Misplaced Pages

#259740

124-458: The club was formed after women in Chicago were granted the right to vote in the year 1910. It fought against the white Chicago women who were trying to ban African Americans from voting altogether. They also wanted to promote the election of African Americans to public office. As Wells stated in her autobiography, "we (women) could use our vote for the advantage of ourselves and our race." Quoted in

248-630: A bad idea because the Southern delegations threatened to pull out of the march. Paul had attempted to keep news about Black marchers out of the press, but when the Howard group announced they intended to participate, the public became aware of the conflict. A newspaper account indicated that Paul told some Black suffragists that the NAWSA believed in equal rights for "colored women" but that some Southern women were likely to object to their presence. A source in

372-520: A compromise was reached to order the parade as southern women, then the men's section, and finally the Black women's section, reports in the NAACP paper, The Crisis , depict events unfolding quite differently, with Black women protesting the plan to segregate them. What is clear is that some groups attempted, on the day of the parade, to segregate their delegations. For example, a last-minute instruction by

496-408: A division between African American rights and suffrage for women by prioritizing voting rights for Black men over universal suffrage for all men and women. In 1903, the NAWSA officially adopted a platform of states' rights that was intended to mollify and bring Southern U.S. suffrage groups into the fold. The statement's signers included Anthony, Carrie Chapman Catt , and Anna Howard Shaw. With

620-431: A group of girls. A series of floats depicted men and women working side by side at home and in various professions. They were followed by one with a man holding a representation of government on his shoulders while a woman with hands tied stood helpless at his side. A float depicted nurses, followed by a marching group of nurses. Groups of women representing traditional roles of motherhood and homemaking came next to change

744-569: A larger group of African Americans in the city. It focused on the population of the 2nd Ward in the city, and gave the Club women a public political voice. The woman suffrage parade of 1913 legitimized the woman suffrage movement as a whole. The Alpha Suffrage Club and its protest against being forced to march in the back brought a spotlight to the fact that racism was also an issue even within an otherwise united movement. NAWSA wanted to secure white woman suffrage before moving on to African Americans, but

868-570: A major role in influencing the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to the urban North by means of strong, moralistic rhetoric in his editorials and political cartoons, the promotion of Chicago as a destination, and the advertisement of successful black individuals as inspiration for blacks in the South. The rhetoric and art exhibited in the Defender demanded equality of

992-574: A model of the Liberty Bell brought from Philadelphia , led the procession as Grand Marshal, immediately followed by the herald, Milholland, on a white horse. A pale-blue cape flowed over her white suit, held on by a Maltese cross . Her banner proclaimed "Forward into Light", a phrase originated by Pankhurst and later used by Blatch. Immediately behind the herald was a wagon that boldly stated "We Demand An Amendment To The Constitution Of The United States Enfranchising The Women Of This Country". Next

1116-456: A national amendment. It also ensured that the procession would enjoy a large audience and publicity. Many factors deterred Paul regarding her selected date: District suffragists worried about the weather; the superintendent of police objected to the timing; even Paul herself was concerned about the need to attract a large number of marchers in a short time frame and get them organized. Fortunately, Washington had congressional delegations from all

1240-529: A partisan manner, such as with repealing the Panama Canal tolls act. When asked if it had been unwise for her to push Wilson for his stance on woman's suffrage, Paul responded that it was important to make the public aware of his position so they could use it against him when the time came to put pressure on the Democrats during an election. It took until 1918 for Wilson to finally change his stance on

1364-487: A quarter to a half million people. Anticipating that most of these people would come to observe the suffrage parade, Paul was concerned about the ability of the local police force to handle the crowd; her disquiet proved to be justified by events. Sylvester had only volunteered a force of 100 officers, which Paul considered inadequate. She attempted to get intervention from President William Howard Taft , who referred her to Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson . The week before

SECTION 10

#1732786821260

1488-495: A weekly paper again in 2008. In 2019, its publisher, Real Times Media Inc., announced that the Defender would cease its print edition but continue as an online publication. The editorial board of the Chicago Tribune , observing the impact The Defender has had in its 114 years, praised the continuation of the publication in its new form. The Chicago Defender's editor and founder Robert Sengstacke Abbott played

1612-676: Is planned for circulation in 2026. American suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns spearheaded a drive to adopt a national strategy for women's suffrage in the National American Woman Suffrage Association . Paul and Burns had seen first-hand the effectiveness of militant activism while working for Emmeline Pankhurst in the Women's Social and Political Union (WSPU) in Britain. Their education included rallies, marches, and demonstrations, knowledge

1736-546: The Chicago Defender , a local black newspaper, she was more specific, stating that the object of the Alpha Suffrage Club was to make women "strong enough to help elect some conscientious race man as alderman." Besides focusing on women's newly gained civil duty to vote, Wells also encouraged these women to ensure that their husbands were taking seriously their responsibility to vote as well, recognizing

1860-675: The Pittsburgh Courier , the Memphis Tri-State Defender , and the Michigan Chronicle . In a 1967 editorial, the Defender decried anti-Semitism in the community, reminding readers of the role of Jews in the civil rights movement. "These powerful voices," the Defender wrote, "which have been lifted on behalf of the Negro peoples' cause, should not be forgotten when resolutions are passed by

1984-467: The American South to settle in the north in what became the Great Migration . Abbott worked out an informal distribution system with Pullman porters who surreptitiously (and sometimes against southern state laws and mores) took his paper by rail far beyond Chicago, especially to African American readers in the southern United States . Under his nephew and chosen successor, John H. Sengstacke ,

2108-529: The Chicago Defender from 2003 to 2004), Kurt Cherry and James Carr. In July 2019, the Chicago Defender reported that recent print runs had numbered 16,000 but that its digital edition reached almost half a million unique monthly visitors. Woman Suffrage Procession The Woman Suffrage Procession on March 3, 1913, was the first suffragist parade in Washington, D.C. It was also

2232-413: The Defender to promote Chicago as an attractive destination for southern blacks. Abbott presented Chicago as a promised-land with abundant jobs, as he included advertisements "clearly aimed at southerners," that called for massive numbers of workers wanted in factory positions. The Defender was filled with advertisements for desirable commodities, beauty products and technological devices. Abbott's paper

2356-745: The Maryland Agricultural College created a human barrier protecting the women from the angry crowd and helping them reach their destination. The final act was a meeting at the Memorial Continental Hall (later part of the expanded DAR Constitution Hall ), the national headquarters of the Daughters of the American Revolution . Speakers were Anna Howard Shaw , Carrie Chapman Catt , Mary Johnston , and Helen Adams Keller . Shaw, reflecting on

2480-504: The National Votes for Women Trail was placed at its former site at the corner of 31st and State Street in Chicago. 1913, the year in which the club was founded, was a time still rife with Jim Crow laws and casual discrimination. Black women were subservient to men and other White women and denied education and social mobility. They were also confined to social expectations such as taking on domestic responsibilities and working on

2604-480: The cavalry . The police were subjected to a congressional inquiry due to security failures. The event premiered Paul's campaign to refocus the suffrage movement on obtaining a national constitutional amendment for woman's suffrage. This was intended to pressure President Wilson to support an amendment, but he resisted their demands for years afterward. The procession was featured in the film Iron Jawed Angels in 2004. A new U.S. ten-dollar bill with parade imagery

SECTION 20

#1732786821260

2728-634: The "Junior Defender" page of the paper. The club encouraged the children's proper development, and reading The Defender . In 1929, the organization began the Bud Billiken Parade and Picnic , which is still held annually in Chicago in early August. In the 1950s, under Sengstacke's direction, the Bud Billiken Parade expanded and emerged as the largest single event in Chicago. Today, it attracts more than one million attendees with more than 25 million television viewers, making it one of

2852-477: The "sacredness" of the vote to both sexes. At the first anniversary of the club's founding, Kentucky-born poet Bettiola Heloise Fortson , vice-president of the club, read her poem "Brothers" which told the story of two men who had been lynched by a mob for their attempt to save their sister from her imprisonment by a farmer in Alabama as a slave. In October 2021, a historic marker for the Alpha Suffrage Club on

2976-417: The Alpha Suffrage Club and other suffrage associations pushed against that idea, and as a result the 19th amendment granted voting rights to all women, regardless of race. The credibility of the club was recognized after the primary elections in 1914, when Republican delegates attended a club meeting and promised to choose a black nominee in exchange for the women's support in future campaigns. The crucial role

3100-611: The Alpha Suffrage Club in direct response seeing white women "working like beavers" to pass an Illinois granting limited suffrage to women in the State. Soon after returning from the Washington parade, Wells-Barnett led a congregation of several hundred black women through Springfield's Capitol building to lobby on behalf of the Illinois Equal Suffrage Act and against a handful of pending Jim Crow bills. The IESA

3224-728: The Constitutional Committee and the national board. The committee disassociated from the NAWSA and became the Congressional Union. The Congressional Union eventually became subsumed by the National Woman's Party , also led by Paul, in 1916. The Woman Suffrage Procession was featured in the 2004 film Iron Jawed Angels , which chronicles the strategies of Alice Paul, Lucy Burns, and the National Woman's Party as they lobby and demonstrate for

3348-520: The District commissioners and the press. Eventually, they relented and granted her request. Elsie Hill and her mother had also pressured Sylvester by appealing to Elsie's father in Congress. Congress had the ultimate responsibility and funding control over the District police department. The presidential inauguration brought a huge influx of visitors from around the country. Media estimated crowds of

3472-402: The NAWSA, it was merely a shadow committee headed by Elizabeth Kent , wife of a California congressman , with an annual budget of ten dollars that mostly went unspent. With Paul and Burns in charge, the committee revived the push for a national suffrage amendment. At the end of 1913, Paul reported to the NAWSA that the committee had raised and expended over $ 25,000 on the suffrage cause for

3596-524: The Republican Party doesn’t get us justice, then we must of necessity shift our allegiance to new quarters.” For a variety of reasons, in the coming years, black support for the Republican Party fell rapidly. Abbott took a special interest in his nephew, John H. Sengstacke (1912–1997), paying for his education and grooming him to take over the Defender, which he did in 1940 after working with his uncle for several years. He urged integration of

3720-474: The Treasury Building were scheduled to begin simultaneously at 3 p.m. However, the trumpet call starting the procession did not sound until 3:25 p.m. At the lead were several police escort vehicles and six mounted officers in a wedge formation. By the time the front of the parade reached 5th Street, the crowd had completely blocked the avenue. At that point, the police escort seemed to vanish into

3844-538: The United States, they used black voting rights as a type of scapegoat. Southern women were especially opposed to these Black suffragettes and still held the belief that African Americans were inferior. Ida B. Wells, one of the founders of the Alpha Suffrage Club, was told she could only participate in the black section of the Woman Suffrage Parade because she was an African American woman. Despite

Alpha Suffrage Club - Misplaced Pages Continue

3968-460: The WSPU's militant tactics, including Harriot Stanton Blatch , Alva Belmont , Elizabeth Robins , and Rhetta Child Dorr. Burns and Paul recognized that the women from the six states that had full suffrage at the time comprised a powerful voting bloc. They submitted a proposal to Anna Howard Shaw and the NAWSA leadership at their annual convention in 1912. The leadership was not interested in changing

4092-468: The approaching procession of suffragists. By creating this stunning drama, Paul differentiated the American suffrage movement from Britain's "by fully appropriating the best possibilities of nonviolent visual rhetoric" per Adams and Keene. Some women listed were well-known before the event, while others became noteworthy later. Most names come from the official event program. The parade and tableaux at

4216-607: The armed forces. In 1948, he was appointed by President Harry S. Truman to the commission to study this proposal and plan the process, which was initiated by the military in 1949. Sengstacke also brought together for the first time major black newspaper publishers and created the National Negro Publishers Association, later renamed the National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA). Two days following

4340-548: The associations first meeting in Chicago, Abbott died. In the early 21st century, the NNPA consists of more than 200 member black newspapers. One of Sengstacke's most striking accomplishments occurred on February 6, 1956, when the Defender became a daily newspaper and changed its name to the Chicago Daily Defender , the nation's second black daily newspaper. It immediately became the largest black-owned daily in

4464-466: The audience. The act began with a relay of trumpet calls from the Peace Monument to the Treasury Building. The first scene featured Columbia , who stepped forward on stage to the strains of " The Star-Spangled Banner ". She summoned Liberty , Charity, Justice, Hope, and Peace to join her. In the final scene, Columbia placed herself as guardian over all these others, and they assembled to watch

4588-436: The back of the parade; however, contemporary sources suggest that they marched with their respective state delegations or professional groups. During the procession, district police failed to keep the enormous crowd off the street, impeding the marchers' progress. Many participants were subjected to heckling from spectators, though many supporters were present. The marchers were finally assisted by citizens' groups and eventually

4712-478: The back, stating that "I shall not march at all unless I can march under the Illinois banner." Wells wanted to show the entire country that they were progressive enough to allow women of all races to stand against the hypocrisy of NAWSA's policies. However, no one listened to her except for Belle Squire and Virginia Brooks, two of her white colleagues. Brooks and Squire ended up joining Wells-Barnett in protesting

4836-549: The banner; Howard University, group of twenty-five girls in caps and gowns;  homemakers—Mrs. Duffield, who carried  New York banner, Mrs. M. D. Butler, Mrs.  Carrie W. Clifford." One trained nurse, whose name could not  be ascertained, marched, and a child caregiver was brought down by the Delaware delegation. But the Virginia -born Gardener tried to persuade Paul that including Black people would be

4960-743: The beneficiaries of the Sengstacke Trust. In effect, Picou, then chairman and CEO of Real Times, Inc., led what was then labeled a "Sengstacke family-led" deal to facilitate trust beneficiaries and other Sengstacke family shareholders to agree to the sale of the company. Picou recruited Sam Logan, former publisher of the Michigan Chronicle , who then recruited O'Neil Swanson, Bill Pickard, Ron Hall and Gordon Follmer, black businessman from Detroit, Michigan (the "Detroit Group"), as investors in Real Times. Chicago investors included Picou, Bobby Sengstacke, David M. Milliner (who served as publisher of

5084-463: The black power hierarchy. Jews and Negroes have problems in common. They can ill-afford to be at one another's throats." Control of the Chicago Defender and her sister publications was transferred to a new ownership group named Real Times Inc. in January 2003. Real Times, Inc. was organized and led by Thom Picou , and Robert (Bobby) Sengstacke , John H. Sengstacke's surviving child and father of

Alpha Suffrage Club - Misplaced Pages Continue

5208-482: The canvassing efforts by African-American women on his behalf, he lost the election by only 352 votes. The Alpha Suffrage Club's influence, however, was quickly acknowledged by the press with the Chicago Defender, reporting that “. . .the women’s vote was a revelation to everyone...” In addition to press coverage, the Republican Party had noticed the club's influence. It sent two delegates to the club's meeting

5332-408: The cavalry unit on standby at Fort Myers. However, the mounted soldiers did not arrive on the scene until around 4:30 p.m. They were then able to usher the parade to its completion. Male and female spectators surged into the street, though men were the majority. There were both hecklers and supporters, but parade-marshal Burleson and other women in the procession were intimidated, particularly by

5456-476: The chair of the state delegation section, Genevieve Stone, caused an additional uproar when she asked the Illinois delegation's sole Black member, Ida B. Wells-Barnett , to march with the segregated group of Black people at the back of the parade. Some historians claim Paul made the request, though this seems unlikely after the official NAWSA decision. Wells-Barnett eventually rejoined the Illinois delegation as

5580-560: The city of Chicago. They were early supporters of equality for colored people on many levels. Ida B. Wells preached that the right to vote was not being properly used by men once equal suffrage was achieved. Now that suffrage was given to both men and women, their goal was to maximize the vote. They wanted equality and they wanted empowerment for colored women. Besides universal suffrage, the club also fought for racial equality in other areas. They questioned why brave soldiers had to be seen by race instead of by their deeds. Wells-Barnett formed

5704-598: The city on February 28. Simultaneous with the procession, an allegorical tableau unfolded on the Treasury Building's steps. The pageant was written by dramatist Hazel MacKaye and directed by Glenna Smith Tinnin . These scenes were performed by silent actors to portray various attributes of patriotism and civic pride, which both men and women strove to emulate. The audience would recognize the presentation style from similar holiday events nationwide. MacKaye set each scene using women clad in toga -style costumes and accompanied by symbolic parlor music that would also be familiar to

5828-428: The city. In the course of their organizing, the women's efforts met significant criticism. Men “jeered at them and told them they ought to be at home taking care of the babies.” Others accused them of “trying to take the place of men and wear the trousers.” Local newspapers stated their concerns of the women's door to door canvassing and the prospect of women “seeing all of the activities that might be going on.” After

5952-482: The club also brought pressure for the U.S. Congress to approve the 19th amendment on June 10, 1919, which came into effect on August 18, 1920. The Chicago Defender The Chicago Defender is a Chicago -based online African-American newspaper . It was founded in 1905 by Robert S. Abbott and was once considered the "most important" newspaper of its kind. Abbott's newspaper reported and campaigned against Jim Crow -era violence and urged black people in

6076-558: The club had come to know each other well through his attending Club meetings throughout the elections. After his election De Priest acknowledged the work done by the women in the 2nd Ward who had been important in his success. News of the club's success traveled beyond the city. A black Indianapolis paper proudly reported on the election "of a Negro for alderman" due "in no small part" to the 1,093 votes cast by black women. De Priest served only one term as alderman after allegations of corruption, but De Priest's career continued and he later became

6200-524: The club played in electing Oscar DePriest yielded his support for women's voting rights, buoying the club's causes in the ensuing years, furthering their efforts to back their social reforms with political power. Locally, the Alpha Suffrage Club started a system to canvas neighborhoods and increase community engagement through weekly meetings to educate people on their rights as a citizen. They were also able to register female voters through block by block canvassing. The protests and demonstrations efforts made by

6324-525: The club's success in the 1914 primary, the Republican Party designated Oscar De Priest , as their candidate in the 2nd Ward, in the later city election for alderman. He ran against two white candidates and won. As the first black alderman in Chicago he was elected in 1914 to the Chicago City Council , and served from 1915 to 1917. The impact of the club's organizing was clear, as one third of the votes he received were cast by women. De Priest and

SECTION 50

#1732786821260

6448-546: The conclusion of the Civil War until the late 1800s. Frederick Douglass even used the famous abolitionist newspaper, the North Star , to advertise the 1848 Seneca Falls suffrage meeting. The American Equal Rights Association was formed in 1866 to win suffrage for all. This organization supported both women's and African American's voting rights at first, but with the passing of the 14th and 15th Amendments , there

6572-420: The crowd. Milholland and others on horseback used the animals to help push back the crowds. Paul, Burns, and other committee members brought a couple of automobiles to the front to help create a passage for the procession. The police had done little to open the parade route as they'd been ordered to do by Congress. Sylvester, who was at the train station awaiting Wilson's arrival, heard about the problem and called

6696-491: The day before President Woodrow Wilson 's inauguration . Paul had selected the venue and date to maximize publicity but met resistance from the D.C. police department. The demonstration consisted of a procession with floats , bands , and various groups representing women at home, in school, and the workplace. At the Treasury Building , a pageant of allegorical tableaux was acted out during the parade. The final act

6820-646: The day following the election, and encouraged the women to keep campaigning. They also promised that the Republicans would support an African-American candidate in the election of the next year. After the primary election members of the club continued their work. They focused on communities with large percentages of African-Americans as they canvassed neighborhoods. They also held weekly meetings to discuss civic responsibilities, showed women how to use voting machines and trained women to act as precinct judges. They also distributed lists of voting locations in all wards of

6944-413: The event out of the spotlight. The Senate Committee on the District of Columbia quickly organized a subcommittee hearing to determine why the crowds at the parade had gotten out of hand. They listened to testimony and read numerous affidavits. Hearings were held March 6–13 and April 16–17. Sylvester defended his actions and blamed individual police officers for disobeying his orders. In the end, Sylvester

7068-478: The failure of police protection, stated that she was ashamed of the national capital, but she praised the marchers. She also recognized that they could use publicity about police failures to the suffragists' advantage. Blatch had used a similar security failure in New York in 1912 to the suffragists' advantage. Though she first sympathized with the overwhelmed police force at the parade, Paul quickly capitalized on

7192-399: The farms if necessary. They were also unprotected by laws even when they were abused and rape by men. Lynching was also common and they denied African American women any chance to prove their innocence from false claims. This fueled the movement founded by Ida B. Wells-Barnett . Wells declared that an inherent problem to black women was the fact that they were overall less invested in gaining

7316-577: The first African American to be elected to the U.S. Congress post-reconstruction era. However the influence of ACS in the Second Ward remained strong. Another black Alderman, Louis B. Anderson, succeeded De Priest cementing a change in Chicago's second ward. The Alpha Suffrage Club published the newsletter, the Alpha Suffrage Record , which was used to announce the formation of the club, to describe its activities and to extend its reach

7440-662: The first large, organized march on Washington for political purposes. The procession was organized by the suffragists Alice Paul and Lucy Burns for the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Planning for the event began in Washington in December 1912. As stated in its official program, the parade's purpose was to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded." Participation numbers vary between 5,000 and 10,000 marchers. Suffragists and supporters marched down Pennsylvania Avenue on Monday, March 3, 1913,

7564-479: The floor. The demonstration on Pennsylvania Avenue was the precursor to Paul's other high-profile events that, along with actions by the NAWSA, culminated in the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment to the U. S. Constitution in 1919 and its ratification in 1920. Paul's focus on a federal amendment contrasted sharply with the NAWSA's state-by-state approach to suffrage, leading to a rift between

SECTION 60

#1732786821260

7688-592: The front page. Abbott positioned his paper as a primary influence of these movements before historians would, for he used the Defender to initiate and advertise a "Great Northern Drive" day, set for May 15, 1917. The movement to northern and midwestern cities, and to the West Coast at the time of World War I, became known as the Great Migration , in which 1.5 million blacks moved out of the rural South in early 20th century years up to 1940, and another 5 million left towns and rural areas from 1940 to 1970. Abbott used

7812-523: The hostile chants. The Evening Star (Washington) published a review highlighting positive responses to the parade and pageant. The crush of people led to trampling: More than two hundred people were treated for injuries at local hospitals. At one point, Paul sympathetically acknowledged that the police were overwhelmed and not enough of them had been assigned to the parade, but she soon changed her stance to maximize publicity for her cause. The police arrested some spectators and fined them for crossing over

7936-585: The image of suffragists as being sexless working women. There followed a carefully orchestrated order of professional women, beginning with various nursing groups, the Woman's Christian Temperance Union and the PTA , before finally adding in non-traditional careers such as lawyers, artists, and businesswomen. After a float depicting the Bill of Rights came a banner that showed the nine suffrage states in bright colors with

8060-549: The initial meeting. Paul recruited Hazel MacKaye to design professional floats and allegorical tableaux to be presented simultaneously with the procession. The parade was officially named the Woman Suffrage Procession. Per the event program, the stated purpose was to "march in a spirit of protest against the present political organization of society, from which women are excluded." Doris Stevens , who worked closely with Paul, stated that "...the procession

8184-481: The landmark legislation. On July 1, Wells-Barrnett was a parade marshall, riding with her daughter Alfreda down Michigan Avenue, but this honor was only noted in the Chicago Defender. Her prominent roll went unremarked in the other Chicago papers. The IESA was the result of lobbying by national and local suffrage organizations and clubs. Social clubs at the time were strictly segregated by race and ethnicity. As one historian has noted, “Club women in Chicago established

8308-679: The largest parades in the country. In 1928, for the first time, The Defender refused to endorse a Republican Party presidential candidate. Throughout the election it ran a series of articles critical of the party, its failures to advance black civil rights, and what it saw as Republican's embrace or acquiescence in segregationism , party support in a revitalized Ku Klux Klan , and the Republican's Lily White Movement . The paper's final pre-election editorial read in part: “We want justice in America and we mean to get it. If 50 years of support to

8432-456: The leader of the NAWSA instructed Wells to march at the end of the procession in a segregated section for African-American women. Wells refused to do as march organizers requested. Although Grace Wilbur Trout , the Chair of the Illinois delegation, warned Wells that her involvement in the march could lead to the exclusion of the Illinois group from the parade, she insisted that she would not move to

8556-422: The leaders of the suffrage movement, including Lucretia Mott , Sojourner Truth , Susan B. Anthony , Elizabeth Cady Stanton , and Alice Paul . The front of the new $ 10 note is to retain the portrait of Alexander Hamilton . Designs for new $ 5, $ 10, and $ 20 bills were to be unveiled in 2020. Later, it was said that the new note would not be ready for circulation until 2026. The woman's suffrage movement, led in

8680-531: The list of former committee members, Paul found few still alive or in the city, but she did find assistance. Among local suffragists, she was aided by attorney Florence Etheridge and teacher Elsie Hill , daughter of a congressman. Kent, the former committee chair, was instrumental in opening doors in Washington to Paul and Burns. From the NAWSA, Paul recruited Emma Gillett and Helen Hamilton Gardener to be treasurer and publicity chair, respectively. Belva Lockwood , who had run for president in 1884, also attended

8804-476: The matter, though he told a Colorado delegation in 1911 that he was pondering the subject. Though he assured the women he would consider it, he did not act on the issue; eventually, he flatly remarked there was no room for suffrage on his agenda. The deputation wished Wilson to press his party to support suffrage legislation. He asserted that he had no influence over his party's actions in Congress. Still, for issues he considered important, he did use his leverage in

8928-527: The migration campaign". To supplement these first-person accounts, Abbott often published small features on successful blacks in Chicago. The African American mentalist Princess Mysteria had from 1920 to her death in 1930 a weekly column on the Defender , called "Advice to the Wise and Otherwise." In 1923, Abbott and editor Lucius Harper created the Bud Billiken Club for black children through

9052-561: The most and largest gender-segregated suffrage clubs in the nation." The exclusion of black women motivated Wells and Squire to create the Alpha Suffrage Club in 2nd Ward, which had the highest percentage of African Americans in the city. It held at least one meeting at Bridewell Penitentiary in an attempt to interest prisoners in suffrage and give Club women experience in activism. The club had nearly 200 members in 1916, including well-known female suffrage activists Mary E. Jackson , Viola Hill , Vera Wesley Green, and Sadie L. Adams . Jane Addams

9176-500: The movement supporting women's suffrage for all women and the other side only supporting white women suffrage. Women like Ida B. Wells felt that not granting all people the right to vote would hurt the overall cause and therefore the Alpha Suffrage Club supported all people's suffrage. This group distinction caused much conflict for ultimately no reason. The 19th Amendment was ratified in 1920 and granted suffrage to all women no matter their race, economic standing, or class. So although there

9300-580: The nation. It published as a daily until 2003, when new owners returned the Defender to a weekly publication schedule. The Defender was one of only three African American dailies in the United States; the other two are the Atlanta Daily World , the first black newspaper founded as a daily in 1928, and the New York Daily Challenge , founded in 1971. In 1965, Sengstacke created a chain of newspapers, which also included

9424-499: The nineteenth century by women such as Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton , had its genesis in the abolitionist movement, but by the dawn of the twentieth century, Anthony's goal of universal suffrage was eclipsed by a near-universal racism in the United States . While earlier suffragists had believed the two issues could be linked, the passage of the Fourteenth Amendment and Fifteenth Amendment created

9548-429: The number of participants in the procession varied from 5,000 to 10,000. The first section had marchers and floats from countries where women already had the vote: Norway, Finland, Australia, and New Zealand. The second section had floats depicting historic scenes from the suffrage movement in 1840, 1870, and 1890. Then came a float representing the state of the campaign in 1913 in a positive tableau of women inspiring

9672-428: The opposition, Wells still joined the white women marching and fighting for suffrage that day. About a year later Wells founded a suffrage club that supported all women in the pursuit of the right to vote. Her organization advocated suffrage for all women, no matter their race or class, which was something that other popular woman suffrage groups did not push for at that time. The movement became divided, with one part of

9796-460: The organization insisted that the official stance was to "permit negroes to march if they cared to". In a 1974 oral history interview, Paul recalled the "hurdle" of Terrell's plan to march, which upset the Southern delegations. She said the situation was resolved when a Quaker leading the men's section proposed that men march between the Southern and Howard University groups. While in Paul's memory,

9920-419: The other dozens of black women from Illinois marched with the Illinois delegation. The rest of the Alpha Suffrage Club marched at the back with the other black delegates, which included Delta Sigma Theta sisters and Mary Church Terrell . The club paid for all of Wells' expenses to make it possible for her to march. The Alpha Suffrage Club had many beliefs and ideals that other suffrage groups lacked. The group

10044-416: The paper dealt with racial segregation in the United States , especially in the U.S. military , during World War II. Copies of the paper were passed along in communities, and it is estimated that at its most successful, each copy was read by four to five people. In 1919–1922, the Defender attracted the writing talents of Langston Hughes ; from the 1940s through 1960s, Hughes wrote an opinion column for

10168-410: The paper. Washington, D.C., and international correspondent Ethel Payne , poet Gwendolyn Brooks , author Willard Motley , music critic Dave Peyton , journalists Ida B. Wells , L. Alex Wilson and Louis Lomax wrote for the paper at different times. During the height of the civil rights movement era, it was published as The Chicago Daily Defender , a daily newspaper, beginning in 1956. It became

10292-416: The parade along with 65 club members, black women from Illinois. The constraints placed on their participation in the event illustrate the discrimination black women faced in the suffrage movement at that time. The National American Woman Suffrage Association , which organized the event, feared offending southern white suffragists by allowing black and white women to march together. To avoid this possibility,

10416-593: The parade in December 1912, it appointed Dora Lewis , Mary Ritter Beard , and Crystal Eastman to the committee, though they all worked outside of Washington. All money Paul collected had to be directed through the NAWSA, though she did not always comply. Paul arrived in Washington, D.C., in December 1912 to begin organizing the event. By the time the Congressional Committee had its first meeting in its new Washington headquarters on January 2, 1913, more than 130 women had shown up to start work. Using

10540-555: The parade's timing was tied to the inauguration, so was the route Paul preferred to have the maximum impact on public perception. She requested a permit to march down Pennsylvania Avenue from the Peace Monument to the Treasury Building, then on to the White House before ending at Continental Hall. District superintendent of police, Major Richard H. Sylvester , offered a permit for Sixteenth Street , which would have taken

10664-442: The parade, Congress passed a resolution directing district police to halt all traffic from the Peace Monument to 17th Street from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. on the day of the parade and prevent any interference with the procession. Paul recruited a woman with political connections to intervene. Elizabeth Selden Rogers contacted her brother-in-law, Secretary Stimson, to request cavalry to provide additional security. He first claimed that using

10788-476: The passage of the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution, which would assure voting rights for all American women. On April 20, 2016, Treasury Secretary Jack Lew announced plans for the back of the new $ 10 note to feature an image of the 1913 Woman Suffrage Procession that passed the steps of the Treasury Department where the allegorical tableaux took place. It is also planned to honor many of

10912-444: The political system. Legislatures dominated by conservative white Democrats established racial segregation and Jim Crow . Abbott openly blamed the lynching violence on the white mobs who were typically involved, forcing readers to accept that these crimes were "systematic and unremitting". The newspaper's intense focus on these injustices implicitly laid the groundwork upon which Abbott would build his explicit critiques of society. At

11036-499: The prevalence of segregation throughout the country and within organizations such as the NAWSA, Black people had formed activist groups to fight for their equal rights. Many were college educated and resented their exclusion from political power. The fiftieth anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863 also fell in 1913, giving them even further incentive to march in

11160-402: The primaries and 1915 general election for alderman in 2nd Ward. The Club developed a block system to canvas the ward to register African American Women to vote. ASC's efforts in 1914 registered 7,290 women in a ward with 16,237 registered men. In an early primary election the Club supported the independent black candidate William R. Cowen, who was not endorsed by the city Republican Party. Despite

11284-494: The procession attracted enormous interest throughout the eastern U.S. As the parade participants gathered near the Peace Monument around noon, the police began roping off part of the parade route. Even before the parade began, the ropes were badly stretched and coming loose in places. The procession drew such a crowd that President-elect Wilson was mystified about why there were no people to be seen when he arrived in town that day. Jane Walker Burleson on horseback, accompanying

11408-504: The procession through a residential area, past several embassies. He later claimed he had thought the suffragists wished to hold the parade at night, and the police could not have provided sufficient security if they marched from the Capitol. Sylvester pointed out the rough character of lower Pennsylvania Avenue and the type of people likely to attend the inauguration. Paul was not satisfied with his alternative route. She took her request to

11532-427: The public. Paul believed it was time to add a strong visual element to the campaign, even grander than she had planned for the NAWSA 1912 conference. While her tactics were nonviolent, Paul exploited elements of danger in her events. Her plan for using visual rhetoric was intended to have lasting impact. She felt it was time for women to stop begging for suffrage and demand it with political coercion instead. Though

11656-453: The races and promoted a northern migration. Abbott published articles that were exposés of southern crimes against blacks. The Defender consistently published articles describing lynchings in the South , with vivid descriptions of gore and the victims' deaths. Lynchings were at a peak at the turn of the century, in the period when southern state legislatures passed new constitutions and laws to disenfranchise most blacks and exclude them from

11780-469: The remaining states in black. This theme was also graphically depicted using women dressed similarly. They carried a banner suggesting that vote-less women were enslaved to men with the vote, quoting Abraham Lincoln : "No Country Can Exist Half Slave and Half Free". Another Lincoln quote was featured at the top of the official program: "I go for all sharing the privilege of the government who assist in bearing its burdens, by no means excluding women." Women from

11904-435: The right to vote wanted them to stop focusing on suffrage and concentrate their efforts on issues surrounding race, while white suffragettes wanted the opposite. Neither group considered that black women's lives were affected by both their sex and their race. In the early years of the women's suffrage movement, abolition was something that brought many people together. Abolition and women's rights supporters worked together from

12028-499: The ropes. Before the cavalry arrived, other people began helping with crowd control. At times the marchers had been forced to go single file to move forward. Boy Scouts with batons helped push back spectators. A group of soldiers linked arms to hold people back. Some of the Black people who drove the floats also stepped in to help. The Massachusetts and the Pennsylvania national guards stepped in, too. Eventually, boys from

12152-555: The same time, the NAACP was publicizing the toll of lynching at its offices in New York City. The art in the Defender , particularly its political cartoons by Jay Jackson and others, explicitly addressed race issues and advocated northern migration of blacks. After the movement of southern blacks northward became a quantifiable phenomenon, the Defender took a particular interest in sensationalizing migratory stories, often on

12276-505: The segregation by race. The women offered to march with their friend at the back of the parade. In defiance, she joined the spectators until the Chicago delegation marched by and then joined them in the procession. A picture of this occurrence was in the Chicago Daily Tribune . A reporter happened to be standing at the spot when Wells-Barnett stepped out of the crowd and into the procession. However, only Wells-Barnett and not

12400-439: The selection of the parade's herald, Inez Milholland , a labor lawyer from New York City who had been dubbed "the most beautiful suffragette". Milholland had served in the same role in a suffrage march in the city the previous year. Media reported that the suffrage parade outshone even the inauguration. Special suffrage trains were hired to bring spectators from other cities, adding to the crowds in Washington. The novelty of

12524-582: The situation made woman's suffrage one of the most-discussed subjects in America. Paul also orchestrated a meeting, primarily of political men who were suffrage supporters, at the Columbia Theater . The purpose was to pressure Congress to hold hearings about police misconduct. Key participants included activist attorney Louis Brandeis (who became a Supreme Court justice in 1916) and Minnesota senator Moses Edwin Clapp . She kept her role in organizing

12648-642: The soldiers for that purpose was prohibited, but later agreed to place troops on standby in case of emergency. Paul strategically emphasized beauty, femininity, and traditional female roles in the procession. Her chosen theme for the procession was "Ideals and Virtues of American Womanhood". These characteristics were perceived by anti-suffragists as being most threatened by giving women the vote. She wanted to show that women could be all those things and still be intelligent and competent to vote and fill any other role in society. Attractiveness and professional talent were not mutually exclusive. These ideals were embodied in

12772-475: The state-by-state strategy and rejected the idea of holding a campaign that would hold the Democratic Party responsible. Paul and Burns appealed to prominent reformer Jane Addams , who interceded on their behalf, resulting in Paul being appointed chair of the Congressional Committee. Until this time, the women's suffrage movement had relied on oratory and written arguments to keep the issue before

12896-402: The states, and some of their wives could be counted on to represent those states. Likewise, the embassies could provide marchers from distant countries. To maximize the use of funds for publicity and building a national network, the Congressional Committee made it clear that participating organizations and delegations would need to fund their own travel, lodging, and other expenses. Just as

13020-460: The suffrage amendment. Paul inaugurated her leadership in the American suffrage movement with the 1913 procession. This event revived the push for a federal woman's suffrage amendment, a cause that the NAWSA had allowed to languish. Little more than a month after the parade, the Susan B. Anthony amendment was re-introduced in both houses of Congress. For the first time in decades, it was debated on

13144-472: The suffrage parade. Nellie Quander of Alpha Kappa Alpha sorority asked for a place in the college women's section for the women of Howard. In a letter dated February 17, 1913 to Alice Paul, Quander discusses the desire for the women of Howard to be given a desirable place in the march and requests Paul to identify a suitable speaker to replace Jane Addams, who was scheduled to address the sorority in March but

13268-430: The suffrage procession. The resulting publicity also brought in additional donations that helped Paul cover the event's cost of $ 13,750. Paul's publicity campaign stressed that the marchers had demonstrated bravery and nonviolent resistance to the hostile crowd. Several suffragists pointed out in the media that a government that couldn't protect its female citizens could not properly represent them. Paul's deft handling of

13392-437: The suffrage states displayed their colorful organization banners on chariots that preceded each group. One prominent group featured in the procession was the pilgrims led by "General" Rosalie Jones. The brown-caped hikers covered more than 200 mi (320 km) from New York City to Washington in sixteen days. Their journey received considerable press coverage, and a large crowd assembled to greet them upon their arrival in

13516-410: The suffragists had staged marches in many cities, this would be a first for Washington, D.C. It would also be the first large political demonstration in the nation's capital. The only previous similar demonstration was made by a group of five hundred men known as Coxey's Army , who had protested about unemployment in 1894. At the time Paul and Burns were assigned to lead the Congressional Committee of

13640-438: The two would put to work back in America. They already had first-hand experience with imprisonment as a backlash against suffrage activism. They had gone on hunger strikes and suffered force-feeding . They were not afraid to be provocative, even knowing the potential consequences. The procession would be their first foray into moving into militant mode on a national stage. Paul and Burns found that many suffragists supported

13764-421: The verbal abuse the marchers had endured. She blamed the police for colluding with violent opposition to the nonviolent demonstration. She asked participants to write affidavits about negative reactions they'd experienced, which Paul used to request Congressional action against Chief Sylvester. She also used these statements to generate press releases in Washington and nationwide, garnering additional publicity for

13888-417: The vote because the men and churches of their communities had not supported it. Once they did receive the right to vote, "nobody had attempted to instruct them in voting". The Alpha Suffrage Club attempted to amend this through means like canvassing neighborhoods and registering black women to vote. African American women as a whole were stretched between civil rights movements: black men who had already gained

14012-416: The year. Paul and Burns persuaded NAWSA to endorse an immense suffrage parade in Washington, D.C., to coincide with newly elected President Woodrow Wilson 's inauguration the following March. The NAWSA leadership turned over the entire operation to the committee. They organized volunteers, planned, and raised funds in preparation for the parade with little help from the NAWSA. Once the board approved

14136-412: Was a change in the group dynamics. Instead of this one organization, in 1868 there were two groups that had differing opinions about black men being given the right to vote. Black women were members of both groups for a time and then racism became a tool that many suffrage groups channeled. As time went on, the main goal of the movement became the right to vote and in order to gain broad support throughout

14260-410: Was a rally at the Memorial Continental Hall with prominent speakers, including Anna Howard Shaw and Helen Keller . Before the event, Black participation in the march threatened to cause a rift with delegations from Southern states . Some Black people did march with state delegations. A group from Howard University participated in the parade. Some sources allege that Black women were segregated at

14384-502: Was a regular speaker at the club. As a result of the IESA, Illinois women were allowed to vote for presidential electors, mayor, aldermen and most other local offices. They were not, however, allowed to vote for members of Congress, Governor or State representatives, as universal suffrage for these offices required amending the state constitution. The Alpha Suffrage Club played an active and important role in Chicago politics, particularly in

14508-616: Was exonerated, but public opinion toward him was unfavorable. When he was finally forced to resign in 1915 due to an unrelated incident, the mishandling of the 1913 parade was seen as instrumental in his ouster. Alice Paul and the Congressional Union asked President Wilson to push Congress for a federal amendment, beginning with a deputation to the White House shortly after the parade and in several additional visits. He responded initially by saying he had never considered

14632-592: Was founded on the basic principle that all women, no matter their race, should receive the right to vote along with the men. There were other groups advocating for women's right to vote, but there was a lack of support for colored women suffrage. They were of the opinion that to fully enjoy suffrage equally, it was important to be involved in political happenings. Their Chicago-based group played an active role in legislation on voting, equality, and other civil rights matters. They supported philanthropy efforts in their community in order to strengthen colored people's standing in

14756-713: Was preparing to travel to Egypt. These letters were follow up discussions to the one began by Paul and initiated by Elise Hill when Hill went down to Howard University at the request of Paul to recruit the Howard women. The Howard University group included "Artist, one—Mrs. May Howard Jackson; college women, six—Mrs. Mary Church  Terrell, Mrs. Daniel Murray, Miss Georgia Simpson, Miss Charlotte Steward, Miss Harriet Shadd, Miss Bertha McNiel; teacher,  one—Miss Caddie Park; musician, one—  Mrs. Harriett G. Marshall; professional  women, two— Dr. Amanda V. Gray, Dr. Eva  Ross. Illinois delegation— Mrs. Ida Wells-Barnett ; Michigan—Mrs. McCoy, of Detroit,  who carried

14880-464: Was racism in the early fight for women's vote, the law produced was not discriminatory. The Woman Suffrage Procession took place in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 1913, the day before the inauguration of Woodrow Wilson. Its intent was to demonstrate support of universal suffrage for women. One of Wells' first actions as the President of the Alpha Suffrage Club was to travel to Washington and march in

15004-401: Was signed into law on June 26, 1913, making Illinois the first state in decades to grant suffrage. Carrie Chapman Catt wrote that "suffrage sentiment doubled over night". Combined with the successful Suffrage Parade of 1913 and ongoing Silent Sentinels protest, Illinois' bold step for suffrage reinvigorated the national push for a suffrage amendment. A motorcar parade in Chicago celebrated

15128-643: Was the first black newspaper to incorporate a full entertainment section. Chicago was portrayed as a lively city where blacks commonly went to the theaters, ate out at fancy restaurants, attended sports events, including "cheering for the American Black Giants , black America's favorite baseball team", and could dance all night in the hottest night clubs. The Defender featured letters and poetry submitted by successful recent migrants; these writings "served as representative anecdotes, supplying readers with prototype examples   ... that characterized

15252-485: Was the national board of the NAWSA, headed by Shaw. To add to the visual impact, Paul dictated a color scheme for each group of marchers. The rainbow of colors represented women coming into the light of the future out of the darkness of the past. To add drama between groups of marching women, "Paul recruited 26 floats, 6 golden chariots, 10 bands, 45 captains, 200 marshals, 120 pages, 6 mounted heralds, and 6 mounted brigades", according to Adams and Keene. Estimates about

15376-521: Was to dramatize in numbers and beauty the fact that women wanted to vote - that women were asking the Administration in power in the national government to speed the day." The timing of the date for the procession, March 3, was important because incoming president Woodrow Wilson, whose inauguration was to take place the following day, would be put on notice that this would be a key issue during his term. Paul wanted to put pressure on him to support

#259740