Music and Collective Identity in the Woman's Suffrage Movement
The woman’s suffrage movement spanned many years and utilized many different devices to advertise woman’s suffrage organizations. These parties tried to gain support from as many people as they could, hoping that women and men alike would find it in their hearts to fight for women’s suffrage together and unite under one cause. In addition to the advertising that was done for these political organizations, women and men that supported the woman’s suffrage movement were met with anti-suffrage organizations and anti-suffrage gatherings. Because of this opposition all men and women involved in this movement had a sense of belonging and a special tie to the cause that they fought so hard for. During the woman’s suffrage movement, music was not the only advertising tactic, but so were the sheet music covers that were published along with these suffrage songs. Music provided an advertising outlet for suffrage organizations and musicians, while the pressure of anti-suffragists and politicians pushed those involved in the woman suffrage movement to band together and gave the people involved a sense of a collective identity.
In forming these common goals that would attract hundreds of thousands of supporters, woman suffragists presented the Declaration of Sentiments, which “summarized women’s overall condition of servitude and social degradation and protested against an array of unjust laws and practices” (Cooney 2005:8). In 1909, suffragists launched a year-long drive to collect one million signatures urging Congress to pass the Federal suffrage amendment (Cooney 2005:121). Those involved in organizations such as the National Association of Woman Suffrage Association needed to find a way to connect with the population so they could gain the support they needed. Open air street meetings became very popular and they attracted a lot of attention and support. “Suffragists realized that outdoor meetings were an effective way to reach a large number of voters” (Cooney 2005:130). In addition to open air meetings, suffragists took part in other advertising campaigns such as automobile tours and flying squadrons. The woman suffrage organizations also published their ideas and advertised their meetings and gatherings through publications such as The Woman’s Journal, Woman Citizen, and Woman’s Advocate. Large scale meetings of organizations, parades, and marches were ways for these organizations to spread the word of woman suffrage ideas and to gain membership. By 1920, NAWSA had approximately 2 million members (Strom 2003:227). These woman suffrage organizations continued to grow as more women joined this common goal of gaining voting rights for women. These individuals shared the same sentiments of how the country should be run and what kind of rights should be given to the citizens, helping to form a collective identity.
1912 suffrage parade; photo courtesy Library of Congress
Woman’s suffrage was an issue that affected many people. Women all over the country were joining in the fight for equal rights. Lucy Stone, Susan B. Anthony, and Sojourner Truth traveled all across the Northeast and the old Midwest to speak for women’s rights (Cooney 2005:225). These skilled orators attracted hundreds of new members to NAWSA and sparked an interest in woman’s suffrage issues throughout the country. In 1915, suffragists visited every city and town in New Jersey. These suffragists held over 4,000 and 500 indoor meetings, distributing literature and canvassing all over the state. By the end oft eh campaign supporters had distributed over three million pieces of literature and 400,000 buttons throughout the state of New Jersey (Cooney 2005:263). In that same year, NAWSA developed its own suffrage publishing company, allowing for more distribution of literature and woman’s suffrage publications. In the areas where woman suffrage support was heavy, men began to take the women’s side. The Men’s League for Woman Suffrage in New York City was founded in 1910, and by 1912 the National Men’s League for Woman Suffrage had 20,000 members (Rights for Women). These men’s organizations fighting for woman’s suffrage had their own meetings and rallies, as well as dinners, balls, and theatrical productions (Cooney 2005:12). The men helped raised money for the cause and they also “helped remind voters that it was not a ‘women against men’ issue, but a question of equality and justice” (Cooney 2005:213). When men became involved in the women suffrage movement, it was surely an indication of a national understanding of this predicament. The Women’s Political Union, in 1912, held a suffrage parade. It drew between 15,000, and 20,000 women, all which walked according to occupation, political districts, organizations, and states. Within this parade marched 600 men, which demonstrated the participation of men in the suffrage organizations; though a small percentage, they showed a sense of understanding from another perspective and gave the women strength (Cooney 2005:158). As time passed both men and women continued to join these woman suffrage organizations and showed support for the cause. Membership within these organizations brought these individuals together and they had a sense of belonging to their respective organizations. People from different economic classes, demographics, and even races found something in common that they could all rally for and this showing of differences in the supporters strengthened the woman’s suffrage movement.
Another aspect that brought the woman’s suffrage movement supporters even closer was the counter-mobilization against the movement. With the hundreds that joined the woman’s suffrage movement, hundreds more joined anti-suffrage organizations as well. Anti-suffrage sentiments were published as soon as the Declaration of Sentiments was drafted. In a response to the Declaration of Sentiments, titled “The Women of Philadelphia,” an author wrote, “A woman is nobody. A wife is everything” (Strom 2003:225). Anti-suffragists argued that women were more useful as wives and shouldn’t try to change their status in life. In a poster from the New Jersey Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage, “Reasons Why the Women of New Jersey Oppose Equal Suffrage,” statements are made that urge women to remain in their place in their families or in their social status. A flyer from the same organization, titled “Man’s Government by Man,” accuses women of being unappreciative and being disrespectful by not trusting men to be fit to take care of the women (The Women’s Project of New Jersey, Inc.). The National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage was founded in New York after California granted woman suffrage, and quickly gained popularity and support throughout the North and South. Anti-suffrage feelings were intense in states such as Nebraska where the local economies were tied to liquor or brewery industries (Strom 2003:227). Anti-suffragists in these areas feared that if women were given the right to vote, prohibition would be much more likely, which threatened the economy as well as disrupted the local lifestyles. Within these anti-suffrage organizations were male politicians, who feared that women would “disrupt the entrenched political machines and demand civic reforms” (Cooney 2005:175). The anti-suffragists were afraid of what powers women could possibly possess and what they could change about federal and state politics if they were granted the right to vote. Men were largely involved in these organizations, but there were also a number of women that took part in these anti-suffrage organizations. In a Nebraska Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage leaflet, published in 1914, it claimed that if suffrage won, there would be chaos, heavy degradation of women, and less humane and enforceable laws (Cooney 2005:248). These anti-suffrage sentiments ran strong and fierce throughout the whole country. Anti-suffrage parades and advertisements greatly affected anyone that was involved in woman’s suffrage organizations, and gave these individuals more of a reason to connect with each other. The members of the suffrage organizations were united buy the cause of suffrage but also by the cause of beating the anti-suffragists that had so much hate for the suffragists.
NAOWS Headquarters; photo courtesy Library of Congress
In the woman’s suffrage movement, music was also used to display sentiments of suffragists or anti-suffragists. Music publishers were able to use sheet music covers to show support for woman suffrage. “Advertisers and commercial publishers of sheet music and inexpensive picture post cards exploited the theme of woman suffrage in a variety of ways” (Cooney 2005:113). For example, Nebraska suffragists, under the direction of Ada M. Bittenbender, opened up headquarters in Lincoln, and were able to circulate literature, press information, and even published a campaign song book with a special supplement for county newspapers (Cooney 2005:55). Patriotic woman suffrage songs became important parts of each state’s campaign and within the woman suffrage organizations themselves. “Publishers also produced a wide variety of sheet music sympathetic to the cause, some featuring ‘new women’ on the covers” (Cooney 2005:253). These publishers showed illustrations of women in their strength and glory, having the ability to vote or beating the anti-suffragists. For example, Frank Howard’s “We’ll Show You When We Come to Vote” depicts a woman proudly voting, as well as other political notes that relate to the current political situations (Cooney 2005:32-33). The cover of the “Suffrage March-Song” by Lucenia W. Richards shows a woman holding a flag for universal suffrage (Cooney 2005:252). Covers such as these definitely attracted attention and helped gained support for woman suffrage.
Suffragists also understood how music could affect their supporters. “To draw a crowd before an open-air speech, a bugler usually sounded a call, which was followed by a song” (Cooney 2005:146). These songs would attract attention and gave suffragists more of an opportunity to spread their message to more people. When suffragists in 1915 traveled across New Jersey to gain support, they used music and concerts to attract attention and advertise meetings and other gatherings of the suffrage organizations (111). At a Suffrage Day parade in Chicago, supporters outside sang “The March of the Women” while women representing each of the 531 congressional districts marched to Capitol Hill and presented a petition for the Federal amendment (233). Famous singers such as the Hutchinson Family Singers joined in the fight for woman’s suffrage, adding songs relating to woman’s suffrage to their repertoire (Strange Fruit). Suffrage organizations also became involved in the use of song and music to advertise and gain support. In 1896, the National American Woman Suffrage Association issued a “Manual for Political Equality Clubs,” which was compiled by Harriet May Mills and Isabel Howland. This informative pamphlet urged the use of songs in meetings and gatherings and reminded those that anyone present at these gatherings should join in the singing (Silber 1958:9).
Between 1900 and 1915, there were hundreds of songs relating to woman’s suffrage that were produced (Cooney 2005:111). Some songs were written and performed by men, while others were written and performed by women. Songs written by men expressed the male sentiments, for example, in “Shall Women Vote?” by Frank Boylen, the lyrics answer “…we answer yes, How could we answer no…” (The Library of Congress). Some songs used familiar tunes such as “America” or “Auld Lang Syne” and created new lyrics, such as “Suffrage Song” and “Keep Woman in Her Sphere,” respectively. Other times musicians wrote their own lyrics and music to go along with these lyrics as well. Various songs praised suffrage, for example, “Song of Wyoming,” by Julia Mils Dunn, congratulated Wyoming for being the first state to have universal suffrage (Silber 1958:8). Music was not only played to show support and solicit new members, but they were also used by the suffrage organizations themselves. “The New America” by Elizabeth Boynton Herbert “appears in a number of suffrage collections and is printed in the program of songs sung at the National-American Woman’s Suffrage Convention of 1891” (Silber 1958:10). Music played an important role in showcasing woman suffrage ideas and also relating to listeners and gaining support for woman suffrage organizations.
Women and men alike joined suffrage organizations during the woman suffrage movement for various reasons. Regardless of what reasons these individuals had for joining these organizations, they found a common thread; everyone believed that women had the right to vote. From traveling all over the country to gain support, to open air meetings and large-scale parades, the support for women’s rights grew because more and more people related to the cause. Through advertisements, publications, and music, the woman’s rights movement developed into a movement that was given a lot of publicity and attention. Anti-suffragists tried to crack down on the development of the support for the movement, but this counter-mobilization made the suffragists stronger and created even more of a sense of belonging to the cause. Men joined the cause as well, allowing the supporters to connect on an even deeper level. Music publishers were able to show their support for the woman suffrage movement through artworks on sheet music covers, and these songs also reached out to many people throughout the country. Music was also used by woman’s rights supporters and the organizations themselves to create a sense of collective identity throughout the organizations and gatherings of people. From advertising tactics to music that expressed general sentiments for woman’s suffrage, people that were involved in the woman’s rights movement became a part of something that was much larger and spanned different races, states, and classes. These individuals connected in more ways than one, and therefore had a collective identity that connected them with others all over the country.
References
Cooney, Robert P.J. Jr. 2005. Winning the Vote: The Triumph of the American Woman Suffrage Movement. Santa Cruz, CA: American Graphic Press.
Kraditor, Aileen S. 1965. The Ideas of the Woman Suffrage Movement, 1890-1920. New York, New York: Columbia University Press.
The Library of Congress. 2002. “Collection – Music for the Nation, 1870-1885.” The Library of Congress, Retrieved November 20, 2006.
(http://memory.loc.gov/learn/collections/sm/thinking.html)
Rights for Women. “Men Support the Woman Suffrage Movement.” National Women’s History Museum, Retrieved November 22, 2006.
(http://www.nwhm.org/RightsforWomen/menforsuffrage.html)
Silber, Irwin. 1958. A Brief History of the Woman’s Suffrage Movement. FOLKWAYS RECORDS Album No. FH 5281.
Strange Fruit. 2006. “Abolitionist and Women’s Rights.” PBS, Retrieved November 18, 2006.
(http://www.pbs.org/independentlens/strangefruit/abolition.html)
Strom, Sharon Hartman. 2003. Women’s Rights. Westport, Connecticut: Greenwood Press.
The Women’s Project of New Jersey, Inc. 2006. “New Jersey Women’s History.” The Women’s Project of New Jersey, Inc., Retrieved November 27, 2006.
(http://www.scc.rutgers.edu/njwomenshistory/Period_4/antisuffrage.htm)
History of the woman's suffrage movement
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