75 years of women's suffrage celebrated

Katherine Caldwell remembers being very excited about the work of her mother when she was nine. She remembers how her mother, a dedicated suffragist, fought hard to get voting rights for women.

Her mother's efforts aided in the passing of the 19th Amendment, which was written into the Constitution just 75 years ago on Saturday. Celebrations, meetings, and lectures took place around the Bay Area and the country commemorating the anniversary of the day certain women in America won the right to vote. People of color did not get the right to vote until 1965.

In 1920, when Caldwell was only 14, she made a trip with her mother, Sara Bard Field, to the nation's capital to deliver a voting petition to President Woodrow Wilson.

"I was very proud of my mother and she was wonderfully devoted to what she believed in," says Caldwell.

Now, at the age of 89, Caldwell has lived to see her mother's vision come true. She says she has been voting since she was eligible, and she hasn't missed one election.

After a struggle of more than 40 years to get women the right to vote, California received the right in 1911. Voting rights for women in all states didn't occur until August 26, 1920.

One major event that took place this past weekend was the re-enactment of Sara Bard Field's 5,000 mile journey to Washington, D.C., by car in 1915. There were hardly any roads, gas stations or motels, and the car had just been invented.

In September of that year, at the age of 33, Field made her trip with two other women bearing a petition from the Panama-Pacific Exhibition. As she traveled across the country for three months, she gathered more signatures.

"This particular movement was crucial in getting the amendment passed. A small group of women decided they had to take drastic action," said Jeanne McDonnell, the executive director of the Women's Heritage Museum in San Francisco.

McDonnell said the trip was made because states east of the Mississippi didn't have voting rights for women and that was something Field wanted. At this time there were many suffrage groups in California. One student group, the College Equal Suffrage League, led by Anita Whitney, was very active in the movement.

"This group was the leading force in getting voting rights passed in California, said McDonnell.

They would take cars and go into the community and make suffrage speeches and write plays about it.

Inderpal Grewal, professor of women studies, said the suffrage movement raised questions about women's status as citizens and left space open to talk more about other women's issues. The struggle brought women together, but has also created new struggles," Grewal said "Politicians had to seek to answer women's needs."

McDonnell said some men were very supportive of the movement and others were not. She also said some women suffragist didn't like how Field handled the situation.

"Although a female role in reform was widely accepted, a number of the antisuffragists argued that a woman didn't have to vote to achieve better conditions," reads an excerpt from When and Where I Enter by Paula Giddings, a book about the impact of black women on race and sex in America.

The book also states that a number of women were told they should be at home taking care of babies, while others were told they were trying to take the place of men and "wear their trousers."

"Men thought it was their right to put whomever they wanted into government, and women were supposed to remain silent in their homes with closed mouths, eyes and ears," said SF State senior Cynthia Fullwood.

The Women's History Library in Berkeley sponsored a two-day event in celebration of women's voting rights. People were also on hand to register voters.

Laura X is the founder and director of this 27-year-old program. She changed her last name in 1969 to show that women's history is anonymous and that women's history was stolen from them. She also said her name change was done to protest the legal slavery of women, which permits legal rape.

When dealing with the issue of voting, X has very strong views.

"Because of women's voting power, they can persuade male legislators to do the right thing. They are also powerful voters, to elect women into local, state and legislative bodies," X said.

Another force in the women's movement was the National American Women's Suffrage Association, which started in 1869. This group was led by Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton.

Ann Forfreedom, a member of the National Organization for Woman, is known for the stories she tells about Susan B. Anthony.

"Before the passage of the 19th Amendment, any rights women had in the country depended on the whims and viewpoints of various state legislators or men in power," Forfreedom said.

She said it has been beneficial by guaranteeing women the right to be citizens, the right to vote, hold office and be representatives for other people.

She adds persistently that the women who fought for suffrage are the same women who fought for women to be admitted into college.

Grewal says women need to fight more and stand up for their beliefs because "no work is ever completed."

As for Caldwell, she was present at the anniversary reenactment celebration of her mother's revolutionary work, which took place at the Marina Green in San Francisco.

[ back to Golden Gater Online August 31, 1995 ]

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