Leaders of women's suffrage movement missing from the new $10 By Washington Post, adapted by Newsela staff on 05.02.16 Word Count 822 The $10 bill, featuring a likeness of Alexander Hamilton, the first U.S. Treasury secretary, is displayed at the National Archives gift shop in Washington, D.C., March 2, 2006. Photo: AP/J. Scott Applewhite. BOTTOM: Pictured are suffragists Lucy Stone and Carrie Chapman Catt. Photo: Wikipedia Last week, many were happy to hear from Treasury Secretary Jack Lew, who deals with the nation's currency, that Harriet Tubman would be placed on the front of a redesigned $20 bill. Other changes are also expected for the $5 and $10 bills. The back of the new $10 will show the end of the march of the suffragists, who were fighting for women's right to vote, in March 1913. The bill will feature five leaders of the movement: Lucretia Mott, Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Alice Paul. Some historians noted that key leaders of the women's suffrage movement are still missing. First among these is Lucy Stone. Sally McMillen, a professor at Davidson College and author of a Lucy Stone biography, tells us why she was such a key figure.
Stone was a gifted speaker. According to McMillen, she was capable of "quieting a crowd and delivering an absolutely compelling message." In 1850, Stone organized the Women's Rights Convention in Worcester, Massachusetts. Her speech there was said to have impressed John Stuart Mill and Harriet Taylor Mill, two important British philosophers and supporters of women's rights. Important Tool For The Movement Stone also published an important newspaper called the Women's Journal. According to Carnegie Mellon historian Lisa Tetrault, this was an important tool that helped to bring the movement together even before social media existed.
Yet, Stone is often pushed aside in the history of the suffrage movement. This is partly due to a falling out that occurred in 1869 between Stone and two other leaders, Stanton and Anthony. Due to her strong position against slavery, Stone supported the passage of the 15th Amendment, which gave black men the right to vote. She also believed that, in order to achieve women's suffrage, it was important to obtain step-by-step reform. This is why her organization supported partial suffrage, where women could only vote on certain issues. This was intended as a stepping stone toward the right to vote on all issues. Stanton and Anthony were not as willing to compromise. They believed that suffrage was a right that women should receive at the same time as African-American men. Their group supported a federal amendment, or a direct change to the Constitution, which was more than a partial reform. The two sides were at odds for 20 years until Anthony and Stone reconciled in 1890 to create the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA). This organization played a key role in the approval of the 19th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. Stone died three years later, in 1893. Different Personalities Make Up The Movement According to McMillen and Tetrault, it is partly because of this early disagreement within the movement that Stone gets far less credit for her role. Another factor was her personality. She was known as humble, and never kept a written record about her life. Meanwhile, Anthony and Stanton wrote a huge, three-volume history of the women's suffrage movement that completely left out Stone's role, McMillen says. The history of the movement was described from the point of view of their organization. Since most historians relied on these as primary documents, Stone's side of the story was forgotten. McMillen and Tetrault also suggested that Carrie Chapman Catt should be part of any group of key women's suffrage leaders. After Anthony, Catt became the leader of NAWSA from 1900 to 1904. She was a gifted speaker and organizer, and led the International Woman Suffrage Alliance to promote women's right to vote worldwide.
When she returned to lead NAWSA in 1915, the United States suffrage movement found itself divided again. The choice was between Catt and a more combative leader named Alice Paul. Catt favored a patient, moderate approach. Her "Winning Plan" included campaigning at both the state and federal levels, and making compromises. Paul, who broke from NAWSA, was of a different mindset. She had organized the 1913 march that will be depicted on the new $10 bill, picketed the White House, and gone on a famous hunger strike after being jailed for her work. Her attention was entirely focused on a federal amendment. Coming Together For A Common Goal Still, Catt's ground-level organizing was seen as effective in gaining state-level support for the amendment that ultimately passed in 1920. According to her bio from the Library of Congress, it was under her leadership that NAWSA won the backing of the House and Senate. "Without Carrie Chapman Catt, ratification definitely would have never taken place," Tetrault says. While Catt and Stone are singled out as the biggest missing names, there are surely others. Tetrault says she recognizes that there is a limit to how many people can fit on the back of a paper bill. Still, this decision is a reminder that, as with any movement, the achievements of a group are often brought about by many leaders, not just a few.
Quiz 1 Which statement would be MOST important to include in a summary of the article? Lucy Stone made many moving speeches and published a newspaper that brought the women s suffrage movement together. Several important leaders who fought for partial suffrage or suffrage at the state level have not been included in the design for the new $10 bill. Two leaders of the women s suffrage movement published a history of the movement that left out the contributions of other important leaders. As the leader of NAWSA, Carrie Chapman Catt worked to gain support at the state level for the amendment that gave women the right to vote. 2 How does the first paragraph of the section Different Personalities Make Up The Movement support a CENTRAL idea of the article? It explains why some leaders of the women s suffrage movement have been forgotten over time. It describes why some leaders of the women s suffrage movement more successful than others. It highlights some of the challenges faced by leaders of the women s suffrage movement. It compares the political strategies of different leaders of the women s suffrage movement. 3 Read the following excerpt from the article. The choice was between Catt and a more combative leader named Alice Paul. Catt favored a patient, moderate approach. Her "Winning Plan" included campaigning at both the state and federal levels, and making compromises. Paul, who broke from NAWSA, was of a different mindset. The words combative and moderate suggest that Paul and Catt: were working on separate issues relating to women s rights were working against each other on issues of women s rights had different approaches to winning women the right to vote had similar approaches to winning women the right to vote
4 Which of the following could replace the phrase key figure in the sentence below? First among these is Lucy Stone. Sally McMillen, a professor at Davidson College and author of a Lucy Stone biography, tells us why she was such a key figure. memorable supporter important individual wonderful role model historic symbol