SILENT NO MORE: THE TURNING POINT SUFFRAGIST MEMORIAL CAMPAIGN

Transcription

1 SILENT NO MORE: THE TURNING POINT SUFFRAGIST MEMORIAL CAMPAIGN They engineered the greatest expansion of democracy on a single day the world had ever seen, and yet suffrage faded from public memory almost as soon as it happened. The leaders built no monuments to themselves, and too many of their names have been lost to history. Eleanor Clift

2 WHAT WOULD YOU DO FOR YOUR RIGHT TO VOTE? Officially, the suffrage movement in the United States began with the Seneca Falls Convention in 1848 convened by Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Lucretia Mott, and others. A Declaration of Sentiments based on the Declaration of Independence resulted. In it were listed the many inequities women suffered under the legal and political systems: no voice in the laws, no independent rights after marriage, no custody of children in case of divorce, no right to a college education, no opportunity to enter most professions and no right to vote. Many in attendance did not support women s right to vote, but social reformer Frederick Douglas eloquently persuaded for its inclusion. The convention framed a national discussion about women s rights in America and marked the beginning of a massive civil rights movement that would spawn numerous women s rights organizations and span the next seven decades. The right to vote was seen as the first step to change the traditional and unjust systems that existed against women. Susan B. Anthony entered the movement in 1852 when she joined forces with Stanton. Fast forward to 1913: Women from every state took turns standing at the gates of the White House from dawn to dusk. For months on end. In rain, sleet, and snow. Silent but resolved. In their hands, handmade banners. They were the silent sentinels, or Iron- Jawed Angels. Led by Alice Paul on behalf Inez Milholland on white horse leading the parade. Three years later she collapsed and died in Los Angeles advocating for women s rights. March 3, 1913 Woman Suffragist Parade with thousands of marchers and nearly half a million onlookers, inciting a riot that sent over a hundred people to the hospital. 2

3 of hundreds of volunteers and 20 million American women without the right to vote. These advocates for liberty, following in the footsteps of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony, held the first national Mr. President How Long Must Women Wait For Liberty? march for a cause on Washington. Then they led the first ever protests in front of the White House. Each peaceful action was greeted with derision and violence. To remove the political embarrassment of the daily pickets, Alice Paul and around two hundred other silent demonstrators were dragged to court, then thrown into prison, most at the notorious Occoquan Workhouse. There they were beaten, forced to work, slept in rat-infested cells on bug-ridden mattresses, and fed food crawling with maggots. Even while incarcerated, they were pioneers in non-violent protest. They went on hunger strikes to protest their unconstitutional imprisonment and terrible treatment. But even this silent act would not be tolerated. Prison doctors placed Alice Paul in a psychiatric ward and attempted to transfer her to an insane asylum. But after an examination, the doctors of St. Elizabeth s psychiatric hospital refused to admit her. One physician reported that she had a spirit like Joan of Arc She will die but she will never give up. She and fellow protestors had tubes jammed down their throats for forced feedings up to three times a day. All to prevent them from becoming martyrs for women s suffrage. When news of the treatment of the suffragists reached the public, it became the turning point in the fight for the right to vote. Public opinion pivoted. The President finally agreed to support. And the push for the 19th Amendment, guaranteeing a woman s right to vote, became a possibility at last. Now we approach the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th Amendment. But Upper right: Group of suffrage prisoners. Silent sentenials at the White House. Lower right: Suffragist arrest. 3

4 many have forgotten how it came about. Who were responsible. And what life would be like without the courage of those silent sentinels. As this important anniversary approaches, we will restore the awareness of that moment when a few women changed America and the world. The national, garden style Turning Point Suffragist Memorial, to be built in Lorton, Virginia, will honor the women whose courage in the face of harsh imprisonment provided that turning point in the seventy-two year quest for women s right to vote. This memorial will educate, inspire, and empower present and future generations to remain vigilant in the quest for equal rights. And we need you as our partner to make this possible. Suffragists, sick and weak from prison. 4

5 TO HONOR, EDUCATE & INSPIRE The young women of today do not and can never know at what price their right to free speech and to speak at all in public has been earned. Lucy Stone, President of the American Woman Suffrage Association (1893) History s relentless march forward swallowed many suffrage events and names The women who fought for the right to vote are largely unknown today. And what happened to them at the Occoquan Workhouse is a story still waiting to be told. The non-violent protests of the silent sentinels made possible the largest expansion of voting rights in US history and launched the genesis of women s equal rights in the U.S. It provided a model for success used in subsequent battles for civil rights that followed in America and around the world. Unlike other heroes of the struggle for freedom, these women have no national monument befitting their extraordinary contribution to history. There is no single place reminding us of their role. Or to inspire us to the same level of commitment to civic participation. This will all change with the opening of The. The will be built near the site of the former Occoquan Workhouse in Lorton, Virginia, on land provided by the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority. Once constructed, this national memorial will serve as a place for education, reflection and inspiration. It will both honor the women who are heroes of our past and inspire the citizens who will shape our future. The site is both historically important and strategically located for visitors. It is near Civil War battlefields, Mount Vernon, Gunston Hall, and the Marine Corps Museum. It is also, of course, close to the nation s capital. It will be a key destination for travelers, school-age children, scholars, and those interested in the cause of democracy and equal rights. The memorial will include a variety of features depicting various aspects of the suffrage campaign. Entrance Plaza Gates will replicate those at the White House where suffragists stood as silent sentinels. Pavilions will provide space for interactive kiosks, small lectures, digital media, and a gift shop. A memorial cascade and waterfall will flow from a wall identifying the women incarcerated for the cause. The history of the suffrage movement will be told through 19 informational stations. A meditation garden will provide visitors an opportunity to reflect 5

6 Modern pickets outside the Capitol building. on the memorial s message of empowerment. The memorial is the cornerstone of the park s redevelopment. A banquet facility, marina, amphitheater, restrooms, and new parking lots are within steps of the memorial. These features will help ease access for large groups of visitors, to special special events with an historical focus, and to presentations thematically linked to the memorial. The conceptual design for the memorial was conceived by awardwinning architect Robert Beach of Robert E. Beach Architects, LLC. Volunteers, including historians and curators from the Sewall Belmont House, the Smithsonian s National Museum of American History, and other institutions will work in committee to ensure the design and content do justice to the memory of the suffragists and the history they fashioned. This project, like the dream of the suffragists, has been long in the making. Community leaders, In true suffrage fashion, Congressional lobbying. historians, democracy activists, and others have worked closely for years to identify a site, design and content worthy of those the memorial will honor. Together with our partners in the Northern Virginia Regional Park Authority, we are finally ready to begin our campaign to bring this monument to fruition. All that s needed now is your involvement and support. 6

7 SILENT NO MORE Everybody counts in applying democracy. And there will never be a true democracy until every responsible and lawabiding adult in it, without regard to race, sex, color or creed has his or her own inalienable and unpurchasable voice in government. Carrie Chapman Catt, President of the National American Woman Suffrage Association Public outdoor venues across our country display approximately 5,200 sculptures, only 399 of which memorialize women! In a tour of the capital area today, you will find monuments to many important historical figures. Many were instrumental in the fight for liberty, equality, and civil rights. Dr. Martin Luther King and Mohandas Gandhi. Thomas Jefferson and Abraham Lincoln. And veterans of wars fought for liberty here and around the world. But there are few monuments to women. And there are none to those whose historic actions paved the way for women to have a voice in their governance. The women who journeyed here from around the country and stood outside the White House a century ago, who suffered Dedication of Turning Point Memorial site. the indignities of the Occoquan Workhouse, were forced to be silent. Thanks to their courage and commitment, women can raise their voices today. The year 2017 will mark the 100th anniversary of the incarceration of the suffragists and the turning point in the suffrage movement. This is a perfect time to raise our voices and celebrate that accomplishment, honor those whose sacrifice achieved it, and memorialize their actions for future generations. Approximately $7 million is required to build the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial and open it in time for the centennial celebration of women s right to vote. Like most monuments, the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial must be funded entirely through private contributions. Today we need you to complete the work. With your help the Turning Point Suffragist Memorial will come to life as both a destination and a new turning point in the recognition of the uniquely important role of women in democracy. The memorial will generate a new interest and scholarship on the significance of women s roles in the cause of liberty. With your help, as Susan B. Anthony once said, failure is impossible. 7

8 Main Entrance Memorial Cascade 8

9 Memorial Concept Plan 2015 Copyright Robert E. Beach Architects, LLC 9

10 Memorial Master Plan 2015 Copyright Robert E. Beach Architects, LLC 10