“Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought For the Right to Vote” by Susan Ware

Title: “Why They Marched: Untold Stories of the Women Who Fought For the Right to Vote”
Author: Susan Ware
Publisher: The Belknap Press of Harvard University Press
Year: 2019
Genre(s): Non-fiction, history
Part of a Series: No
Rating: 

Why I read it: I saw in the Museum of American History’s giftshop and thought it looked interesting

Summary: Ware uses primary documents to tell the stories of some of the women who marched and fought for the right to vote. Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Susan B. Anthony, Alice Paul and other big names are minor players and Ware lets those who didn’t make the history books have their moments to shine.

Review: As I’m sure you’ve noticed, I’m not a big fan of non-fiction. But I decided to take a chance on this book and I’m glad I did! Ware’s dedication to telling the stories of the women we don’t hear about was a smart one. It helped show that those who marched were just like you and me. And it feels even more significant that I read it this year – and not just because it’s the centennial of the first national election women across the country were allowed to vote in, but because I was reading it as the Black Lives Matter protests started around the country and around the world.

Not to mention everything else surrounding this election.

But let’s focus on the book.

Ware traces the suffrage movement linearly and focuses on one woman in each chapter, though the others may play supporting roles in the chapter. She tells us about their families, their lives and how their work to get the vote affected them. Most enjoyed some amount of fame and notoriety in their time but their legacies have gone unrecognized over the years.

She doesn’t shy away from confronting the prejudices of the suffragettes either. Ware highlights prominent African-American suffragettes like Sojourner Truth, Ida Wells-Barnett, and Mary Church Terrell and their contributions to the movement. But she also writes about the discrimination they received from their fellow suffragettes. Southern suffragettes absolutely refused to do anything with Black women and some didn’t even want them to have the vote – wanting only white women to be able to vote. Black suffragettes were often forced to march in the back of parades and Ida Wells-Barnett had to sneak into her mostly white group during one in order to march with them.

In addition to racism, many suffragettes were also classists and didn’t really consider the working class women. But it was working class women like Rose Schneiderman who became the part of the final push to get the vote, especially knowing it was the best way to get the conditions they worked in changed. But even now they seem to get overlooked in favor of the wealthier suffragettes who could devote more time to the cause because they had money.

Ware also details some of what the suffragettes experienced as they fought for their right to vote and everything old is new again. Violent clashes with police, jail time, and derision from those who benefit from the status quo – and that includes a president who is against them (in this case, Woodrow Wilson, who was ultimately debilitated by a stroke and his wife would essentially run the country as she hid the true extent of her husband’s condition).

And I conclude by saying that if you’re American and you can, please vote this November. Honor the work of these (albeit flawed) women and take a small step to being part of our government.

Bottom line: A good look at this period of American history.

Sex: Mentioned. People procreate.

Moonlight Musing

Have you registered to vote and/or checked your registration?