Part 1: Records of the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association, 1892-1925
The Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association formed in 1882. Primary efforts were aimed toward school
and municipal suffrage. In 1883 Olympia Brown was elected president Membership declined under her
presidency and younger membersjoined the Political Equality League (PEL). Both organizations attempted to
generate positive publicity toward woman suffrage with street meetings, membership recruitments, fund
raising, education campaigns, and even activities at the county and state fairs. After the defeat ofthe Wisconsin
suffrage referendum in 1912, PEL and Wisconsin Woman's Suffrage Association merged under the name of
the Wisconsin Woman Suffrage Association (WWSA) in 1913, and Theodora W. Youmans was elected
president. The bulk ofthe material in Part 1 covers Theodora W. Youmans's presidency. Most ofthe material
is correspondence, but press releases, minutes, and reports are also included. WWSA scrapbooks and
newspapers clippings (Reels 17-18) provide more information about individual WWSA members, PEL, and
Woman's party activities.
Economic factors influenced the woman suffrage movement. Some WWSA members felt that wealthy
women had too much influence in WWSA activities. Wealthy women could afford to travel, so they were often
chosen as delegates to WWSA and National America Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) meetings and
conventions. Less affluent members felt the selection of delegates to conventions was often undemocratic.
Suffragists attempted to separate antisuffragists andworking women. By highlighting the antisuffragists' motto
"A woman's place is in the home," suffragists attempted to illustrate the antisuffragists' lack of concern for
women who had to workoutside the home. The suffragists attempted to reach many groups ofpeople•farmers,
labor organizations, foreign immigrants, school children and personnel, and religious groups.
Politics was also a major influence in the woman suffrage movement. The WWSA followed NAWSA's
nonpartisan policy. Both WWSA and NAWSA bitterly disagreed with the Congressional Union's policy of
opposition to the Democratic party. WWSA members lobbied members ofthe Wisconsin legislature as well as
members of the U.S. Congress. Lobbying was an ongoing process. Politicians changed their minds while
elections changed the balance ofsupport versus nonsupport in legislative bodies. Both state and national legislations
conducted suffrage hearings. Committees on woman suffrage were formed in both the U.S. Senate and
the U.S. House ofRepresentatives. Suffragists urged political parties to supportwoman suffrage as part oftheir
political platforms.
The suffragists' major effort was to counterthe opposition to woman suffrage generated by the liquorinterests
and the liquor industry's influence on Wisconsin citizens and politics. Liquor interests believed woman voters
would support prohibition. Some suffragists supported prohibition while other suffragists stressed the
separation of the woman suffrage and the prohib