Women Suffrage

Women Suffrage

For hundreds of years, women were not allowed to vote.  The first women to demand a vote was Margaret Brent.   In 1647, Brent insisted on two votes, one for herself and one for her friend, the votes were for the Colonial Assembly.  Lord Baltimore quickly denied her request.  He thought is was outrageous and women should never have any say in the modern society. 

 Women in New Jersey could vote because of vague wording in the states constitution of 1790.  The constitution gave the vote to "All inhabitants who satisfied certain property requirements."  Property holding women took advantage of the constitution.  A state legislator, who had almost been defeated by the women, helped to pass a bill re-define the constitution. 

Just from these two stories you can see how women were treated.  It was never fair that they were not allowed to vote just because of their gender.  Women started an association to give women the right to vote.  Though it was led by women, it was open to men also.  

In 1920, women were finally given the right to vote.  It took endless determination and hard work.  Our nation and society would be completely different if women weren't voting or involved in politics. 

This is a hand-out advertising a rally for women's suffrage in 1910. Women suffrage was happening all over the world, this rally was being held in London.

This is a flyer that was handed out by men who were opposed to women having the right to vote. If you can read it, it says that Women Suffrage Would Double the Irresponsible Vote. Which was later proved to be false.

Here is a group of suffragists. They traveled to almost every city in Delaware to gain the vote for women to have the right to vote.

This picture shows three women voting in New York.

This picture is of two women who worked for the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). NAWSA was found in 1920 to help women carry out their new responsibilities (voting).

Dani's Artist Statement

This quilt piece represents how women wanted, deserved and fought for their rights.  In the 1800's, women had to follow very harsh laws.  Women couldn't own property, vote or go to college.  After they married, their husbands got custody of their kids, got all the money and they could even kick out the women from their houses.  Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and, many other women struggled to win the right to vote.  They held conventions in Seneca Falls, 1848.  Elizabeth Cady wrote declarations of rights, based on the declaration of Independence.  

The quit piece is relevant today because women now have the same rights as men do.  If it weren't for the women represented in our quilt piece, with their name on the paper, women wouldn't have equal rights today.  This piece is important to quilting a nation project because the women's rights movement was one of the most important events in the late 1800's.  It will make people think  about how the laws changed for the better because of the struggle of some very powerful women.

Ellie's Artist Statement

Our quilt piece represents all of the hard work women put into creating a new law.  There was so much dedication.  Women did not give up until  they defeated the men who were against the new law.  Women held rallies, meetings and created petitions.  Women put aside their lives, their husbands and families disowned them, they were arrested and looked down upon.  They were able to fight for what they believed  in and ignore all the rude comments and "society suicide" they were put through.  The quilt is of ink and a signed petition.  Without women voting, who knows how the nation would be different. The nation and the government would be filled with men and there would be no women in politics.  The nation would be run by men.  I think that this quilt piece weaves everything together,  I think women having the right  to vote made our nation complete.  The nation was finally able to claim everything it wanted to.

-Ellie and Dani G.

(Frank's design team)