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Celebrating the 100th Anniversary of the 19th Amendment
June 5, 2019
Yesterday, around 80 organizations across the United States are sharing stories about the passage of the 19th amendment that gave women the right to vote. I polled some of our Collections staff members about interesting items that talk about women’s right to vote. We have what you might expect – great images of like the one from Brookville you see at the top of this post, and papers from the Indiana Woman Suffrage Association, League of Women Voters and the Woman’s Franchise League of Indiana. Amy Vedra, director of reference, pointed me toward minutes from a meeting of the Student Senate at Shortridge High School that told an interesting story in a source you might not expect – minutes from a couple of meetings of the Shortridge High School Student Senate in the Shortridge High School Collection, 1870–1981, 1995.
I was particularly interested in the minutes from Jan. 12 and 19, 1917. During these meetings, students were discussing Bill 11 – not located in the bound volume but in essence, asks the question of whether or not women should be able to vote. Each student is acting as a senator from a specific state and explaining their position on women suffrage. I decided to “live tweet” the two meetings and had a lot of fun.
As you might expect, a lot of the student senators who were against suffrage use the age-old “a woman’s place is in the home” argument. However, I was pleased to see a few wonderful ones like Sen. Overman saying, “Why should a woman give up her education to care for a home just because she is a woman. Force of circumstance has made woman weaker than man. It is a provincial idea however that she belongs in the home,” and Sen. Johnson saying, “The idea of stratification because of sex should not exist. Grades in college are higher among girls than among boys. Women are more educated than men. They should be allowed to enter the political field.”
I’m glad this piece came to my attention. The minutes made me feel as if I were sitting and listening to this debate in a high school classroom with a haze of chalk dust in the air. I could almost hear the pen scratching on the paper as the secretary took down the minutes and the quiver in the voices of the student senators who spoke.
Scroll down to see the whole thread, and if you’re on Twitter, give us a follow. We share our images and events there almost every day and sometimes we live tweet talks and programs.
Suffrage was a hot topic in this set of meeting minutes from the Student Senate Records at @Shortridge from Jan. 12, 1917. Follow those for and against in this #19thAt100 thread. pic.twitter.com/hIYP4PYSsY
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Smoot, against: The ballot is not a right denied but a burden removed. Patriotism for a woman does not begin at the ballot box. It begins when she takes pain to teach her young the sacredness and dignity of the ballot. pic.twitter.com/LCasiPZnVP
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Cont.: The best and highest patriotism consists in doing their own work of teaching. Universal adult suffrage will be a menace to American government and to American womanhood and it is lacking in the fundamental principles of patriotism.
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Wadsworth, for: Women own property but have nothing to do with the government. Is this fair? No. Women look out for the country more than men do. pic.twitter.com/MHKb2iWdlT
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Overman, rebuttal to Sen. Smoot: Why should a woman give up her education to care for a home just because she is a woman. Force of circumstance has made woman weaker than man. It is a provincial idea however that she belongs in the home. pic.twitter.com/G9L3krYbDq
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Page, rebuttal to Sen. Overman: If women are as strong as men why did they not assert themselves at first? If men enter on women’s sphere, women object. The percentage of intelligent voters will not be increased. Women’s place is in the home. pic.twitter.com/f1cmRtJVZ5
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Johnson, for: The idea of stratification because of sex should not exist. Grades in college are higher among girls than among boys. Women are more educated than men. They should be allowed to enter the political field. pic.twitter.com/Z8dAELxK4m
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
The Jan. 12 meeting adjourns and has a former senator speak to them. The debate is picked up in the following meeting on Jan. 19.
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Shields, for: The men of today are not living up to the ideal set by their forefathers. Women voting will strengthen family ties, not corrupt them. The strength of the nation lies in the home. pic.twitter.com/50NTWGtpDn
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Lee, cont.: Public spirited women make public spirited sons. For the common good of all, the women should have the ballot. … We should avoid taxation without representation.
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Brady, against: Will the right to vote make the city any cleaner? No, they must hold office. The woman will lose interest in the home and the family will be ruined. pic.twitter.com/pmfYv1ZJe2
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Lodge: The last does not say that women should not vote. It is only custom. Men fight reform. They look at the money side of the question and women look at the results. pic.twitter.com/UKmYBY6Fsq
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Sherman, for: Men have made a muddle of this political house-cleaning. Why not give the woman the ballot and let her help us with her skilled hands? pic.twitter.com/fG7bfnadX9
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Reed, for: I wish to refute the argument that woman’s place is in the home. What if the woman is single? And if this were true, where, then, is man’s place? Woman is as much entitled to vote as man. pic.twitter.com/1WHKyoLSjp
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Shaproth[?], for: Should not intelligent women have the right to vote? Taxation without representation is known to be tyranny. To do honor and justice to the country you should pass this bill. pic.twitter.com/GAzG0zBe4n
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Lea, against: There are the same human elements in women as in men. The masculine qualities do not cause bad men to be put into office, but the human elements. This bill will not benefit conditions. pic.twitter.com/ntIZWzF19o
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Sen. Watson, for: The fundamental reason why women should vote is that it is their right. The constitution makes Woman a citizen and citizens have the right to vote. It is her inalienable right. A republic is based on good for the greatest number. pic.twitter.com/XeXdszAjHT
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
Well, it looks like the Shortridge Student Senate was not ready for women’s suffrage in 1917. Thanks for following along. #19thAt100 pic.twitter.com/Fgnz3bPMTE
— Indiana Historical Society (@IndianaHistory) June 4, 2019
As a side note, I have to hope that the minutes were taken on scratch paper and then copied into the book because the handwriting was impeccable.
