Motor Corps and Canteen volunteers from the Detroit chapter of the American Red Cross, taking a break from delivering supplies to flu victims. Photo credit: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 1918 Pandemic Historical Image Gallery. Women’s Sufrage and the Pandemic of 1918 Christopher P. Graham Lucy Murphy In the United States alone, it killed deemed unpatriotic. As a result, a num- an estimated 675,000 people.2 And as ber of women, including many sufrag- “Everything conspires against women COVID-19 has caused the cancellation ists, swapped their right to vote eforts for suffrage. Now it is the influenza.” of numerous events planned to celebrate those necessitated by the war. — A suffragist the hundred year anniversary of the pas- In a recent book, Allison Lange, author quoted in the New Orleans sage and ratiication of the 19th Amend- and history professor at the Wentworth Times-Picayune in 1918 ment to the United States Constitution, Institute of Technology, notes that tens of ______the current pandemic also reminds us that thousands of nurses served in the Army the pandemic of 1918 nearly derailed the and Navy Nurse corps in the United States he COVID-19 pandemic, also women’s sufrage movement. and on the front lines in Europe during T known as the coronavirus, has the war.3 Millions more volunteered for caused tremendous upheaval in the Getting the 19th Amendment the American Red Cross, the Salvation daily lives of people in the United States to a vote: The suffragist’s Army, and countless other organizations and around the globe. Not since shortly pre-pandemic war efforts by helping to raise money, roll bandages, ater the turn of the century has the world prove fruitful sew blankets, prepare meals, and provide seen a disease cause so much disruption, other material support for U.S. soldiers. discord, and death. he pandemic of 1918, When the U.S. Congress declared war Women also entered the workforce in more commonly known as the “Spanish against Germany in April of 1917, crit- large numbers, taking up traditionally Flu pandemic,” involved a novel strand of ics initially condemned the women’s suf- male jobs in oices, factories, and agri- inluenza. he Spanish Flu killed an esti- frage movement. he United States was at culture–marking a major shit from prior mated 50 million people worldwide–more war, and anything that diverted attention domestic employment. than the 14th Century Black Plague.1 away from the country’s war efort was Recognizing that their patriotic ef-

26 the Advocate • November/December 2020 al sufrageal amendment bill in1914. had who votedBorah, “no” on nation the Senators,those including Idaho’s William campaign to gain designed vote the of embarkedfragists on atireless lobbying approach. Younger and other NWPsuf (“NWP”), however, took amore direct Younger of National the Women’s Party said to have exclaimed a Senator Lenroot of Irvine Wisconsin is persistence and some didnot. “Nagging!” Some senators appreciated NWP’s the lobbyist waiting outside his oice at 7:29. at his o instance, ifasenator was known to arrive sex.” make no discriminations on account of its rewards together which in democracies rows together. Tomorrow share will they war and its bearing and sad sickening sor and women are cost paying of frightful the ChapmanCarrie Catt noted that “[m]en letter to Congress, prominent sufragist read to as designed be anin aspeech open mand for right the to vote. For example, to relocate back that to de the goodwill American public, some sufragists sought amongforts to led increased goodwill the House of Representatives 19 the passed however. On January U.S. 10,1918, the and many other sufragists paid dividends, rejects the19 The U.S. Senate narrowly Defeated butundeterred: nagging!” counter. “If you women would only stop “ Other sufragists, suchOther as Maud he combine 4 Because they could not hold public gatherings, in more personal ways, such aswriting letters, ice at 7:30 a.m., Younger had a 6 the sufragists instead focused their eforts and taking out ads in the newspaper. d eforts of Catt, Younger, th Amendment ter one such en making telephone calls, 5 For For th th - - - - - voting required for passage, 53-31. votes short of two-thirds the present and answertheir as amendment the fell two lowing day, however, s the to pass amendmen the needed was: s didthe a vote of 274 to 136. Amendment to U.S. the Constitution by deliver “justice to women.” plored Democrat the controlled Senate to his support for amendment the and im 1918, President Woodrow Wilson voiced D.C. andtherest of thenation The pandemic hits Washington The movement inperil: on October 6. he speaker ofon 6. he speaker House, the October a Democrat from North Carolina, fell ill House majority leader, Claude Kitchin, of Washington, 1918gripped D.C. he ment’s defeat Senate, inthe pandemic the by individual the states. that issue the was bes vote inIdaho insisted since 1896–Borah womenfrage–in fact, able had been to supportedAlthough Borah women’s suf were on opposed anti-federalist grounds. reasons. First, some senators, like Borah, publican, of party the Abraham Lincoln. would they because undoubtedly vote Re a threatblack women posed in particular make arational decision voting, when and emotionalthe or intellectual capacity to women simplyideology: didnot possess ploying acombination of racist and sexist crats, amendment opposed the by em senators, southern Demo inparticular he amendment for failed two primary Only a few days ater amend the ufragists haveufragists votes the they

7 OnSeptember 30, t let to be resolvedt letto be 10 Second, other ” 8 he question ufragists hadufragists t? he fol 9

11 ------came down with th Champ Clark, aDemocrat from Missouri, pandemic and struck cut o andnewed campaign,” revised the when re a for there were “plans developed South Dakota, another referendum state, “emphasized patriotism their and quoted no assembling of people was allowed.” date th suddenlytober 1,when just before that awhirlwind campaignbeginning on Oc example, inLouisiana, “all was ready for women’s voting rights would held. be For eforts in states where referendums on themselves unable to pursue lobbying amendment’s defeat Senate, inthe found any other legislation. on taken action being amendment the or of someone was who sick. here was no ington D.C. was either sick or care taking month, lawmaker nearly inWash every and by galleries viewing of middle the the same day, Congress of all its closed public to hang from door to door. for distribution by sufragist supporters than a million pamphlets were printed and out taking ads newspaper. inthe More as writing letters, making telephone calls, efortstheir in more ways, personal such gatherings, s the Adaptation andresilience The fightlives on: in open air.” ity of public and speaking meetings even and street signs.” “onlythe way was to campaign by dodgers women to inaparlor….” meet Instead, tober, “it was considered immoral for six were that bad so inWyoming inlate Oc “chained to her bed” with th was postponed. route from Washington D.C. to Oregon anticipated to draw large crowds along its ously arrested sufrage protestors that was of pandemic. the Atrain tour of previ were activities litical suspended because prior. But and speeches, other rallies, po voted against amendment the amonth didates states inthose Senators whose had campaign eforts for pro-amendment can ing, and sufragists wanted to step up their mid-term elections were rapidly approach

doae• oebrDcme 00 27 theAdvocate • November/December 2020 S Because they could not they holdBecause public To make matters worse, November the ufragists, alreadyufragists, stung by the e inluenza epidemic broke out and 14

15 ufragists instead focused insteadufragists focused 16 Catt was metaphorically

e lu on October 12

f “all possibil 17 e lu Sufragists . hings 7. he 13 In In ------the president saying that votes for women was a proper reward for their wartime sacriice.”18 Again, the sufragists’ persistent and varied eforts paid dividends. Sufrage referendums in South Dakota, Michigan, and Oklahoma all passed by a wide mar- gin.19 he November mid-term elections he pandemic of 1918 also notably resulted in the Democrats losing control of the Senate and included nearly upended the sufragists’ attempts prominent wins by pro-sufrage candi- “ dates in Massachusetts and Delaware.20 to gain equal voting rights. In Idaho, William Borah retained his seat in the Senate, but–fearing that his op- position to the sufrage amendment would ” cost him the election–allegedly did so only ater striking a back room deal with NWP leader Alice Paul in which Borah agreed to vote in favor of the sufrage amendment if graduated with a B.A. in his- TIME, June 3, 2020, https://time.com/5833604/1918- flu-pandemic-women-suffrage-movement/. reelected.21 Borah would later renege on tory from Boise State Uni- 4. Carrie Chapman Catt, Open Address to the U.S. the supposed deal and vote against the versity in 1995 and received Congress – November 2017, https://awpc.cattcen- amendment again in 1919. his J.D., cum laude, from the ter.iastate.edu/2017/03/21/address-to-congress- University of Idaho College november-1917/. Renewed enthusiasm: At long of Law in 2000, where he 5. Women’s Suffrage Centennial Part III: The Last was Editor-in-Chief of the Trench, https://www.senate.gov/artandhistory/his- last, passage and ratification tory/People/Women/Part3_TheLastTrench.htm. Idaho Law Review. He is a member of the 6. Id. As the pandemic began to wane, the Idaho Legal History Society and recently 7. Gupta, supra note 3. th 66 Congress convened on March 4, 1919, taught a class through the Boise State Uni- 8. Women’s Suffrage Centennial Part III, supra note 5. and soon took action on the sufrage versity Honors College entitled “he Legal 9. Id. amendment. he U.S. House of Repre- History of Sports.” 10. Id. Regarding his opposition to the amendment, sentatives again approved the amendment Borah wrote to a constituent “I am aware … [my po- on May 21, 1919. And on June 4, 1919, Lucy Murphy is a junior sition] will lead to much criticism among friends at home…. I would rather give up the office” than to “cast with the necessary votes inally in place, studying Business and Eco- a vote … I do not believe in.” Id. the Senate approved the national sufrage nomic Analytics at Boise 11. Gupta, supra note 3; see also Kimberly A. Hamlin, amendment with two votes to spare, 56 to State University. She is a How racism almost killed women’s right to vote, WASH. 25.22 Illinois, Wisconsin, and Michigan member of Boise State’s POST, June 4, 2019, https://www.washingtonpost. com/outlook/2019/06/04/how-racism-almost- quickly ratiied the amendment, and other Honors College and plans killed-womens-right-vote. states soon followed. Idaho ratiied the to attend law school upon 12. Gupta, supra note 3. 23 amendment on February 11, 1920. On graduation. Lucy enjoys skiing and spend- 13. Id. (quoting ELIZABETH CADE STANTON, ET AL., 6 HISTORY August 18, 1920, Tennessee became the ing time with her friends and family. OF WOMAN SUFFRAGE 224 (1922)). 36th state to approve, and the 19th Amend- 14. Ellen Carol DuBois, A pandemic nearly derailed ment to the U.S. Constitution was fully Endnotes the women’s suffrage movement, NAT’L GEOG., Apr. 20, 2020, https://www.nationalgeographic.com/his- 24 ratiied. tory/2020/04/pandemic-nearly-derailed-womens- 1. “History of 1918 Flu Pandemic,” https://www-cdc-gov. he pandemic of 1918 nearly upended libproxy.boisestate.edu/flu/pandemic-resources/1918- suffrage-movement/#close (citation omitted). the sufragists’ attempts to gain equal vot- commemoration/1918-pandemic-history.htm. 15. Id. ing rights. One hundred years later, how- 2. Id. 16. Gupta, note 3 (quoting INEZ HAYNES IRWIN, THE STORY ever, as COVID-19 continues to wreak 3. See Alisha Haridasani Gupta, How the Spanish Flue OF THE WOMAN’S PARTY (1921)). Almost Upended Women’s Suffrage, N.Y. TIMES, Apr. th 17. DuBois, supra note 14. havoc across the United States, the 19 28, 2020, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/28/ Amendment’s passage and ratiication us/spanish-flu-womens-suffrage-coronavirus. 18. Id. html#commentsContainer reminds us of what can be accomplished 19. Id. (citing Allison Lange, PICTURING POLITICAL POWER: IMAGES 20. Id. with a mixture of determination, creativ- IN THE WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT (2020)). It was also, ity, and perseverance. for the first time, a more diverse group of women, as 21. Women’s Suffrage Centennial Part III, supra note 5. 18 black nurses were admitted to the Army Nurse 22. Id. Corps and American Red Cross, which had previously 23. Idaho and the 19th Amendment, NATIONAL PARK admitted and deployed only white nurses. See Suyin Christopher P. Graham is a partner at SERVICE, Apr. 6, 2020, https://www.nps.gov/articles/ Haynes, ‘Persevere Through the Highs and Lows.’ What idaho-and-the-19th-amendment.htm. Brassey Crawford, PLLC. He grew up on We Can Still Learn From the Suffragists Who Fought a family farm in New Plymouth, Idaho. He for the Right to Vote During the 1918 Flu Pandemic, 24. Women’s Suffrage Centennial Part III, supra note 5.

28 the Advocate • November/December 2020