The League of Women Voters of the Ann Arbor Area presents this interesting exchange between Jeanine DeLay, Zoe Behnke and Wayne State University Women's Studies Professor Beverly Fish about the early woman's suffrage movement in Michigan, and finishes with a discussion about historians' differing views on the effect of American entry into World War I on the ultimate passage and ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. A detailed description for each part follows below:

Part I: How did Professor Fish get interested in woman's suffrage? Who was Sojourner Truth and what was her connection to Michigan and to the suffrage cause? What was the role of Beverly's relative, Mrs. Stebbins, at Seneca Falls, New York? Why is Seneca Falls regarded as the birthplace of the woman's suffrage movement in suffrage lore?

Part II: Between 1900-1910, did the Michigan suffrage movement reflect what was happening in the movement in the rest of the country? How did the more militant tactics of the British suffrage movement affect tactics and strategies of suffragists in the U.S. and in Michigan? Further, what were the major activities of the Michigan movement from 1913-1918?

Part III: What arguments did the anti-suffrage groups use? Were women active members in the anti-suffrage movement? How did the suffrage movement counter anti-suffrage arguments?

Part IV: How did Prohibition ultimately affect the passage of suffrage in Michigan? And overall, in Professor Fish's opinion, who were the most important individuals in the Michigan suffrage movement? And based on Professor Fish's research interests, did World War I help or harm the goals of the suffrage movement?

Part V: How quickly did Michigan ratify the Nineteenth Amendment? How is the woman's suffrage movement chronicled in other statewide museums? For example, what suffragist leaders have been inducted in the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame? Are there any suffragists from Washtenaw County in the Hall? And finally, what is the Michigan Women's Hall of Fame and how does it give the women of Michigan a place of honor in our state's history?

plus-circle Add Review

comment

Reviews