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Considerations in Historical Research: NWP Strategies – a Case Study Demery Little Augsburg University

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Considerations in Historical Research: NWP Strategies – a Case Study Demery Little Augsburg University Augsburg Honors Review Volume 12 Article 3 2019 Considerations in Historical Research: NWP Strategies – A Case Study Demery Little Augsburg University Follow this and additional works at: https://idun.augsburg.edu/honors_review Part of the United States History Commons Recommended Citation Little, Demery (2019) "Considerations in Historical Research: NWP Strategies – A Case Study," Augsburg Honors Review: Vol. 12 , Article 3. Available at: https://idun.augsburg.edu/honors_review/vol12/iss1/3 This Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Undergraduate at Idun. It has been accepted for inclusion in Augsburg Honors Review by an authorized editor of Idun. For more information, please contact [email protected]. Demery Little Considerations in Historical Research: NWP Strategies – A Case Study Deey Lite, Augbug Univesty Abstract Te American women’s sufrage istorical research is most often movement is marked by many focused on deconstructing complicated systems all working H stories from the past in order together to fght for and against the to better understand our current enfranchisement of women in the United situation. In this way, proper historical States. Groups such as the National research is vital to the continuing Women’s Party (NWP) and the National improvement of any part of society; American Woman Sufrage Association whether that is through understanding (NAWSA), among other smaller groups, systems of government or religion, took diferent approaches to achieve or through understanding cultural the enfranchisement of women. While and societal norms in the context in NAWSA focused on state-by-state which they came to be. Because of legislation, the NWP focused their the impact historical research can eforts on the creation of a federal bill have on our society, it is important to for sufrage. Because of this diference consider biases in both sources and in focus, the two groups also had a in the researcher themselves when diference in strategies; NAWSA focused evaluating historical research. Te on legislation and lobbying individual American women’s sufrage movement, state congressmen while the NWP used and more specifcally, the National larger-scale approaches such as large Women’s Party, provide a perfect case parades through Washington D.C. on study for examining the way in which Inauguration Day or picketing in front researcher and source bias can afect of the White House using signs featuring the presentation and understanding of direct quotes from the president about historical events. Tis paper seeks to the importance of full democracy. answer the question of just how much Because of the stark diferences bias plays into our understanding of in approaches, there are interesting historical events using the lens of a comparisons to be made between the women’s history movement. diferent ways in which the strategies of the more large-scale NWP are analyzed and described in diferent types of sources. Tere are many diferent mediums used to tell history, and each medium has its own specifc goals and 19 Augsburg Honors Review limitations. Many popular newspapers made of the various interpretations from the time talked about the NWP’s seen in diferent kinds of historical strategies in a negative light, sometimes sources of the strategies of the NWP, a comparing their tactics to the more brief overview of the American women’s militant sufragettes in Britain. Primary sufrage movement must frst be put source newspaper articles seek to forth. It is important to understand inform the general population at the the basics of the movement and the time, but often refect the personal main diferences between the two main biases of the reporters and editors who groups fghting for sufrage: the NWP write the articles and the audience and NAWSA. As stated previously, they are writing for. Audience bias is NAWSA focused their eforts for an important factor to consider when sufrage on securing legislation on a approaching any type of source. For state-by-state basis, believing that the example, museums and archives are only way a federal sufrage amendment also seeking to inform the general could be passed was if the minimum population, but their audience is a more number of states required to ratify such modern one, and their approach will a bill already had sufrage amendments often put more modern values onto in their own state constitutions. the historical events and will also often Tis approach focused on lobbying provide shorter bits of information in individual state legislators and on a order to better engage their modern nationwide movement of small-scale audience. Professional historians are parades, speeches, fundraisers, and often seeking to add something to the committees. Te NWP, on the other academic debate, which is both their hand, focused their time on the passing goal and their limitation as they often of a federal amendment, believing end up writing for a small audience. that a federal amendment would be Films seek to entertain a larger audience a more immediate solution and that and often sacrifce historical accuracy the state-by-state approach taken on for the storyline. Each of these types of by NAWSA would only prolong the sources approach the NWP diferently. passage of a sufrage bill and further Tis paper will seek to better understand delay the enfranchisement of women. the limitations associated with writing Teir approach focused on large-scale in history and some of the important strategies such as parades involving considerations that must be made when thousands of women, major public analyzing any source on a historical event speeches, picketing in front of the by analyzing the way in which diferent White House, mass meetings, civil sources discuss the strategies of the NWP, disobedience, nonviolent confrontation, specifcally their 1913 parade through hunger strikes, and relentless lobbying Washington D.C. and their White House of federal legislators.1 Tese approaches picketing campaign. were often derived from the British sufragettes’ militant tactics in England, Te Sufrage Movement in Whole which the leader of the NWP, Alice Paul, experienced during her time supporting Before any analysis can be the sufrage movement in England. It 20 Demery Little was because of these more militant- Te 1913 Sufrage Parade esque tactics that the NWP was sometimes referred to as “sufragettes,” Many historical publications a term used to describe militants focus on specifc events or tactics as a rather than the more politically focused means of securing the constitutional “sufragists.” amendment. Examples include Te NWP started in 1912 as a the parades that the NWP held in smaller organization within NAWSA, cities across the nation including in the Congressional Committee, formed Washington, D.C. Te frst parade that by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns in an Alice Paul held as the leader of NAWSA’s efort to get NAWSA to focus more on Congressional Committee occurred a federal amendment. In 1913, Paul and on March 3, 1913, in Washington, D.C., Burns along with the Congressional the day before Woodrow Wilson’s Committee organized the 1913 sufrage inauguration.3 Te march consisted of parade in Washington D.C. In February more than 5,000 marchers, nine bands, of 1914, Paul and Burns separated from three heralds, four mounted brigades, NAWSA completely to become an and twenty-four foats.4 Te march was independent organization fghting for organized by Alice Paul, and it drew large women’s sufrage. In June of 1916 they crowds of spectators who were in town became the National Woman’s Party. for Wilson’s inauguration. Te parade Te combined efort of the NWP and started as planned but, as the march NAWSA led to the eventual passing wore on, the crowds began to push and ratifcation of the Nineteenth onto the street and block the marchers Amendment to the Constitution, which from proceeding. Some marchers were states that “the right of citizens of pushed, grabbed, tripped, and jeered at the United States to vote shall not be by the crowds. Tis march was the frst denied or abridged by the United States event organized by Alice Paul in the or by any State on account of sex.”2 United States, and it reinvigorated the Te amendment passed Congress in movement on a national level. 1918 and was ratifed by the minimum Newspaper coverage of the three-fourths of the states and 1913 parade in mainstream newspapers ofcially became an amendment to the was minimal compared to later parades Constitution in 1919. organized by Alice Paul. Many of the 1 “Tactics and Techniques of the National Woman’s Party Sufrage Campaign.” Library of Congress-American Memory Collection, Accessed 8 Dec. 2018. https://www.loc.gov/collec- tions/static/women-of-protest/images/tactics.pdf. 2 Nineteenth Amendment to the U.S. Const. amend. XIX. 3 Matthew Costello, “Picketing the White House: Te Sufragist Movement During the Great War,” Te White House Historical Association, Accessed 11 Dec. 2018, https://www.whitehouse- history.org/picketing-the-white-house. 4 Sheridan Harvey, “Marching for the Vote: Remembering the Woman Sufrage Parade of 1913,” Library of Congress: American Memory, Accessed 1 Dec. 2017, memory.loc.gov/ammem/awh- html/aw01e/aw01e.html. 21 Augsburg Honors Review articles written about the day focus Carrie Chapman Catt as organizers and on Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration important fgures in the parade and while treating the parade as a footnote the movement. Tis article also focuses despite the fact that it was a major event on the fashion and decorative aspect that took place during the inauguration of the parade, traditional feminine festivities. For example, an article ideals, and therefore doesn’t give the written for the New York Times on parade the weight that it deserved in Wilson’s inauguration mentioned the the movement.6 Te Evening Star, a women’s march very briefy.
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