African-American Woman Suffrage Movement
Encyclopedia
As the women's suffrage movement gained popularity, African-American women were increasingly
marginalized. African-American women dealt not only with the sexism
of being withheld the vote, but also the racism
of white suffragists. The struggle for the vote did not end with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment
. In some Southern states African American women were unable to freely exercise their right to vote up until the 1960s. However, these difficulties did not deter African-American women in their effort to secure the vote.
(NAWSA). As NAWSA began gaining support for its cause, its members realized the exclusion African-American women would gain greater support, resulting in the adoption of a more narrow view of woman suffrage than had been previously asserted. NAWSA focused on enfranchisement solely for white women. African American women began experiencing the ‘Anti-Black’ woman suffrage movement. The National Woman Suffrage Association considered the Northeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs to be a liability to the association due to Southern white women's attitudes on black women getting the vote. Southern whites feared African Americans gaining more political advantage and thus power; African American women voters would help to achieve this.
who was chosen to serve as a delegate to Kentucky’s Republican Party in March 1920. White southerners took notice of black female activists organizing themselves for suffrage, and after the passage of the nineteenth amendment, black women's voter registration in Florida was higher than white woman's. Due to fears by white people, African-American women found themselves on the receiving end of a number of disenfranchisement methods. These included waiting in line for up to twelve hours to register to vote, head taxes and new tests. One of the new tests required that African-American women read and interpret the Constitution before being deemed eligible to vote. In the South, African-American women faced more difficult circumstances. These included bodily harm and fabricated charges designed to land them in jail if they attempted to vote. This treatment of African-American women in the South continued up until the 1960s.
marginalized. African-American women dealt not only with the sexism
Sexism
Sexism, also known as gender discrimination or sex discrimination, is the application of the belief or attitude that there are characteristics implicit to one's gender that indirectly affect one's abilities in unrelated areas...
of being withheld the vote, but also the racism
Racism
Racism is the belief that inherent different traits in human racial groups justify discrimination. In the modern English language, the term "racism" is used predominantly as a pejorative epithet. It is applied especially to the practice or advocacy of racial discrimination of a pernicious nature...
of white suffragists. The struggle for the vote did not end with the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment
Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution prohibits any United States citizen to be denied the right to vote based on sex. It was ratified on August 18, 1920....
. In some Southern states African American women were unable to freely exercise their right to vote up until the 1960s. However, these difficulties did not deter African-American women in their effort to secure the vote.
Marginalizing African American Women
In 1890, two rival organizations, the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association, merged to form the National American Woman Suffrage AssociationNational American Woman Suffrage Association
The National American Woman Suffrage Association was an American women's rights organization formed in May 1890 as a unification of the National Woman Suffrage Association and the American Woman Suffrage Association...
(NAWSA). As NAWSA began gaining support for its cause, its members realized the exclusion African-American women would gain greater support, resulting in the adoption of a more narrow view of woman suffrage than had been previously asserted. NAWSA focused on enfranchisement solely for white women. African American women began experiencing the ‘Anti-Black’ woman suffrage movement. The National Woman Suffrage Association considered the Northeastern Federation of Colored Women's Clubs to be a liability to the association due to Southern white women's attitudes on black women getting the vote. Southern whites feared African Americans gaining more political advantage and thus power; African American women voters would help to achieve this.
The "Educated Suffragist"
The main push of NAWSA's movement was to marginalize as many African-American women as possible. Through this effort developed the idea of the “educated suffragist.” This was the notion that being educated was an important pre-requisite for being allowed the right to vote. Since many African American women were uneducated, this meant exclusion from having the right to vote. This movement was prevalent in the South but eventually gained momentum in the North as well. African-American women would not be deterred by the rising opposition and became even more aggressive in their campaign to find equality with men and other women.Issues in Exercising the Vote
Despite the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920, African-American women, particularly those inhabiting Southern states, still faced a number of issues. At first, African American women in the North were easily able to register to vote and quite a few became actively involved in politics. One such woman was Annie Simms BanksAnna Simms Banks
Anna Simms Banks was an African-American educator and political figure from Winchester, Kentucky. After women gained the right to vote in the United States in 1920, she was a fully credited delegate at the 7th Congressional District Republican Convention in Kentucky, reported to be the first...
who was chosen to serve as a delegate to Kentucky’s Republican Party in March 1920. White southerners took notice of black female activists organizing themselves for suffrage, and after the passage of the nineteenth amendment, black women's voter registration in Florida was higher than white woman's. Due to fears by white people, African-American women found themselves on the receiving end of a number of disenfranchisement methods. These included waiting in line for up to twelve hours to register to vote, head taxes and new tests. One of the new tests required that African-American women read and interpret the Constitution before being deemed eligible to vote. In the South, African-American women faced more difficult circumstances. These included bodily harm and fabricated charges designed to land them in jail if they attempted to vote. This treatment of African-American women in the South continued up until the 1960s.
Biographical links
- Sojourner TruthSojourner TruthSojourner Truth was the self-given name, from 1843 onward, of Isabella Baumfree, an African-American abolitionist and women's rights activist. Truth was born into slavery in Swartekill, New York, but escaped with her infant daughter to freedom in 1826. After going to court to recover her son, she...
- Ida B. WellsIda B. WellsIda Bell Wells-Barnett was an African American journalist, newspaper editor and, with her husband, newspaper owner Ferdinand L. Barnett, an early leader in the civil rights movement. She documented lynching in the United States, showing how it was often a way to control or punish blacks who...
- Mary Church TerrellMary Church TerrellMary Church Terrell , daughter of former slaves, was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree. She became an activist who led several important associations and worked for civil rights and suffrage....
- Margaretta Forten
- Harriet Forten Purvis