>>> AS WE CONTINUE OUR CELEBRATION OF BLACK HISTORY IN
THE MONTH OF FEBRUARY, WE EXAMINE THE COMPLICATED HISTORY
OF WOMEN'S SUFFRAGE.
THIS YEAR MARKS THE 100TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE PASSAGE OF
THE 19TH AMENDMENT, WHICH IS USUALLY CREDITED AS GIVING WOMEN
THE RIGHT TO VOTE.
BUT THIS CHANGE WAS LARGELY A WIN FOR WHITE WOMEN, AS IT WOULD
BE YEARS BEFORE WOMEN OF COLOR LEGALLY GAINED THE SAME RIGHTS.
I DISCUSSED THIS WITH CARRIE BAKER, PROFESSOR OF WOMEN AND
GENDER STUDIES AT SMITH COLLEGE.
>> A LOT OF PEOPLE THINK THE 19TH AMENDMENT EN FRANCHISED
WOMEN, BUT IT PROHIBITED SEX SCRIPT.
BUT JUST LIKE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN HAD BEEN BLOCKED FROM
VOTING, AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN WERE BLOCKED FROM VOTING, SO
THEY DID NOT GAIN VOTING RIGHTS IN REALITY.
ALSO NATIVE AMERICAN WOMEN DIDN'T WIND VOTING RIGHTS UNTIL
1924, ALONG WITH NATIVE AMERICAN MEN.
ASIAN AMERICAN WOMEN DIDN'T WIN THE RIGHT TO VOTE UNTIL 1952.
IN 1965, THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT DID EN FRANCHISE
AFRICAN-AMERICAN PEOPLE.
THAT SUDDEN, THE SUPREME COURT STRUCK DOWN SIGNIFICANT PARTS OF
THE VOTING RIGHTS ACT, YOU KNOW, SHELBY COUNTY VERSUS HOLDER.
AND THAT HAS LED TO STATES, PARTICULARLY IN THE SOUTH AND
MIDWEST, SIGNIFICANTLY CUTTING BACK VOTING RIGHTS, AND
OF COLOR FROM VOTING.NG PEOPL SO AGAIN WE'RE STILL FIGHTING
FOR WOMEN'S RIGHTS, EVEN THOUGH, OR OR WOMEN'S VOTING RIGHTS,
EVEN THOUGH WE HAD THE SUFFRAGE AMENDMENT 100 YEARS AGO IT'S AN
ONGOING FIGHT.
>> WHEN WE LOOK AT THE 14TH AND 15TH AMENDMENT, 14TH ADDED THE
FIRST MENTION OF GENDER IN THE CONSTITUTION.
THEN IT DECLARED ALL MALE CITIZENS OVER 21, GAVE THEM THE
RIGHT TO VOTE.
THEN THE 15TH AMENDMENT AFFIRMED THE RIGHT TO VOTE SHALL NOT BE
DENIED ON THE ACCOUNT OF RACE.
WHEN YOU SEE RACE AND GENDER BEING ENTERED HERE, THIS IS
WHERE SUSAN B. ANTHONY REALLY STOOD UP AND HER COUNTERPARTS
SAID WE NEED THE WORD WOMAN IN THERE.
WHY DID THEY AT THAT TIME RECOGNIZE IT AS IMPORTANT TO
HAVE, NOT JUST MAN, BUT WOMAN IN THE CONSTITUTION?
>> YES.
SO BEFORE THE CIVIL WAR, THEY WERE ADVOCATING FOR UNIVERSAL
SUFFRAGE.
MANY SUFFRAGISTS HAD BEEN ABOLITIONISTS BEFORE.
SO THE MOVEMENT BROADLY WAS ADVOCATING FOR UNIVERSAL
SUFFRAGE THAT WOULD INCLUDE EVERYBODY REGARDLESS OF SEX OR
RACE.
BUT WHAT HAPPENED AFTER THE CIVIL WAR IS THAT THE WHITE GUYS
IN CONGRESS TOOK THE DIVIDE AND CONQUER APPROACH AND SAID, WELL,
WE'LL GIVE THE RIGHT TO VOTE TO BLACK MEN, BUT NOT TO WOMEN BOTH
WHITE AND BLACK.
AND THIS DIVIDED THE WOMEN'S MOVEMENT.
SOME WOMEN SAID OKAY, WE NEED TO PRIORITIZE AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN
AT THIS POINT, AND THEN THE OTHER HALF OF THE MOVEMENT SAID
NO WE WANT UNIVERSAL SUFFRAGE.
SO THE MOVEMENT ACTUALLY SPLIT INTO TWO DIFFERENT
ORGANIZATIONS.
WITH SUSAN B. ANTHONY AND ELIZABETH CADY STANTON ON ONE
SIDE AND THROUGH L.MOTT ON THE OTHER SIDE.
UNFORTUNATELY ANTHONY AND STANTON, EVENTUALLY WERE USING
RACIST ARGUMENTS.
THEY WERE SORT OF INDIG NABL THAT BLACK MEN WOULD GOAT THE
VOTE BEFORE WHITE EDGE INDICATED WOMEN WOULD GET THE VOTE.
>> INTERESTING FOR ANTHONY BECAUSE SHE HAD BEEN AN
ABOLITIONIST.
>> RIGHT.
AND IT'S SORT OF A SAD DEVELOPMENT IN HISTORY, BUT I
THINK SHE WAS SO COMMITTED TO GETTING THE VOTE AND SHE WOULD
DO ANYTHING SHE COULD TO GET IT. AND IT WASN'T EVERYBODY IN THE
MOVEMENT, BUT CERTAINLY THE PEOPLE LIKE LUCRETIAMOTT, THEY
PRIORITIZED AFRICAN-AMERICAN MEN, AND THAT DIVISION DIDN'T
GET HEALED UNTIL 1890 WHEN THE TWO PARTS OF THE MOVEMENT CAME
BACK TOGETHER.
>> IT WOULD STILL BE ANOTHER 30 YEARS BEFORE THAT WAS ACTUALLY
RATIFIED IN THE CONSTITUTION.
>> YES.
>> AS THIS EVOLVED, WHAT HAPPENED TO WOMEN OF COLOR IN
THE MOVEMENT?
WERE THEY JUST COMPLETELY PUSHED OUT?
OR DID WOMEN OF COLOR STILL PARTICIPATE IN THE MOVEMENT EVEN
THOUGH MAYBE ORGANIZERS WERE BEING RACIST AND REJECTING THEM?
>> YES, SO WOMEN OF COLOR, AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN IN
PARTICULAR WERE VERY ACTIVE AND SUPPORTED SUFFRAGE.
MORE AT A HIGHER LEVEL THAN WHITE WOMEN.
WHITE WOMEN WERE ACTUALLY SPLIT.
SOME SAID YES, SOME SAID NO.
BUT AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN WERE PRETTY UNIVERSALLY IN SUPPORT OF
SUFFRAGE.
AND THEY HAD THEIR OWN ORGANIZATION, THEIR OWN SUFFRAGE
ORGANIZATIONS, THEY ORGANIZED.
BUT WHITE WOMEN OFTEN WOULD TRY TO EXCLUDE THEM, FOR INSTANCE
BIG MARCHES THAT WERE HAPPENING IN WASHINGTON D.C.
AND THEY WERE SAYING OH WE WANT SOUTHERN WHITE WOMEN TO BE IN
FAVOR OF SUFFRAGE, THEREFORE AFRICAN-AMERICAN WOMEN DON'T
PARTICIPATE, OR GO TO THE BACK OF THE LINE.
AND AN EXCELLENT EXAMPLE OF THAT IS IDAB.
WELLS, THEY ASKED HER NOT TO SHOW UP, IT DIDN'T WORK.
SHE SHOWED UP AND SHE MARCHED.
BUT THAT WAS A HUGE DIVISION, AND IT WAS AGAIN HISTORICALLY A
VERY UNFORTUNATE TACTIC THAT SOME WHITE WOMEN TOOK TO TRY TO
LURE PARTICULARLY SOUTHERN STATES TO SUPPORT THE VOTE.
>> SO HERE WE ARE CELEBRATING 100 YEARS SINCE THIS HAS BEEN
RATIFIED AS PART OF THE 19TH AMENDMENT IN THE CONSTITUTION.
WHAT DO YOU THINK THAT THE IMPACT OF THIS HAS BEEN?
BECAUSE IF WE LOOK AT THE NUMBER OF WOMEN WHO HOLD ELECTED
OFFICE, EVEN THOUGH WOMEN ARE HALF OF THE POPULATION, SLIGHTLY
OVER, AND HAVE STRONGER VOTING RECORDS THAN MEN, IN MOST CASES,
YET STILL DON'T HOLD AS MANY ELECTED OFFICE, DO YOU THINK THE
FOUNDERS OF THIS MOVEMENT WOULD BE DISAPPOINTED?
>> SOCIAL CHANGE IS SLOW.
IT TOOK 72 YEARS TO GET THE 19TH AMENDMENT.
SO IT HAD A HUGE IMPACT, IT HAD AN IMPACT AT THE TIME.
SHORTLY AFTER 1920, THERE WERE A NUMBER OF ACTS OF LAWS THAT
PASSED THAT EXPANDED WOMEN'S RIGHTS, FOR INSTANCE IN 1921,
THE SHEPHERD TOWNER ACT PASSED WHICH FOR THE FIRST TIME
PROVIDED FEDERAL FUNDING FOR MATERNAL HEALTH AND CHILD CARE.
INDUSTRIAL REFORM WAS ANOTHER THING THAT RESULTED FROM WOMEN
VOTING.
CHILD LABOR LAWS, AND OTHER KINDS OF INDUSTRIAL REFORMS.
IN ADDITION THE BEGINNING OF THE DEVELOPMENT OF A SOCIAL WELFARE
STATE.
SO WOMEN PUSHED FOR MOTHER'S PENSIONS, FOR WOMEN WHOSE
HUSBANDS HAD EITHER ABANDONED THEM OR WHO WERE WIDOWED TO
SUPPORT THEM AND THEIR CHILDREN.
SO ONE HUGE IMPACT OF SUFFRAGE WAS THE SHIFT TOWARDS, YOU KNOW,
THE NEW DEAL EVENTUALLY, RIGHT, THE IDEA THAT THE GOVERNMENT HAD
SOME RESPONSIBILITY TO TAKE CARE OF PEOPLE AND ENSURE THAT
VULNERABLE PEOPLE WERE CARED FOR.
SO THAT'S AN IMMEDIATE AND ONGOING LEGISLATIVE IMPACT.
BUT AS FAR AS WOMEN'S POLITICAL PARTICIPATION, CERTAINLY THE
FIGHT FOR THE VOTE, EDUCATED WOMEN AND TAUGHT THEM SKILLS OF
ORGANIZING WHICH THEN WHEN THEY WON THE VOTE NAY USED TO PASS
ACTS LIKE WHAT I JUST MENTIONED.
BUT ALSO AFTER WOMEN WON THE VOTE THEY BEGAN TO BE ELECTED TO
CONGRESS IN RECORD BREAKING NUMBERS.
BY 1928 THERE WERE SEVEN WOMEN IN THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES.
BUT YOU'RE RIGHT.
TODAY THERE'S ONLY ABOUT 23% OF CONGRESS IS FEMALE.
AND IN STATE LEGISLATURES ONLY ABOUT 29%.
AGAIN, SOCIAL CHANGE IS HARD, THERE'S A LOT OF BARRIERS TO
WOMEN ENTERING POLITICS.
I THINK THE ELECTION INVOLVING TRUMP AND HILLARY CLINTON IS A
GREAT EXAMPLE, THE WAY HILLARY CLINTON WAS TREATED.
IT'S HARD, SOCIAL CHANGE IS SLOW AND IT'S HARD.
BUT A LOT OF WOMEN HAVE FAULT FOR GENERATIONS AND I TELL THIS
TO MY STUDENTS, THIS IS A LONG FIGHT.
SOCIAL CHANGE TAKES A LONG TIME AND WE HAVE TO JUST KEEP ON
PUSHING.