Sister Suffragets

This past Tuesdays, voters went to their polling place to place their votes in the midterm elections but 97 years ago, a large portion of the population could not vote. However, in New York state, there was an increase in voters: women were allowed to vote in state elections.

Photo: nytimes.com


On November 6, 1917, women in New York gained the right to vote. As historical consultant Louise Bernikow stated: "When New York women won the right to vote in 1917, they changed the national political landscape. The victory was a critical tipping point on the road to a constitutional amendment." Under the leadership of Carrie Lane Chapman Catt, women in New York undertook an ambitious task in 1917: a house-to-house canvass to campaign for women's votes. Their actions resulted in a petition signed by 1 million women stating that they wanted the right to vote. 

Photo: sites.newpaltz.edu
On the night before election day, Catt was quoted as saying "Vote for women suffrage, because it is a part of the struggle toward democracy." Unlike earlier suffragettes Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, Catt did not put the cause of women suffrage aside because of the war. Instead, she linked what the men were fighting for with what the women were fighting for at home. 

 Photo: nps.gov

November 6, 1917, New York became one of the first states to allow women to vote. This continued a trend in New York history: women had been fighting for women's rights in the state since 1837, when a delegation against female slavery met in New York City. New York is also known for the Seneca Falls meeting in 1848, which was a meeting for women's rights. Three years after New York women gained the right to vote, women across the country were given the right to vote by the 19th Amendment in 1920. 

Photo: archives.gov