Victory for the Vote
The Fight for Women’s Suffrage
and the Century that Followed
Doris Weatherford
Foreword by Nancy Pelosi
Mango Publishing
Coral Gables
© 2020 Doris Weatherford and MTM Publishing, Inc.
Published by Mango Publishing Group, a division of Mango Media Inc.
Developed and edited by MTM Publishing
Publisher: Valerie Tomaselli
Executive Editor: Hilary Poole
Adjunct Writer: Beth Scully
Part One originally published as A History of the American Suffragist Movement (ABC-CLIO, 1998; MTM Publishing 2005).
Cover Design: Valerie Tomaselli and Roberto Núñez
Cover Photo: Library of Congress
Back Cover Photo: Valerie Tomaselli
Layout & Design: Roberto Núñez
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Victory for the Vote: The Fight for Women’s Suffrage and the Century that Followed
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication number: 2019954753
ISBN: (print) 978-1-64250-053-0, (ebook) 978-1-64250-054-7
BISAC category code HIS058000, HISTORY / Women
Printed in the United States of America
To the great army of women (and men) who fought for women’s rights, including the vote, and are continuing the fight today.
Table of Contents
In the Beginning, 1637 to 1840
“Let Facts Be Submitted to a Candid World”: 1840 to 1848
“The Spirit of a Snake” and the Spirit of Success, 1848 to 1860
Chapter Four
The Battle Cry of Freedom, 1860 to 1876
Chapter Five
The Hour Not Yet, 1871 to 1888
Chapter Six
The Century Turns; The Movement Turns, 1881 to 1912
Chapter Seven
The Longest Labor Ends, 1912 to 1920
Part Two
Progress and Challenges in the Following Century
Chapter Eight
Carrying On: Early Ambitions, Small Victories
Chapter Nine
Reproductive Rights
Chapter Ten
Becoming Full Citizens
Chapter Eleven
The Equal Rights Amendment: An Elusive Goal
Chapter Twelve
Taking Power: Milestones and Challenges
Chapter Thirteen
“We Shall Overcome”: Minority Women’s Long Road to Progress
Appendix: Foreword to the First Edition, Part One
Bibliographic Note
Sources and Further Reading
by Nancy Pelosi,
Speaker, U.S. House of Representatives
One hundred and seventy-one years ago, 300 women and men gathered in Seneca Falls, New York, and shook the world with a simple proclamation: “We hold these truths to be self-evident: that all men and women are created equal.” With those words, the women of Seneca Falls ignited a relentless, generations-long struggle by America’s women to secure what is rightfully ours: the sacred right to vote.
Yet, for more than 70 years after, the full promise of equality would be denied to America’s women. When the Nineteenth Amendment finally passed, the headlines said “Women Given Right To Vote”—but women were not given anything; they struggled for the right to vote. For decades, in the face of overwhelming challenges, brave women protested and picketed, marched and mobilized, were beaten and jailed, and finally won the right to vote. It is on their shoulders that we all stand today.
Doris Weatherford’s inspiring book, Victory for the Vote: The Fight for Women’s Suffrage and the Century that Followed, reminds us all that the trailblazing suffragists did not wait for change, they worked for change! This important book not only tells the story of the trailblazing suffragists of Seneca Falls; it also shares the stories of women of color whose heroism in the fight for women’s suffrage is too often unsung, but who are finally taking their rightful place in American history.
As Speaker of the House, it has been my priority to ensure that the halls of the U.S. Capitol reflect the full diversity of our history. It was my honor to bring a bronze bust of Sojourner Truth to rest under this dome of our democracy in commemoration of her immeasurable contributions to the cause of equality and those of all the women of color who fought for suffrage. This book stands as another fitting tribute to their sacrifice.
The story of America’s suffrage did not end with the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.