The territory of Alaska granted full suffrage to some women in 1913; native women were not included. The Alaska Native Brotherhood and Sisterhood continued to fight and were able to get suffrage rights for native people in 1915 but only for those who were willing to assimilate and give up all tribal traditions and customs. (It wasn’t until 1962 that Native Americans had voting rights in all states.) Because Alaska was still a territory in 1920, it was not eligible to ratify the 19th Amendment. Alaska passed America’s first anti-discrimination law in 1945 thanks to Native-American activist Elizabeth Peratrovich (WCW 66). It became a full state in 1959.
Montana passed suffrage in 1914 thanks to many smaller groups and individuals all doing their part. 30,000 copies of “Women Teachers of Montana Should Have the Vote” leaflets were created and distributed by the Missoula Teachers’ Suffrage Committee. Much to the dismay of her mother, Belle Fligelman of Helena, MT spoke in public outside saloons and in street corners. Local chapters of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union (Episode 31) ran a door-to-door campaign. Maggie Smith Hathaway traveled over 5,700 miles promoting the suffrage cause. In the 1916 elections, Montana voted Maggie Smith Hathaway and Emma Ingalls to the state legislature, May Trumper as Superintendent of Public Instruction and Jeannette Rankin to Congress (Episode 69).
Anne Martin was a prominent suffrage leader in Nevada. She had been living abroad for several years and had been taking part in the suffrage movement in Britain. Upon returning to her home state, in 1912, she became president of the newly formed Nevada Equal Franchise Society (EFS). The EFS organized a statewide campaign. In 1914 several pro-suffrage and anti-suffrage groups were formed. The Nevada Men’s Suffrage League was created in response to the anti-suffrage Men’s Business League. The Nevada Non-Militant Equal Suffrage Society was founded and competed with the EFS but both battled the Nevada Association of Women Opposed to Equal Suffrage run by Emma Adams.Nevada passed full suffrage in November of 1914.
By the end of 1914, 11 states had granted full suffrage, 1 territory had full suffrage, 1 state had presidential suffrage. They are as follows: Wyoming 1869, Colorado 1893, Utah 1893, Idaho 1896, Washington 1910, California 1911, Oregon 1912, Arizona 1912, Kansas 1912, Territory of Alaska 1913, presidential suffrage in Illinois 1913, Montana 1914, and Nevada 1914.
This week’s song pick:
“Sisters” by A Tribe Called Red featuring Northern Voice https://youtu.be/QbrvwaVXJ48
#SuffragetteCity100 #SufferingForSuffrage
Sources:
Nevada suffrage timeline