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Adra Powers turned in these two assignments about suffrage for her English II class, showing that students were engaging in political topics through the curriculum. The first, a revision of a short paragraph, does not debate whether women should be…

Alice Stone Blackwell was a prominent feminist, suffragist, and journalist during her lifetime. In this pamphlet published by the National American Woman Suffrage Association, Blackwell outlines 16 reasons why women should be granted the right to…

This letter shows that the Committee on Civil Rights worked with the Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee in their fundraising efforts, specifically mentioning the group’s involvement in voter registration activism. Signed by the organizers of…

The week before she would cast her vote in the mock election, Edith wrote to her father that students “are all up in arms just now over the question of woman’s suffrage.” She explains the occasion for the mock election by saying “there is to…

Handmade Votes for Women Sash, 1916 This sash belonged to Florence Tuttle ‘16, an active member of the National College Equal Suffrage League serving in multiple leadership roles. She and two classmates handcrafted their sashes for Suffrage Day and…

Although she was unwilling to align herself with the suffragist cause, Hortense wrote home about Suffrage Day, which took place on April 24. She describes the event: “after chapel a girl dressed in white beat a drum and there were all sorts of…

Jeannette wrote “Reasons for the Opposition of the Further Extension of the Suffrage,” for her English I class. Because she has not been fully convinced by any of the pro-suffrage arguments she has heard, she explores the logic behind the…

In a letter to her mother written mid-November, Jennie ‘11 gleefully describes leading a parade of her friends through campus dressed as suffragists. The group was clad in identical black gowns and gloves, white stockings, hats, glasses, and…

In April 1960, Louise DeCosta ‘62, Marion Fitch ‘62, Susan Heineman ‘60, Susan Higinbotham ‘62, and Anne Martin ‘62 wrote this letter to the administration of Mount Holyoke to declare the formation of the Mount Holyoke Committee on Civil…

President of the National College Equal Suffrage League as a senior, Louise Dunbar ‘16 often appeared with a sign bearing the text: “SHOW YOUR FAITH IN THE WOMEN OF MASSACHUSETTS: VOTE YES ON THE AMENDMENT ENABLING WOMEN TO VOTE.” Although the…

Florence Tuttle ‘16 (left), Dorothy Phelps ‘18 (center), and Helen McConkey ‘18 (right) formed a band of trumpets and drums on Suffrage Day May 9th, 1916. The three students wear ‘Votes for Women’ sashes, one of which is featured in this…

Marietta Holley (1836-1926) was an American author well-known for her humorous depiction of political and social movements, including women’s rights. She often wrote under pen names including “Josiah Allen’s Wife,” but for this particular…

On July 27, 1919, prominent Massachusetts women, including Mount Holyoke President Mary Woolley, were published in the Boston Globe feature “Sister is Primping for the Ballot Box Party” to explain what they thought would happen when women secured…

The Political Equality Series (alternatively Political Equality Leaflets) were single-page tracts published by the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) for public education on the topic of women’s suffrage. The tracts were often…

This flyer produced by the Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Association was handed out on Mount Holyoke’s campus during Suffrage Day on April 24. The progressive message of the flyer demonstrates the changing opinion regarding suffrage among students.…