Women, Their Rights, and Nothing Less

Yellow and Red Roses

Women began to step into more public lifestyles.  They could disagree a bit with their husbands, a right that their mothers didn't have- Elizabeth Packard was put into a mental hospital just because she disagreed with her husband!

In 1917, the suffragists made a jump.  For the first time, on January 10th, the suffragists picketed.  Picketing quickly became popular.  Women picketed in front of the White House, carrying signs.  In 1918, signs with messages addressed to  President "Kaiser Wilson" became popular.  One woman even burned a photo of  Woodrow Wilson on the sidewalk in front of the White House.  In England, women poured acid into Parliament mailboxes, destroying important mail, and maybe a few invitations to tea.  When these women picketed, they were carried off to jail.  From jail, several of them were sent to a women's prison in Virginia, which was rumoured to treat their inmates terribly.  Here, Alice Paul and a friend made their "last stand."  They went on hunger strikes, and shared the torture of being force fed together.  Jailers attempted to get these women labeled insane.

Paul and her friend weren't the only ones being abused in that prison, though.  Many of the women were subject to Nights of Terror.  They were strung by their wrists with chains to rafters, thrown onto cement floors, etc.  Not all of these women where exactly young.  

It was around this time that the two rival groups, AWSA (American Woman Suffrage Association), and NWSA (National Woman Suffrage Association), merged and became the NAWSA, the National American Woman Suffrage Association.  The two parties had split years previously, due to differences of ideals.  Lucy Stone took a group of suffragists with her when she split from Anthony and Stanton.  They three split because Stone was not willing to deny black men their Amendment.  The British suffragettes were united, so they all shared the same flag colors: purple, white, and green.  White for purity, green for hope, and purple for dignity.  

Congress was going to meet to discuss an Amendment for women's suffrage.  The summer of 1920 turned into a war of roses.  Anti's wore red roses, and suffragists wore yellow roses.  The shadows of politics where teaming with life.  What did these shady saloon owners feed their politician guests?  Illegal whisky, moonshine, the works.  The saloon owners and alcohol brewers didn't want women's suffrage because they feared that women would vote to outlaw all alcohol, and shutdown saloons and breweries.  Others thought that women would start to act like men if they got the vote.

Thomas W. Ferry, the Vice President of America, signed the Amendment, as Woodrow Wilson was out of country at the time.  Now, the Amendment just had to pass Congress, with at least 36 states ratifying.  As each state said yes, Alice Paul sewed another star onto her banner.  There was space for 36 stars.  35 stars appeared on the banner.  The suffragists, and America, held their breaths.  

Harry Burn, the representative of Tennessee, stood up.  In his buttonhole was a red rose.  In his pocket was a letter from Feb Burn, his mother.  The letter told him to "be a good boy, and help Ms. Catt with her 'rats.'"  Burns stood up, threw down his rose, and voted yes for women suffrage.  Tennessee was the 36th state to ratify the 19th Amendment.  In 1920, Harry Burn's vote made women's suffrage the law of the land.