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Equal Suffrage League of Virginia

copied stub from Equal Suffrage League of Virginia

The Equal Suffrage League of Virginia was founded in 1909 in Richmond, Virginia. Like many similar organizations in other states, the league's goal was to secure voting rights for women. When the 19th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution was ratified in 1920, enabling women to vote in all states, the Equal Suffrage League dissolved and was reconstituted as Virginia League of Women Voters, associated with the national League of Women Voters. The 19th Amendment was not ratified in Virginia until 1952.

Lila Meade Valentine was the first president and Kate Waller Barrett was vice president. Adele Goodman Clark served as the secretary for one year and headed the group's lobbying efforts in the Virginia General Assembly. Other cofounders included Nora Houston, Ellen Glasgow, and Mary Johnston.

Drafting new material here:

The Equal Suffrage League of Virginia was formed out of a series of meetings in November 1909 at the home of the Anne Clay Crenshaw. Located at 919 West Franklin Street in Richmond, the home is part of the West Franklin Street Historic District and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

The Crenshaw House at 919 West Franklin Street in Richmond, site of the first meeting of the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia in 1909.

The minutes of the first meeting on November 20 describe the attendees as "women interested in the formation of the Virginia Suffrage League" At a second meeting held one week later, officers and a board of directors were elected. Among the original eighteen founders were Lila Meade Valentine (president), Kate Waller Barrett (vice president), Adele Goodman Clark (secretary), Nora Houston, Ellen Glasgow, and Mary Johnston. In the first year, the league enrolled 120 members, mostly in Richmond. The majority of its members were socially prominent women.

The national suffrage movement had gained considerable traction in the preceding decades, but lagged behind in Virginia as elsewhere in the South.

National suffrage movement had gained considerable traction in the preceding decades, but lagged behind in Virginia as elsewhere in the south. - likely due to complex social attitudes among white Virginians in the aftermath of Reconstruction.

Lack of interest among Virginia women meant the first task of the ESL was to educate them, to raise awareness and build interest. (Graham 231) While national organization had moved on to activism, leaving Virginia to work out its own problems.

Leaders visited women’s colleges, schools, fairs, union meetings. Distributing literature and speaking out in the streets. In Richmond, convinced a group of businessmen to found the Men’s Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. Dramatically increased membership in the Richmond group with additional branches in multiple locations around the commonwealth.

More than 20,000 members by 1920.

History

Founding

founding members, first meetings, original purpose, etc.

On January 21, 1910, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia hosted their first major public event, a guest lecture by Dr. Anna Howard Shaw, president of the National American Woman Suffrage Association.

Growth

Although affiliated with the National American Woman Suffrage Association from the early days, the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia found itself trying to catch up to the progress of the national movement. Where the NAWSA had moved on to lobbying and direct political activism, the Virginia movement had to focus on education and awareness. Effectively, the ESL was about 20 years behind the national movement, which meant the state initiative was off to a slow start. (Graham, NR nom form).

Early efforts of the ESL included canvassing, distributing leaflets, and public speaking events. Leaders across the state visited women’s colleges, schools, fairs, and union meetings. In Richmond, a group of businessmen were encouraged to join the effort and founded the Men’s Equal Suffrage League of Virginia. (Graham) These efforts paid off in a rapidly expanding movement. By 1914, the league included 45 chapters across the state, a number that increased to 115 by 1916. In 1919, ten years after the founding, the ESL reached 30,000 members. By this time, efforts toward changes in the state constitution intensified with the ESL lobbying for support for an amendment the state constitution that would permit women to vote. (LVA-ESL).

early campaign to recruit and education; subsequent reorganization along the lines of the national organization

Opposition

political and social opposition; class, race, gender; response to opposition, affirmation of racial position

By 1909 when the Equal Suffrage League of Virginia was founded, the national suffrage movement had gained considerable traction. The movement lagged behind in Virginia as elsewhere in the South where both supporters and opponents sought to safeguard white dominance. Anti-suffragists argued that extending the vote to women would threaten white hegemony by giving more African Americans the right to vote while supporters of woman suffrage countered, not by condemning white supremacy, but by arguing that woman suffrage would not have a significant racial impact at the polls.

Broader scope

expanding to include reform and feminist activism

Failure and success

Disbanded shortly after the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1920, the group was reconstituted as the Virginia League of League of Women Voters. Their stated purpose was to register women voters, to educate them on the issues, and to advocate for social reform. With the passage of the 19th Amendment, women in Virginia gained the right to vote, but the amendment was not ratified by the Virginia General Assembly until 1952.

Notable members

Mary Johnston, Lila Meade Valentine, Adele Goodman Clark

Further Reading

Colvard, Bernice. Virginia Women & the Vote, 1909–2009: The Equal Suffrage League & The League of Women Voters in Virginia. Richmond: League of Women Voters, 2009.

Graham, Sarah Hunter. "Woman Suffrage in Virginia: The Equal Suffrage League and Pressure-Group Politics, 1909-1920," Virginia Magazine of History and Biography, 101, no. 2 (April 1993): 227-250.

Kollatz, Jr., Harry. “The Genteel Crusaders,” (August 27, 2012). Richmond Magazine, Target Communications, Inc.

Salmon, Emily J. and Edward D. C. Campbell, Jr. The Hornbook of Virginia History. Richmond: Library of Virginia, 1994.

External Links

• https://www.encyclopediavirginia.org/Equal_Suffrage_League_of_Virginia_1909-1920#start_entry
• https://www.dhr.virginia.gov/VLR_to_transfer/PDFNoms/127-0228-0029_Crenshaw_House_2010_NR_FINAL.pdf
• http://edu.lva.virginia.gov/online_classroom/shaping_the_constitution/doc/valeague

References

Category:Organizations established in 1909 Category:Women's suffrage advocacy groups in the United States