Case La Follette and her daughter, Fola, became involved in the campaign. [56] During the campaign, La Follette spoke on women's suffrage throughout the state, seven days a week, several times day. [57] La Follette influenced first both PEL and WWSA to organize on the grassroots level. [58] They contacted women of influence to host suffrage meetings in their hometowns and the state suffrage groups provided speakers. [58] Suffragists also spoke to labor unions and promised that low wages would end when women could vote. [59] The grassroots approach also helped suffragists reach out to working class women, and women who stayed at home. [60]

Belle Case La Follette speaks in Fox River, Wisconsin in 1912 Belle La Follette speaks in Fox River, Wisconsin in 1912.png
Belle Case La Follette speaks in Fox River, Wisconsin in 1912

Suffragists also showed the film, Votes for Women , featuring Jane Addams, throughout the state. [55] Using cars in the Wisconsin suffrage campaigns was also extremely popular. [54] The first auto tour started in Milwaukee on August 2, 1911 and visited eight counties to the south. [54] Car tours helped build publicity and gave local suffrage groups something to campaign around. [54] Women in the tours used the cars themselves as a speaking platform and often wore matching yellow tunics. [54] [61] A "Votes for Women" boat tour on the Wolf River also took place. [62] Buffalo Bill Cody also helped the cause when he visited Green Bay, with a suffrage banner carried by his Wild West circus. [63] The suffragists visited county fairs and set up suffrage booths to get out their message and answer questions. [54] The Wisconsin State Fair in 1911 had a Woman's Day which included special programs and exhibits relating to women's suffrage. [54] During the State Fair Dan Patch, a famous pacing horse, carried a "Votes for Women" banner. [63] Al Ringling was hired by Georgina J. Koppke in Baraboo to create a multimedia women's suffrage production. [63]

Before the election on November 4, 1912, suffragists mailed reminders to vote to individuals who had signed "pledge cards." [54] They mailed out nearly 25,000 reminders. [64] Pilot, Lincoln Beachey, was hired to drop suffrage fliers from an airplane at the 1912 Wisconsin State Fair. [62] Advertisements were purchased and run in the newspapers. [54] At Catholic Churches, around 35,000 leaflets were distributed. [64] The ballots for women's suffrage were on a separate paper and were supposed to be pink. [65] Some areas printed the ballots in white and some didn't receive the separate women's suffrage ballots. [65] During the day of the vote, poll watchers were on hand and also passed out literature. [54] Despite the effort put into the campaign, suffragists lost with 227,024 against and 135,545 for. [64]

Road to ratification

Waukesha suffragists, June 7, 1916 Waukesha suffragists, June 7, 1916.png
Waukesha suffragists, June 7, 1916

In January 1913, a joint convention of PEL and WWSA was called by Zona Gale and was held in Madison on February 4–5. [66] [67] The two groups merged and kept the name WWSA. [13] Youmans was elected the new president. [68] WWSA wanted to pursue another referendum campaign immediately. [69] A women's suffrage referendum did pass in the state legislature, but the Governor vetoed it, worrying that the referendum was too close to the last one on women's suffrage. [70] In 1913, Brown joined the National Advisory Council of the Congressional Union (CU, later known as the National Woman's Party). [71] La Follett testified in front of the United States Senate Committee on Woman Suffrage on April 26, 1913. [72]

In Madison, a Suffrage School was held in June 1914. [68] The school had sixty-six women regular attendees, and hundreds of people listened to the suffrage lectures sponsored by the school. [68] WWSA lobbied legislators for an unsuccessful voter referendum bill in 1915. [73] Youmans also joined the CU by 1915. [74] In the fall, she went to New York to do press work for their state voter referendum. [75] After the failure of the voter referendum in New York, Youmans came back to Wisconsin where WWSA began to work towards a federal suffrage amendment. [76] In June 1916, suffragists from Wisconsin marched alongside suffragists in Illinois in a parade down Michigan Avenue in Chicago. [77] In the fall of 1916, Carrie Chapman Catt came to speak at the WWSA conference in Milwaukee. [76] By fall of 1916, Youmans and other suffrage group presidents pledged to support the "Winning Plan" that Catt had devised for the National Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). [76] Catt and NAWSA were going to push hard nationally for a federal suffrage bill. [76] A women's suffrage referendum supported by WWSA in the state legislature was introduced. [78] When Catt found out that WWSA had supported the state legislature, WWSA was censured and the suffragists in Wisconsin stopped lobbying for its success. [78] The referendum failed in February 1917. [79]

Before and during the United States entry into World War I, the suffragists in Wisconsin were divided over whether to support the war effort. [80] [79] The WWSA and the Wisconsin National Woman's Party tried to remain neutral, which was criticized and attacked by the press. [79] German-American suffragists in Wisconsin faced anti-German sentiment. [79] Catt's plan during wartime involved suffragists aiding the war effort, which put many Wisconsin suffragists who were also pacifists, in a difficult spot. [81] Brown was one of the activists picketing the White House on March 4, 1917. [71] Meta Berger hosted the first meeting of a NWP branch at her home on October 14, 1917. [82] Berger left WWSA, angry that the organization went on to endorse the war. [83] James and Gale also joined the NWP. [84] Youmans, still in charge of WWSA, continued to work to support the war effort. [85]

David G. James with ratification receipt, 1920 WOMAN SUFFRAGE D.G. JAMES AND LETTER FROM WISCONSIN LCCN2016870041.jpg
David G. James with ratification receipt, 1920

In January 1918, the United States House of Representatives passed the amendment that would go on to become the Nineteenth Amendment. [85] WWSA member, Jessie Jack Hooper was on hand to lobby for NAWSA. [85] During 1919, Youmans was called to Washington to lobby Congress on the women's suffrage amendment, which had to go through another legislative session where it passed both houses. [86] After its passage, Youmans returned to Wisconsin to fight for the amendment's ratification. [87] The states of Illinois and Wisconsin fought to become the first to ratify. [87] On June 10, 1919, Wisconsin ratified the Nineteenth Amendment. [87] The legislature of the state of Illinois beat Wisconsin to the ratification by one hour. [88] David G. James was appointed Special Courier for the ratification papers by the governor. [89] The Wisconsin Secretary of State, Merlin Hull, gave James money to travel. [90] Ada James arrived at Madison with a packed suitcase for her father who immediately left for Washington, D.C. [87] Wisconsin became the first state to finalize the ratification by turning in the paperwork to the State Department on June 13, 1919. [90]

African-American women's suffrage in Wisconsin

In Milwaukee, the Political Equality League (PEL) set up an African American chapter, with Carrie Horton as president. [91] Alice L. Thompson Waytes of Boston campaigned for women's suffrage in Wisconsin in 1912. [92] [93] She also campaigned for the Progressive Party in Wisconsin. [94]

White suffragist, Belle Case La Follette, publicly and strongly criticized racial segregation and also spoke in front of Black audiences. [95] She printed her opinions in La Follette's Magazine . [96] La Follette urged that there could be no peace in the country without racial equality. [97] Her work had an effect on people around the country, both Black and white. [98]

Anti-suffragism in Wisconsin

Wisconsin had two major anti-suffrage groups, one in Madison and one in Milwaukee. [82]

See also

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

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

The women's suffrage movement in Montana started while it was still a territory. The Women's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) was an early organizer that supported suffrage in the state, arriving in 1883. Women were given the right to vote in school board elections and on tax issues in 1887. When the state constitutional convention was held in 1889, Clara McAdow and Perry McAdow invited suffragist Henry Blackwell to speak to the delegates about equal women's suffrage. While that proposition did not pass, women retained their right to vote in school and tax elections as Montana became a state. In 1895, National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) came to Montana to organize local groups. Montana suffragists held a convention and created the Montana Woman's Suffrage Association (MWSA). Suffragists continued to organize, hold conventions and lobby the Montana Legislature for women's suffrage through the end of the nineteenth century. In the early twentieth century, Jeannette Rankin became a driving force around the women's suffrage movement in Montana. By January 1913, a women's suffrage bill had passed the Montana Legislature and went out as a referendum. Suffragists launched an all-out campaign leading up to the vote. They traveled throughout Montana giving speeches and holding rallies. They sent out thousands of letters and printed thousands of pamphlets and journals to hand out. Suffragists set up booths at the Montana State Fair and they held parades. Finally, after a somewhat contested election on November 3, 1914, the suffragists won the vote. Montana became one of eleven states with equal suffrage for most women. When the Nineteenth Amendment was passed, Montana ratified it on August 2, 1919. It wasn't until 1924 with the passage of the Indian Citizenship Act that Native American women gained the right to vote.

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

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

Women's suffrage had early champions among men in Arkansas. Miles Ledford Langley of Arkadelphia, Arkansas proposed a women's suffrage clause during the 1868 Arkansas Constitutional Convention. Educator, James Mitchell wanted to see a world where his daughters had equal rights. The first woman's suffrage group in Arkansas was organized by Lizzie Dorman Fyler in 1881. A second women's suffrage organization was formed by Clara McDiarmid in 1888. McDiarmid was very influential on women's suffrage work in the last few decades of the nineteenth century. When she died in 1899, suffrage work slowed down, but did not all-together end. Both Bernie Babcock and Jean Vernor Jennings continued to work behind the scenes. In the 1910s, women's suffrage work began to increase again. socialist women, like Freda Hogan were very involved in women's suffrage causes. Other social activists, like Minnie Rutherford Fuller became involved in the Political Equality League (PEL) founded in 1911 by Jennings. Another statewide suffrage group, also known as the Arkansas Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) was organized in 1914. AWSA decided to work towards helping women vote in the important primary elections in the state. The first woman to address the Arkansas General Assembly was suffragist Florence Brown Cotnam who spoke in favor of a women's suffrage amendment on February 5, 1915. While that amendment was not completely successful, Cotnam was able to persuade the Arkansas governor to hold a special legislative session in 1917. That year Arkansas women won the right to vote in primary elections. In May 1918, between 40,000 and 50,000 white women voted in the primaries. African American voters were restricted from voting in primaries in the state. Further efforts to amend the state constitution took place in 1918, but were also unsuccessful. When the Nineteenth Amendment passed the United States Congress, Arkansas held another special legislative session in July 1919. The amendment was ratified on July 28 and Arkansas became the twelfth state to ratify the Nineteenth Amendment.

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

This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Wisconsin. Women's suffrage efforts began before the Civil War. The first Wisconsin state constitutional convention in 1846 discussed both women's suffrage and African-American suffrage. In the end, a more conservative constitution was adopted by Wisconsin. In the 1850s, a German language women's rights newspaper was founded in Milwaukee and many suffragists spoke throughout the state. The first state suffrage convention was held in Janesville in 1867. The 1870s, several women's suffrage groups were founded in the state. In 1884, a women's suffrage bill, allowing women to vote for school-related issues is passed. In 1886, voters approve the school-related suffrage bill in a referendum. The first year women vote, 1887, there are challenges to the law that go on until Wisconsin women are allowed to vote again for school issues in 1902 using separate ballots. In the 1900s, women's suffrage conventions continue to take place throughout the state. Women collect petitions and continue to lobby the state legislature. In 1911 Wisconsin legislature passes a bill for women's suffrage that will go out to the voters in 1912. On November 4, 1912 voters disapprove of women's suffrage. Women's suffrage efforts continue, including sponsoring a suffrage school and with the inclusion of a National Woman's Party (NWP) chapter formed in 1915. When the Nineteenth Amendment goes out to the states, Wisconsin ratifies on June 10 and turns in the ratification paperwork first, on June 13, 1919.

<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">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">Women's suffrage in New Jersey</span> History of suffrage in New Jersey

Suffrage was available to most women and African Americans in New Jersey immediately upon the formation of the state. The first New Jersey state constitution allowed any person who owned a certain value of property to become a voter. In 1790, the state constitution was changed to specify that voters were "he or she". Politicians seeking office deliberately courted women voters who often decided narrow elections. This was so the democratic-republican party had an advantage in the presidential election of 1808.

References

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Sources

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