Two important moments in National Woman's Party (NWP) history took place in Chicago in the early years of its existence, in addition to its founding in the city. This was partly because Illinois had given its women the right to vote on a select group of elections, including presidential elections, in 1913. With its large … Continue reading The National Woman’s Party In Chicago

The Lombard Historical Society (LHS) and Tim Frakes Productions Inc. announced the premier and showings of a new documentary - All Citizens: The Lombard Women who Voted 29 Years Before the 19th Amendment and the Story of Those Who Made it Possible. All Citizens is a reenactment of the day that Lombard women made history and voted on April … Continue reading All Citizens: a new documentary

By Scarlett Andes – Loyola University Chicago, Masters in Public History Program, Fall 2019.             Agnes Nestor, a prominent labor leader and educator, stands out as an unusual contributor to the fight for women’s suffrage in Illinois, which she saw as directly tied to working women’s interests. Born in 1876 in Grand Rapids, Michigan, Agnes Nestor … Continue reading Agnes Nestor – Working Women’s Advocate

By Erin Witt – Loyola University Chicago, Masters in Public History Program, Fall 2019.  “From the first years to which my memory stretches, I have been a disappointed woman” [1]. This was how Lucy Stone began an 1848 speech and how she also began her political life. Early on, Stone saw the differences in the way … Continue reading Making the World Better: Lucy Stone

By Davis Stubblefield – Loyola University Chicago, Masters in Public History Program, Fall 2019. When people think about the major figures of the Suffrage movement, several names immediately spring to mind: Susan B. Anthony, Jane Addams, Ida B. Wells-Barnett, Elizabeth Cady Stanton. For Illinois, and particularly Evanston and the Chicago area, another name should be just … Continue reading Elizabeth Boynton Harbert

By Rachel Madden - Loyola University Chicago, Masters in Public History Program, Fall 2019. On March 3rd, 1913, a commotion arose outside the White House. A parade of 5,000 suffragists marched up Pennsylvania Avenue, hoping to draw the attention of Woodrow Wilson, whose presidential inauguration was scheduled for the following day [1]. However, thousands of people … Continue reading “For the future benefit of my whole race”: Ida B. Wells and the Alpha Suffrage Club