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{{Short description|American activist organization}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=February 2024}} {{Use American English|date=February 2024}}
{{Infobox organization
{{Infobox organization
| name = Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage
| former name = National American Woman Suffrage Association Congressional Committee
| former name = National American Woman Suffrage Association Congressional Committee
| image = Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage logo.jpg
| image = Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage pin, c. 1914-1917.jpg
| image_border =
| image_border =
| size =
| size =
| alt =
| alt =
| caption =
| caption = Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage pin, {{circa|1914}}–1917
| map =
| map =
| msize =
| msize =
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| successor =
| successor =
| formation = April 1913
| formation = April 1913
| extinction = 1916
| dissolved = 1916
| type = [[Non-governmental organization|NGO]]
| type = [[Non-governmental organization|NGO]]
| status =
| status =
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| remarks =
| remarks =
}}
}}
[[File:Members of the Congressional Union 160076v.jpg|thumb|250px|members of the CUWS holding brushes in front of a large billboard, 1914.]]
[[File:Members of the Congressional Union 160076v.jpg|thumb|250px|Members of the CUWS holding brushes in front of a large billboard, 1914]]
[[File:Meeting at Coffee House, New York. 160014v.jpg|thumb|250px|Meeting at Coffee House, New York, 1915.]]
[[File:Meeting at Coffee House, New York. 160014v.jpg|thumb|250px|Meeting at Coffee House, New York, 1915]]
The '''Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage''' was an [[United States|American]] organization formed in 1913 led by [[Alice Paul]] and [[Lucy Burns]]<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Frost-Knappman | first1 = Elizabeth | last2 = Cullen-DuPont | first2 = Kathryn | title = Women's Suffrage in America | publisher = Infobase Publishing | year = 2005 | pages = 301 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=n1R4lAb8gBMC&pg=PA419| accessdate = February 21, 2011 | isbn = 978-0-8160-5693-4}}</ref> to campaign for a [[United States Constitution|constitutional]] amendment guaranteeing [[women's suffrage]]. It was inspired by the [[United Kingdom]]'s [[suffragette]] movement, which Paul and Burns had taken part in. Their continuous campaigning drew attention from congressmen, and in 1914 they were successful in forcing the amendment onto the floor for the first time in decades.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title = A History of the American Suffragist Movement|last = Weatherford|first = Doris|publisher = The Moschovitis Group|year = 1998|isbn = 1576070654|location = Santa Barbara|pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000weat/page/197 197–205]|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000weat/page/197}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title = How the Vote Was Won: Woman Suffrage in the Western United States, 1868–1914|last = Mead|first = Rebecca|publisher = New York University Press|year = 2004|isbn = 0814757227|location = New York|pages = 164–165}}</ref>
The '''Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage''' was an American organization formed in 1913 led by [[Alice Paul]] and [[Lucy Burns]]<ref>{{cite book | last1 = Frost-Knappman | first1 = Elizabeth | last2 = Cullen-DuPont | first2 = Kathryn | title = Women's Suffrage in America | publisher = Infobase Publishing | year = 2005 | pages = 301 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=n1R4lAb8gBMC&pg=PA419| access-date = February 21, 2011 | isbn = 978-0-8160-5693-4}}</ref> to campaign for a [[United States Constitution|constitutional]] amendment guaranteeing [[women's suffrage]]. It was inspired by the [[United Kingdom]]'s [[suffragette]] movement, which Paul and Burns had taken part in. Their continuous campaigning drew attention from congressmen, and in 1914 they were successful in forcing the amendment onto the floor for the first time in decades.<ref name=":0">{{Cite book|title = A History of the American Suffragist Movement|last = Weatherford|first = Doris|publisher = The Moschovitis Group|year = 1998|isbn = 1576070654|location = Santa Barbara|pages = [https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000weat/page/197 197–205]|url-access = registration|url = https://archive.org/details/historyofamerica0000weat/page/197}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book|title = How the Vote Was Won: Woman Suffrage in the Western United States, 1868–1914|last = Mead|first = Rebecca|publisher = New York University Press|year = 2004|isbn = 0814757227|location = New York|pages = 164–165}}</ref>


==Early history==
==Early history==
Alice Paul created the Congressional Union after joining the [[National American Woman Suffrage Association]] (NAWSA) and gaining leadership of its Congressional Committee.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url = http://www.sewallbelmont.org/learn/national-womans-party/|title = National Woman's Party|date = |accessdate = April 7, 2015|website = Sewall-Belmont House & Museum|publisher = |last = |first = }}</ref>
Alice Paul created the Congressional Union (CU) after joining the [[National American Woman Suffrage Association]] (NAWSA) and gaining leadership of its Congressional Committee.<ref name=":2">{{Cite web|url = http://www.sewallbelmont.org/learn/national-womans-party/|title = National Woman's Party|access-date = April 7, 2015|website = Sewall-Belmont House & Museum}}</ref>
The CU was initiated to assist the NAWSA Congressional Committee and its officers were part of that committee.
The CU was initiated to assist the NAWSA Congressional Committee and its officers were part of that committee.
The CU shared the same goal with NAWSA, to gain an amendment to the United States Constitution giving all women the right to vote.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title = The Concise History of Woman Suffrage: Selections From History of Woman Suffrage|last = Buhle|first = Paul|publisher = University of Illinois Press|year = 1978|isbn = 0252006690|location = Urbana|pages = 424–429|last2 = Buhle|first2 = Mari Jo}}</ref> In the beginning, the CU worked within NAWSA to strengthen the declining Congressional Committee. In March 1913, after realizing the amount of work to be done, the CU became in charge of their own operations and funding but still remained affiliated with NAWSA. In the fall of 1913, [[Carrie Chapman Catt]] of NAWSA accused the CU of insubordination and financial irregularities, allegations which she later retracted.<ref name=":1" /> The strategies of the two organizations were conflicting and NAWSA's leadership felt threatened.<ref name=":1" /> In December 1913, the National American Woman Suffrage Association selected a new Congressional Committee and formally cut ties with the Congressional Union.<ref name=":3" />
The CU shared the same goal with NAWSA, to gain an amendment to the United States Constitution giving all women the right to vote.<ref name=":3">{{Cite book|title = The Concise History of Woman Suffrage: Selections From History of Woman Suffrage|last1 = Buhle|first1 = Paul|publisher = University of Illinois Press|year = 1978|isbn = 0252006690|location = Urbana|pages = 424–429|last2 = Buhle|first2 = Mari Jo}}</ref> In the beginning, the CU worked within NAWSA to strengthen the declining Congressional Committee. In March 1913, after realizing the amount of work to be done, the CU became in charge of their own operations and funding but still remained affiliated with NAWSA. In the fall of 1913, [[Carrie Chapman Catt]] of NAWSA accused the CU of insubordination and financial irregularities, allegations which she later retracted.<ref name=":1" /> The strategies of the two organizations were conflicting and NAWSA's leadership felt threatened.<ref name=":1" /> In December 1913, the National American Woman Suffrage Association selected a new Congressional Committee and formally cut ties with the Congressional Union.<ref name=":3" />


== Initiative ==
== Initiative ==
The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage appealed to young women with a new approach in the fight for women's suffrage, inspired by the British suffragettes.<ref name=":1" />
The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage appealed to young women with a new approach in the fight for women's suffrage, inspired by the British suffragettes.<ref name=":1" />
Alice Paul believed women should not have to beg for their rights.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Ideas of the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1890–1920|last = Kraditor|first = Eileen|publisher = Columbia University Press|year = 1965|isbn = 0393014495|location = New York|pages = [https://archive.org/details/ideasofwomansuff0000krad_g9i7/page/231 231–233]|url = https://archive.org/details/ideasofwomansuff0000krad_g9i7/page/231}}</ref> Paul introduced some of the militant methods used by the [[Women's Social and Political Union]] in Britain to the CU and its members.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url = http://spartacus-educational.com/USAWcuws.htm|title = Congressional Union for Women Suffrage|date = August 1, 2014|accessdate = March 31, 2015|website = Spartacus Educational|publisher = Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd.|last = Simpkin|first = John}}</ref> These included direct actions, organizing huge demonstrations, and the daily picketing of the White House.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> The CU had 4,500 members and had raised more than $50,000 in funds by 1914.<ref name=":4" /> Over time, the efforts of hundreds of members led to their arrest and sometimes imprisonment.<ref name=":3" />
Alice Paul believed women should not have to beg for their rights.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Ideas of the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1890–1920|last = Kraditor|first = Eileen|publisher = Columbia University Press|year = 1965|isbn = 0393014495|location = New York|pages = [https://archive.org/details/ideasofwomansuff0000krad_g9i7/page/231 231–233]|url = https://archive.org/details/ideasofwomansuff0000krad_g9i7/page/231}}</ref> Paul introduced some of the militant methods used by the [[Women's Social and Political Union]] in Britain to the CU and its members.<ref name=":4">{{Cite web|url = http://spartacus-educational.com/USAWcuws.htm|title = Congressional Union for Women Suffrage|date = August 1, 2014|access-date = March 31, 2015|website = Spartacus Educational|publisher = Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd.|last = Simpkin|first = John}}</ref> These included direct actions, organizing huge demonstrations, and the daily picketing of the White House.<ref name=":1" /><ref name=":4" /> The CU had 4,500 members and had raised more than $50,000 in funds by 1914.<ref name=":4" /> Over time, the efforts of hundreds of members led to their arrest and sometimes imprisonment.<ref name=":3" />


== Organization ==
== Organization ==
The Congressional Union's headquarters were located on F Street in Washington, D.C. near the [[Willard Hotel]] in a highly visible office which they paid for themselves.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> They started women's "suffrage schools" to spread awareness about their cause and held multiple meetings each day.<ref name=":0" /> The CU was never organized by states or districts, but there were different branches of the organization in a number of states. The Washington headquarters was central to their work but they were also a mobile organization.<ref name=":3" /> The CU published a newspaper called ''The Suffragist'', featuring articles by prominent members including Alice Paul, Lucy Burns and [[Inez Milholland]]. The newspaper employed [[Nina Allender]] as its main cartoonist, and also published cartoons by artists such as Cornelia Barns, Boardman Robinson and Marietta Andrews.<ref name=":4" />
The Congressional Union's headquarters were located on F Street in Washington, D.C., near the [[Willard Hotel]] in a highly visible office which they paid for themselves.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":3" /> They started women's "suffrage schools" to spread awareness about their cause and held multiple meetings each day.<ref name=":0" /> The CU was never organized by states or districts, but there were different branches of the organization in a number of states. The Washington headquarters was central to their work but they were also a mobile organization.<ref name=":3" /> The CU published a newspaper called ''[[The Suffragist]]'', featuring articles by prominent members including Alice Paul, Lucy Burns and [[Inez Milholland]]. The newspaper employed [[Nina Allender]] as its main cartoonist, and also published cartoons by artists such as Cornelia Barns, Boardman Robinson and Marietta Andrews.<ref name=":4" />


== Campaigning ==
== Campaigning ==
The Congressional Union actively campaigned for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing universal woman suffrage. Following the methods used by suffragettes in Britain, the CU fully blamed the majority party for failure to advance the Federal Suffrage Amendment.<ref name=":3" /> The majority party at the time was the Democratic Party, and Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]] was president. Members traveled west and campaigned against Democrats in hopes of impeding their reelection. They even campaigned against Democrats who approved women's suffrage, despite criticism from the National American Woman Suffrage Association. They traveled through the west by train while using a number of tactics to increase their visibility and their whistle-stop speeches attracted the attention of reporters. Their campaign resulted in the defeat of 20 democrats who supported suffrage, much to the dismay of NAWSA.<ref name=":0" />
The Congressional Union actively campaigned for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing universal woman suffrage. Following the methods used by suffragettes in Britain, the CU fully blamed the majority party for failure to advance the Federal Suffrage Amendment.<ref name=":3" /> The majority party at the time was the Democratic Party, and Democrat [[Woodrow Wilson]] was president. Members traveled west and campaigned against Democrats in hopes of impeding their reelection. They even campaigned against Democrats who approved women's suffrage, despite criticism from the National American Woman Suffrage Association. They traveled through the west by train while using a number of tactics to increase their visibility and their whistle-stop speeches attracted the attention of reporters. Their campaign resulted in the defeat of 20 Democrats who supported suffrage, much to the dismay of NAWSA.<ref name=":0" />


== National Woman's Party ==
== National Woman's Party ==
{{main|National Woman's Party}}
{{main|National Woman's Party}}
The Congressional Union created the [[National Woman's Party]] at a meeting in Chicago in 1916.<ref name=":0" /> The party included members of the Congressional Union, and Alice Paul was in charge.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> A Campaign Committee was formed within the party with Anne Martin serving as chairman.<ref name=":3" /> In 1917, the two organizations officially joined together to form the National Woman's Party (NWP) and elected Alice Paul as their chairman.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" />
The Congressional Union created the [[National Woman's Party]] at a meeting in Chicago in 1916.<ref name=":0" /> The party included members of the Congressional Union, and Alice Paul was in charge.<ref name=":0" /><ref name=":2" /> A Campaign Committee was formed within the party with Anne Martin serving as chairman.<ref name=":3" /> In 1917, the two organizations officially joined to form the National Woman's Party (NWP) and elected Alice Paul as their chairman.<ref name=":2" /><ref name=":3" /> After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the National Woman's Party launched a long campaign to secure the passage of the [[Equal Rights Amendment]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Historical Overview of the National Womans Party {{!}} Articles and Essays {{!}} Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party {{!}} Digital Collections {{!}} Library of Congress |url=https://www.loc.gov/collections/women-of-protest/articles-and-essays/historical-overview-of-the-national-womans-party/ |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref>

== Congressional Union for the Equal Rights Amendment ==
In 1981, a group of women including Mary Ann Beall and notable feminist [[Sonia Johnson]] formed an organization they called Congressional Union in New York City to continue to struggle for the ERA.<ref name=":5">{{Cite book |last=Johnson |first=Sonia |url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/15550086 |title=Going out of our minds : the metaphysics of liberation |date=1987 |publisher=Crossing Press |isbn=0-89594-239-9 |location=Freedom, Calif. |pages=18 |oclc=15550086}}</ref> The women were inspired by the suffragists as Johnson noted in her book, Going Out of Our Minds: The Metaphysics of Liberation, "...we called ourselves the Congressional Union, taking the name and philosophy from the women's suffrage group created in 1914 by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns..."<ref name=":5" /> At the end of June in 1982, the Congressional Union organized a "ritual of mourning" as well as a "celebration of rebirth" for the ERA at the [[National archives|National Archives]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=June 30, 1982 |title=ERA |url=https://www.newspapers.com/image/340727960/?terms=%22A%20Group%20of%20Women%22%20ERA&match=1 |access-date=2022-09-05 |website=Newspapers.com |language=en}}</ref>

This organization later splitered off and a group of women including Johnson formed a new feminist organization known as [[A Group of Women]]."<ref name=":5" />


== Notable members ==
== Notable members ==
{{columns-list|colwidth=30em|
{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
⚫
* [[Abby Scott Baker]]<ref name=":6" />
⚫
* [[Mary Hunter Austin]]
* [[Alice Paul]]<ref name=":6">{{Cite book |last=Stevens |first=Doris |title=Jailed for freedom: American women win the vote |last2=O'Hare |first2=Carol |date=1995 |publisher=NewSage Press |isbn=978-0-939165-25-4 |edition=Rev |location=Troutdale, OR}}</ref>
* [[Mary Ritter Beard|Mary Beard]]
* [[Belle Case La Follette]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Unsung hero: Belle Case La Follette fought for suffrage, civil rights and progressive reforms |url=http://www.wjiinc.org/1/post/2023/04/unsung-hero-belle-case-la-follette-fought-for-suffrage-civil-rights-and-progressive-reforms.html |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. |language=en}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Olympia Brown]]
⚫
* [[Caroline Spencer (suffragist)|Caroline E. Spencer]]<ref name=":6" />
⚫
* [[Lucy Burns]]
* [[Crystal Eastman]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Crystal Eastman - |url=https://awpc.cattcenter.iastate.edu/directory/crystal-eastman/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Archives of Women's Political Communication |language=en}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Dorothy Day]]<ref name=":4" />
* [[Dora Lewis]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turning Point Suffragist Memorial » Dora Lewis (Mrs. Lawrence Lewis) |url=https://suffragistmemorial.org/dora-lewis-mrs-lawrence-lewis/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |language=en-US}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Crystal Eastman]]<ref name=":0" />
* [[Doris Stevens]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Turning Point Suffragist Memorial » Doris Stevens (1888 [1892?] – 1963) |url=https://suffragistmemorial.org/doris-stevens-1888-1892-1963/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |language=en-US}}</ref>
*[[Caroline Katzenstein]]
⚫
* [[Dorothy Day]]<ref name=":6" />
* [[Helen Keller]]
* [[Helen Keller]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Miss Helen Kellar [Keller] of Massachusetts is one of the prominent members of the Advisory Council of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. Miss Kellar [Keller] is known to all Americans for her marvelous intellectual and educational accomplishments, in spite of the handicap imposed upon her |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/mnwp000098/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref>
* [[Belle Case La Follette]]
⚫
* [[Mabel Vernon]]<ref name=":6" />
* [[Dora Lewis]]
* [[Mary Ritter Beard|Mary Beard]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mrs. Mary Beard of New York is a member of the Executive Committee of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. Mrs. Beard is the wife of Professor Charles Beard of Columbia University and is joint author with him of his recent book on American Political History. |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/mnwp000085/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref>
* [[Maria Montessori]]
* [[Lawrence Lewis (1767–1839)|Lawrence Lewis]]<ref name=":6" />
* [[Alice Paul]]
* [[Lucy Gwynne Branham|Lucy G. Branham]]<ref name=":6" />
⚫
*[[Caroline Spencer (suffragist)|Caroline Spencer]]
* [[Lucy Burns]]<ref name=":6" />
* [[Doris Stevens]]
* [[Mary A. Nolan]]<ref name=":6" />
⚫
* [[Mabel Vernon]]
* [[Mary Hunter Austin]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Mrs. Mary Austin, of California, the noted writer, [is] a prominent member of the National Advisory Council of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. She is a graduate of Blackburn University where she received the degree of A.B. |url=https://www.loc.gov/item/mnwp000078/ |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA}}</ref>
*[[Evelyn Wotherspoon Wainwright]]<ref name="Suffragist">{{cite book |title=Suffragist |date=1920 |publisher=National Woman's Party |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nJszAQAAMAAJ&dq=Mrs.+E.+St.+Clair+Thompson&q=Mrs.+Richard+Wainwright#v=snippet&q=Mrs.%20Richard%20Wainwright&f=false |language=en}}</ref>
⚫
* [[Mary Ritter Beard]]
}}
* [[Maria Montessori]]<ref>{{Cite web |title=Congressional Union for Women Suffrage |url=https://spartacus-educational.com/USAWcuws.htm |access-date=2024-05-31 |website=Spartacus Educational}}</ref>
* [[Matilda Young]]<ref name=":6" />
* [[Nina Samorodin|Nina Samarodin]]<ref name=":6" />
⚫
* [[Olympia Brown]]<ref name=":6" />
* [[Ruza Wenclawska|Rose Winslow]]<ref name=":6" />
* [[Sue Shelton White|Sue Sheldon White]]<ref name=":6" />
{{div col end}}


==See also==
==See also==
Line 98: Line 111:


==External links==
==External links==
*{{Commons cat inline|Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage}}
*{{Commons category-inline|Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage}}
*''[https://archive.org/search.php?query=suffragist&page=1 The Suffragist]'' at Internet Archive
*[https://archives.lib.umd.edu/repositories/2/resources/1734 Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage newsletter collection] - [[University of Maryland Libraries]]


{{Alice Paul}}
{{Alice Paul}}
⚫
{{Lucy Burns}}
{{Suffrage}}
{{Suffrage}}
{{Authority control}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:Women's suffrage advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Women's suffrage advocacy groups in the United States]]
[[Category:Feminist political parties in the United States]]
[[Category:Feminist political parties in the United States]]
Line 108: Line 125:
[[Category:Alice Paul]]
[[Category:Alice Paul]]
[[Category:National Woman's Party]]
[[Category:National Woman's Party]]
[[Category:Militant feminism]]
[[Category:Equal Rights Amendment organizations]]

Latest revision as of 00:21, 24 September 2024

Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage
AbbreviationCU or CUWS
FormationApril 1913
Dissolved1916
TypeNGO
Purpose"To secure an amendment to the United States Constitution enfranchising women" and to pass the ERA
HeadquartersWashington, DC
Key people
Alice Paul, Lucy Burns
Formerly called
National American Woman Suffrage Association Congressional Committee
Members of the CUWS holding brushes in front of a large billboard, 1914
Meeting at Coffee House, New York, 1915

The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage was an American organization formed in 1913 led by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns[1] to campaign for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage. It was inspired by the United Kingdom's suffragette movement, which Paul and Burns had taken part in. Their continuous campaigning drew attention from congressmen, and in 1914 they were successful in forcing the amendment onto the floor for the first time in decades.[2][3]

Early history

[edit]

Alice Paul created the Congressional Union (CU) after joining the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and gaining leadership of its Congressional Committee.[4] The CU was initiated to assist the NAWSA Congressional Committee and its officers were part of that committee. The CU shared the same goal with NAWSA, to gain an amendment to the United States Constitution giving all women the right to vote.[5] In the beginning, the CU worked within NAWSA to strengthen the declining Congressional Committee. In March 1913, after realizing the amount of work to be done, the CU became in charge of their own operations and funding but still remained affiliated with NAWSA. In the fall of 1913, Carrie Chapman Catt of NAWSA accused the CU of insubordination and financial irregularities, allegations which she later retracted.[3] The strategies of the two organizations were conflicting and NAWSA's leadership felt threatened.[3] In December 1913, the National American Woman Suffrage Association selected a new Congressional Committee and formally cut ties with the Congressional Union.[5]

Initiative

[edit]

The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage appealed to young women with a new approach in the fight for women's suffrage, inspired by the British suffragettes.[3] Alice Paul believed women should not have to beg for their rights.[6] Paul introduced some of the militant methods used by the Women's Social and Political Union in Britain to the CU and its members.[7] These included direct actions, organizing huge demonstrations, and the daily picketing of the White House.[3][7] The CU had 4,500 members and had raised more than $50,000 in funds by 1914.[7] Over time, the efforts of hundreds of members led to their arrest and sometimes imprisonment.[5]

Organization

[edit]

The Congressional Union's headquarters were located on F Street in Washington, D.C., near the Willard Hotel in a highly visible office which they paid for themselves.[2][5] They started women's "suffrage schools" to spread awareness about their cause and held multiple meetings each day.[2] The CU was never organized by states or districts, but there were different branches of the organization in a number of states. The Washington headquarters was central to their work but they were also a mobile organization.[5] The CU published a newspaper called The Suffragist, featuring articles by prominent members including Alice Paul, Lucy Burns and Inez Milholland. The newspaper employed Nina Allender as its main cartoonist, and also published cartoons by artists such as Cornelia Barns, Boardman Robinson and Marietta Andrews.[7]

Campaigning

[edit]

The Congressional Union actively campaigned for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing universal woman suffrage. Following the methods used by suffragettes in Britain, the CU fully blamed the majority party for failure to advance the Federal Suffrage Amendment.[5] The majority party at the time was the Democratic Party, and Democrat Woodrow Wilson was president. Members traveled west and campaigned against Democrats in hopes of impeding their reelection. They even campaigned against Democrats who approved women's suffrage, despite criticism from the National American Woman Suffrage Association. They traveled through the west by train while using a number of tactics to increase their visibility and their whistle-stop speeches attracted the attention of reporters. Their campaign resulted in the defeat of 20 Democrats who supported suffrage, much to the dismay of NAWSA.[2]

National Woman's Party

[edit]
Main article: National Woman's Party

The Congressional Union created the National Woman's Party at a meeting in Chicago in 1916.[2] The party included members of the Congressional Union, and Alice Paul was in charge.[2][4] A Campaign Committee was formed within the party with Anne Martin serving as chairman.[5] In 1917, the two organizations officially joined to form the National Woman's Party (NWP) and elected Alice Paul as their chairman.[4][5] After the ratification of the 19th Amendment, the National Woman's Party launched a long campaign to secure the passage of the Equal Rights Amendment.[8]

Congressional Union for the Equal Rights Amendment

[edit]

In 1981, a group of women including Mary Ann Beall and notable feminist Sonia Johnson formed an organization they called Congressional Union in New York City to continue to struggle for the ERA.[9] The women were inspired by the suffragists as Johnson noted in her book, Going Out of Our Minds: The Metaphysics of Liberation, "...we called ourselves the Congressional Union, taking the name and philosophy from the women's suffrage group created in 1914 by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns..."[9] At the end of June in 1982, the Congressional Union organized a "ritual of mourning" as well as a "celebration of rebirth" for the ERA at the National Archives.[10]

This organization later splitered off and a group of women including Johnson formed a new feminist organization known as A Group of Women."[9]

Notable members

[edit]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ Frost-Knappman, Elizabeth; Cullen-DuPont, Kathryn (2005). Women's Suffrage in America. Infobase Publishing. p. 301. ISBN 978-0-8160-5693-4. Retrieved February 21, 2011.
  2. ^ a b c d e f Weatherford, Doris (1998). A History of the American Suffragist Movement. Santa Barbara: The Moschovitis Group. pp. 197–205. ISBN 1576070654.
  3. ^ a b c d e Mead, Rebecca (2004). How the Vote Was Won: Woman Suffrage in the Western United States, 1868–1914. New York: New York University Press. pp. 164–165. ISBN 0814757227.
  4. ^ a b c "National Woman's Party". Sewall-Belmont House & Museum. Retrieved April 7, 2015.
  5. ^ a b c d e f g h Buhle, Paul; Buhle, Mari Jo (1978). The Concise History of Woman Suffrage: Selections From History of Woman Suffrage. Urbana: University of Illinois Press. pp. 424–429. ISBN 0252006690.
  6. ^ Kraditor, Eileen (1965). The Ideas of the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1890–1920. New York: Columbia University Press. pp. 231–233. ISBN 0393014495.
  7. ^ a b c d Simpkin, John (August 1, 2014). "Congressional Union for Women Suffrage". Spartacus Educational. Spartacus Educational Publishers Ltd. Retrieved March 31, 2015.
  8. ^ "Historical Overview of the National Womans Party | Articles and Essays | Women of Protest: Photographs from the Records of the National Woman's Party | Digital Collections | Library of Congress". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  9. ^ a b c Johnson, Sonia (1987). Going out of our minds : the metaphysics of liberation. Freedom, Calif.: Crossing Press. p. 18. ISBN 0-89594-239-9. OCLC 15550086.
  10. ^ "ERA". Newspapers.com. June 30, 1982. Retrieved September 5, 2022.
  11. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n Stevens, Doris; O'Hare, Carol (1995). Jailed for freedom: American women win the vote (Rev ed.). Troutdale, OR: NewSage Press. ISBN 978-0-939165-25-4.
  12. ^ "Unsung hero: Belle Case La Follette fought for suffrage, civil rights and progressive reforms". Wisconsin Justice Initiative Inc. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  13. ^ "Crystal Eastman -". Archives of Women's Political Communication. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  14. ^ "Turning Point Suffragist Memorial » Dora Lewis (Mrs. Lawrence Lewis)". Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  15. ^ "Turning Point Suffragist Memorial » Doris Stevens (1888 [1892?] – 1963)". Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  16. ^ "Miss Helen Kellar [Keller] of Massachusetts is one of the prominent members of the Advisory Council of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. Miss Kellar [Keller] is known to all Americans for her marvelous intellectual and educational accomplishments, in spite of the handicap imposed upon her". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  17. ^ "Mrs. Mary Beard of New York is a member of the Executive Committee of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. Mrs. Beard is the wife of Professor Charles Beard of Columbia University and is joint author with him of his recent book on American Political History". Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  18. ^ "Mrs. Mary Austin, of California, the noted writer, [is] a prominent member of the National Advisory Council of the Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage. She is a graduate of Blackburn University where she received the degree of A.B." Library of Congress, Washington, D.C. 20540 USA. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
  19. ^ "Congressional Union for Women Suffrage". Spartacus Educational. Retrieved May 31, 2024.
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