Suffering Suffragettes
Suffering Suffragettes
Although the word “suffrage” may sound like a term more closely associated with Torquemada’s role as Grand Inquisitor, Merriam-Webster assures us that suffrage simply means 1) exercising the right to vote, 2) a vote given to decide a controversial question, or 3) electing a person for an office or trust.
As we transition into the era of the first African-American U.S. presidency, we are reminded that the Fifteenth Amendment was passed by Congress in 1869 just after the Civil War and Emancipation Proclamation. It stated that “the right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.” Yet, consider carefully that there was still no clause specific to women and, unbelievably, it would take another fifty years until the 19th Amendment was passed finally giving women the right to vote. In retrospect, it would appear that the massive chasm between two races has still been easier to bridge than the disparity between two genders.
Male domination has been known to take on many unhealthy forms. Control issues and excessive rigidity in gender roles have often been associated with domestic abuse. The old adage of “keeping the wife barefoot-and-pregnant,” subservient and bound by traditional familial chores such as washing, ironing, cooking, mending, churning, baking, cleaning, and child-care, all contributed to the oppression of women’s rights which lasted well into the twentieth century. And although the debut of Rosie-the–Riveter during World War II was the true beginning of the female work force helping to liberate multitudes of women into non-traditional gender roles, it was the enormous personal sacrifice of a small group of women in 1917 that laid the groundwork for the privilege of voting.
It was only ninety years ago, in the era of our grandmothers and great-grandmothers that these events came to pass. The details are graphic. Two women in particular, Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, broke from the mainstream Women’s Rights movement (started by Susan B. Anthony in the mid-1800s) and created a more radical wing, pushing the limits of acceptable female behavior and taking women’s political protest to new heights. Together they battled not only the virulent chauvinism of the most powerful men in the country, including Woodrow Wilson, but also the older and more conservative female activists of their own contingent.
On November 15th, 1917, Paul and Burns were arrested along with 216 other suffragists who had picketed the White House bearing signs for the right to vote. Thirty-three were jailed on the official charge of “obstruction of traffic.” That night 40 prison guards at the Occoquan Workhouse in Virginia went on a rampage with their batons. With the blessings of their warden, they beat the women in their cells, dragging, grabbing, choking, pinching, twisting, and kicking. By morning some were barely alive. Lucy Burns was beaten; her hands chained to the cell bars over her head. She was left hanging there for the entire night, bleeding and gasping for air. Dora Lewis was another detainee. Upon entering the jail, she was hurled into a dark cell. Her head was smashed against the iron cot and she lost consciousness. Her cellmate, Alice Cosu, seeing the unresponsive Lewis, thought she was dead and had a heart-attack. Alice Paul engaged in a hunger strike. When the guards tried to force-feed her, they tied her to a chair and poured liquid down her throat with a tube until she vomited. This torture went on for weeks until word was smuggled out to the press.
Unimaginably, Woodrow Wilson and his associates attempted to persuade a psychiatrist to declare Alice Paul insane for the purpose of having her institutionalized. Much to his credit the doctor refused. His only declaration was to say that she was strong and brave – which did not make her crazy. Conversely, the doctor reprimanded the men by saying that courage in women “was often mistaken for insanity.” In retrospect, perhaps it might be considered that the correlation between “suffrage” and “suffering” is not so far removed from medieval times after all.
Regardless of any gender or ethnicity, voting should never be considered an inconvenience or an unpleasant obligation. We cannot afford to fall prey to the distractions of daily life and lose sight of our true priorities. We cannot stop believing that every vote counts. And considering the price of political self-determination, it is nothing less than criminal to forego our hard-won rights, thus dishonoring the courageous men and women who fought for our freedoms. As U.S. citizens, we have now experienced the forty-fourth election in a country that is still free from dictatorships and violent military coups – and have done so with record turnout, the best in forty years. It is encouraging to know that so many voters recognize voting as a privilege. After all, good intentions don’t count. Nothing counts until the curtain of the polling booth cuts off the outside world and leaves the voter alone with their convictions.
Nancy R. Koerner is the author of Belize Survivor: Darker Side of Paradise. Based on her own true story, this powerful exposé of unspeakable domestic violence against a contrasting backdrop of magnificent tropical splendor is getting rave reviews. As a DV advocate and a gifted motivational speaker, Ms. Koerner’s mission is to inspire and empower other women to make the choices which will ultimately lead to their own autonomy. For speaking engagements, contact inquiries@belizesurvivor.com or call 239-229-6700. For every "Direct-Order-from-the-Author" book purchased from www.belizesurvivor.com, a donation is made to the Shelter for Abused Women and Children in Naples, FL. Also available through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Borders, and Books-a-Million.
0 advocates for peace:
Post a Comment