Womens Suffrage - Essay Example

Women’s Suffrage Introduction Women’s suffrage is the term used to refer to the rights of women to run for political office as well as vote. New Zealand was the first country to extend the voting rights to the women in 1893. In 1894, South Australia was the premier country to consent women to vie for a parliamentary seat (Du Bois 76). Women’s suffrage also encompasses political as well as economic rights to women who then qualify without any restriction to payment of taxes, ownership of property and marital status. Following the 1907 elections, the Grand Duchy of Finland was the first country to produce the first female as a member of parliament. In the United States, women’s suffrage gradually infiltrated the local and the states politics in the 19th and 20th century. In 1920, this movement culminated with the passage of Nineteenth Amendment to the Constitution of USA (Du Bois 77). This paper seeks to explore the opinion of three scholars on Women’s suffrage. Scholars’ Opinions William Du Bois (1868-1963) was a chief advocator for the civil rights of the Black society. In addition, he showed continued interest on the question of women and their rights to vote through his writing. He wrote the Horizons, Voice of the Negros and The independent where he advocated for the rights of the Afro-Americans as well as women in the society (Du Bois 75). During his time, he described various issues that affected the women in the Negro society. He undertook various factual studies to analyze the employment, wages, working hours and working conditions of women as compared to those of men. He noticed that there was sex discrimination in the job opportunities, wages as well as working conditions, which favored the men. He also reported that the black woman faced sexist discrimination in the society. They also faced racial discrimination that was practiced by the women organizations. During an annual convention of the National American Women Suffrage Association, he delivered a speech on suffrage that was later published as a book. During this speech, he advocated for the women’s right and encouraged their fight for justice. Furthermore, he collaborated with several famous suffragists, for example, Jane Addams, Mary Church Terrel and Ida Wells (McGoldrick 1). Du Bios through his writing has been acknowledged as a supporter for the woman suffrage by various scholars. During his tenure in the National Association of Advancement of Colored People (NAACP), he used his position as the editor of The Crisis magazine to champion the rights of women. In 1912, 1915 and 1917, he dedicated these editions on Women’s suffrage (Du Bois 76). In The Crisis of 1912, he suggested that the alliance between women and the African American should be continued in the 20th century. This edition of the article carried Fredrick Douglass portrait as the cover. The cover image was contrary to the message inside the magazine. This was because Fredrick Douglass was strongly against women’s suffrage (McGoldrick 1). In this edition, Du Bois termed the demand for the women’s suffrage as a significant human question that should not be ignored by any black citizen in the world. This openly criticized F. Douglass’s campaign against women’s suffrage. In 1915, the cover magazine carried the portrait of Abraham Lincoln and Sojourner Truth. They were black leaders who fought for the liberalization of the Black people. In this edition, Du Bois reminded his readers of the obvious historical linkage between women and African Americans. This edition contained comments from twenty black women and men on women’s suffrage. The edition reflected the African American views concerning the issue. Later on, in 1917 he dedicated the last edition which was released on the eve of enfranchisement of African Americans, which took place in New York (McGoldrick 1). In this edition, he encouraged the black women to get ready to vote. This edition served to give hope to the Black women that they should prepare to be awarded their rights. Although he wrote various editorials in favor of the women’s organizations, he did not fail to acknowledge the racial discrimination that was practiced by these organizations. According the Du Bois, the mission of these organizations was bound to fail if they separated on the basis of color. In addition, Du Bios believed that the argument for the Negro’s suffrage was an argument for the women’s suffrage. He believed that the two aspects were inseparable, and their success would only be realized if they united. In his writing, he insisted that there ought to be no hesitance in cases where responsible human beings are without voice in government. Both the African American, as well as the women, should not be hesitant in fighting for their voting rights, as well as representation in government (Du Bois 77). Overall, Du Bois believed that both African American, as well as women, were equal human beings who deserved justice (McGoldrick 1). According to him, both the Negro’s suffrage and women’s suffrage were great moments in democracy. He urged the African American leaders as well as other activist for the liberalization of the black, not to ignore the struggles of the women. This was because the suffering of the African American was similar to that of the women. In addition, he was against inter-racial marriage. This is because he believed that the black women would suffer racial discrimination in the hands of the white men. Jefferson Thomas is an infallible oracle to today’s society. While his words still resonate in our current world, it should be remembered that his words were meant for the eighteenth century. Jefferson lived in between two eras: the era of reason and that of romance, with uninhibited emotionalism. Jefferson made an attempt to consign women to a less contentious and rarefied domain. Jefferson made it clear that love was a spiritual relationship, rather that a gratification of carnal appetite (Nock 59). Jefferson felt that the life of the woman should revolve around the children, husband and home. He decided that his wife should be talented, a good companion, intelligent and a good homemaker. In Jefferson’s opinion, women lacked an apt degree of thought independence. He believed that women should be taught on accepting the domination of their husbands (Nock 42). Wives had an important role in their husband’s political life. However, this role was only supposed to be supportive according to Jefferson, as a social companion and a hostess to the husband. Like most men of his lifetime, Jefferson had the conviction that women’s interests were to be confined to childbearing and housekeeping. Jefferson fathered 6 children in ten years of marriage. Several children were fathered even when the wife’s health would have precluded pregnancy. He believed that males and females had separate roles to which they were born to do (Nock 57). According to him, these roles were genetically determined, and were not to mix in anyway. In particular, he believed that women should shun politics by all means. According to Jefferson, women were not called upon to discuss matters of politics. Therefore, there was no reason to give the women votes. He once wrote that a woman’s appointment to an office was an innovation that the public was not prepared to receive. Jefferson was not prepared for a preposterous moment, in which enfranchised women would run for office. He believed that women could not mix with men in public meetings as this would be equitable to promiscuity (Padover 301). To him, the education of women was simple, their duties were simple. He encouraged the development of artistic talents for women. Politics was a complex puzzle that the female gender was incapable of deciphering. Therefore, the role of the wife centered on being satisfactory tutors to their children, and worthy companions of their spouse. For nearly fifty years, Jefferson worked on a plan in developing a white, male universal education. However, at the age of seventy years, he believed that an education plan for females had never been a subject of contemplation for him (Padover 297). His daughters were instructed on how to draw, dance, talk and read French and anything that will make them worthy of love in the eyes of their friends. In attesting his point, Jefferson went ahead and devised a curriculum for his eldest daughter. The curriculum was a daily routine to be followed. In the routine, there were music lessons, drawing lessons, writing letters and French lessons. All these while, he believed he was preparing his daughters to serve their future husbands. In 1816, he declared that mixing of men and women in public would produce ambiguity of issues and deprivation of morals. At one time, Jefferson travelled to France as an envoy. There, he saw emancipated and intelligent women, who were presiding over Parisian salons. Jefferson was never at ease in this “strange society”. He was perturbed by the fact that the women had stepped out beyond their mandate. He forecasted that the French monarchy would soon become a matriarchy, were it to allow their women into politics. It is intricate to comprehend the ambivalence of Jefferson. In one facet, he believed in the equal creation of all men and supreme personal liberty. Nevertheless, on the other facet, he imposed boundaries on women. Some have attributed this behavior as resulting from bitterness, perhaps from a bad experience with women. The validity of this statement is a question of personal inclination. Booker Washington T. was an African American leader. His importance extended beyond the Tuskegee community. By the year 1908, his opinion on women suffrage was being called for by the elite. Washington sent a letter to Lincoln, who was an editorial staff in the New York Times. Lincoln later printed the Women Suffrage Movement by B. T. Washington. This was printed on 20th December, 1908 (Washington 700). In his statement, Washington acknowledged the influence of women through means besides voting. He was quick to point out that women were not powerless and silent members of the society. He affirmed that women asserted a degree of public influence via their involvement in churches, family life and community organizations. Washington never advocated for the oppression of women. His opinion was a 19th century approach to the spheres that are appropriate for women. He even concluded his statement on a diplomatic tone, when he stated that the issue before hand would be best addressed by women themselves. Despite this feminist rhetoric, Washington still harbored an open criticism for the right’s of women to vote. Washington made the distinction between women’s private and public realms crystal clear. In accordance with the Institute of Tuskegee, political power was not a right to be granted. Rather, it was a responsibility. His remarks had an impact in the suffragists’ quest. In his letter, he purported that the woman had every right to develop her intellectual, moral and physical nature to the highest possible level. However, a woman voting was not in one of these things. He claimed that the woman had an enormous role within the country. The woman was helpful and powerful in affairs of home, school and press. Therefore, her quest to exert influence by voting would not have a more beneficial influence (Washington 700). Washington did not see any other additional benefits that the woman would bring in politics. He believed that her decision in the homestead was more imperative than any other place. It is imperative to note that Washington never supported the oppression of women. However, matters of representation were best handled by the men themselves. Politics required tough decisions and was not a safe playing field for the women. Despite all this, Washington concludes that women should be left alone to device their solution with regards to this weighty issue. Conclusion Woman suffrage is the right of women to vie for parliamentary offices, as well as vote. Various countries awarded these rights to the women at the beginning and mid of the 20th century. Various scholars in the society wrote on the women’s suffrage. William Du Bios is said to be a significant supporter of the women’s suffrage. His efforts on the subject were expressed in his writing as well as his speech. He used every avenue to educate both the African Americans and women on their quest for democracy. Jefferson believes that the role of the woman is confined to pleasing the husband and being a tutor to her children. He believes that is preposterous for women to engage in any aspect of politics. He also believes that the woman has no obligations and delegations beyond the home. Washington believes that matters of politics should be left for the men. However, he acknowledges the power of women when it comes to other issues. In all, he believes that women should not be oppressed. The opinions of these scholars had an imperative impact on women’s Suffrage quest. Works Cited Du, Bois. ‘Suffering Suffragettes’. The Crisis, 9 (June 1912): 76-77. Accessed on 30th April 2012. Web. McGoldrick, Neale. ‘Women’s Suffrage and the question of color’. Social studies. Accessed on 30th April 2012. Web. Nock, Albert. Jefferson. New York: Hill and Wang, 1966. Print. Padover, Saul. A Jefferson Profile. New York: The John Day Company, 1956. Print. Washington, Booker. Booker T Washington Papers. Urbana: University of Illinois Press, 1980. Print. Read More