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Women's Suffrage

Images from Schlesinger Library

Louise Hall speaking from the back of the vehicle holding the Liberty Bell and a "Votes for Women" banner during a suffrage campaign stop in Pennsylvania, 1915.

Victoria Woodhull, the only woman at the polls, attempting to cast a ballot. Published in Harper’s Weekly, Nov. 25, 1871, p. 1109.

Three women outside the MA Woman Suffrage Assocation, 1914.

Alice Paul sewing stars on the suffrage flag as others look on, ca.1920.

Photograph of Susan B. Anthony, with Elizabeth Smith Miller, her daughter Anne Fitzhugh Miller, and Mary S. Anthony, 1905.

Informal portrait of a young girl standing with the "Justice Bell," a replica of the Liberty Bell, during a suffrage rally in Pennsylvania.

Florence Luscomb coloring in Tennessee on the Ratification map, 1919.

Margaret Foley in hot air balloon distributing suffrage pamphlets, 1910.

Research Tips

To search for materials relating to suffrage in HOLLIS:

  • Start in Harvard's HOLLIS catalog with an advanced search.
  • Enter the term "suffrage" in the keyword search field.
  • Enter any further description of what you are seeking (e.g., name, place, subtopic, etc.) in the additional search fields.
  • You can choose to limit your search results to "Books," "Journals," "Archives/Manuscripts," etc. in the "Resource Type" field or leave it set at "Any Resource Type."
  • In the "Search Scope" field, select "Schlesinger" from the drop down menu.
  • Click the "Search" button.

Sample search results:

The Digital Public Library of America (DPLA) has brought together an openly accessible curated collection of materials relating to Black women and the fight for suffrage: Black Women's Suffrage Portal. From DPLA, "The collection explores both the roots of women’s activism in Black communities; the ongoing struggle to secure, protect, and use the right to vote, beyond the Suffrage Movement; and the intersections between voting rights and other civil rights."

 

The Online Biographical Dictionary of the Woman Suffrage Movement in the United States is a freely accessible, searchable online database. The database contains crowd sourced biographical sketches of grassroots woman suffrage activists coordinated by Thomas Dublin and published by Alexander Street Press. Currently including ~2,600 biographical sketches of black women suffragists, supporters of the National Woman's Party, and activists affiliated with the National American Woman Suffrage Association, new biographies are added every 6 months. 

Ask a Schlesinger Librarian about your research.

  • We can recommend additional sources and provide in-depth research help. 
     

Search the HOLLIS catalog for more resources. 

  • This guide only provides an introduction to materials related to your topic. 
     

Contact us in advance of your visit.

  • Many of our collections are stored offsite and/or have access restrictions. 

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