Fight of the Century: Alice Paul Battles Woodrow Wilson for the Vote by Barb Rosenstock

2020 ◽  
Vol 73 (7) ◽  
pp. 320-321
Author(s):  
Elizabeth Bush
Keyword(s):  
2020 ◽  
pp. 97-119
Author(s):  
Amy Aronson

In 1911, following the loss of her mother, Crystal Eastman married Wallace “Bennie” Benedict and moved to his home state of Wisconsin. Unable to find work as a lawyer, she accepted a job as campaign manager for the state’s suffrage drive. After a vicious battle, including opposition from the powerful brewing industry and elected officials, the measure lost two to one. Eastman returned to the Village in 1913, with Bennie in tow. He would soon initiate an affair, inciting a divorce that was finalized in 1916. Meanwhile, Eastman had united with Alice Paul and Lucy Burns, organizing the younger, more confrontational suffrage women to found the militant wing of the suffrage movement that became the National Woman’s Party. The group’s actions inside and outside the US Congress, including spectacular demonstrations and White House picketing to target the “party in power”—Woodrow Wilson and the Democrats—would finally leverage votes for women.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document