Conflict in the
United States Woman Suffrage Movement
between the
National American Woman Suffrage Association
and the
Congressional Union/National Woman's Party
(1913-1919):
An Annotated Bibliography
Introduction
History
Between 1904-1912, the United States woman suffrage movement, led by the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) had grown very quiet. In 1912, Alice Paul, an American woman who was organizing in England with the suffragettes, arrived in the US and began to work with the NAWSA. She became chair of the NAWSA's Congressional Committee and attempted to inject new life into the movement. In April 1913, she formed the Congressional Union (CU) to aid the Congressional Committee's work. During this time, Alice Paul and the NAWSA leaders, including President Anna Howard Shaw, disagreed about the CU's semi-militant strategies. This disagreement caused the NAWSA to appoint a new Congressional Committee to replace Alice Paul's committee. In early 1914, the CU officially resigned from the NAWSA. After the division, NAWSA continued to work for woman suffrage using more moderate strategies than the CU. The CU attempted to unify enfranchised women behind the suffrage cause, and created the Woman's Party in order to do so. The CU and Woman's Party merged to form the National Woman's Party (NWP) in 1916. For the next three years, both organizations worked for woman suffrage, until the Senate approved the Susan B. Anthony Amendment (the 19th Amendment) on June 4, 1919. During the next year, both the NAWSA and NWP worked to get the amendment ratified.
For more information on the history of the US woman suffrage movement, visit Woman Suffrage Timeline.
This page is a comprehensive annotated bibliography of primary and secondary sources which illuminate conflict between, and strategies of the two organizations. The sources are divided into five subject areas:
- NAWSA Documents Regarding Division of NAWSA and CU/NWP
- CU/NWP Documents Regarding Division of NAWSA and CU/NWP
- NAWSA Strategies
- CU/NWP Strategies
- NAWSA Lobbying of Congress
Within these topics, the documents are separated by format, and within those divisions they are arranged chronologically.
Below is an example of an annotation:
Explanation of Annotations
Carrie Chapman Catt to Alice Paul. 12 April 1915.
LOC. NWP Papers: Group 2, the ERA Years. Box 1, folder 14.
Catt calls the CU a detriment to the New York state suffrage referendum campaign. She asks the CU to withdraw from New York. "At this time you may connect with disgruntled suffragists here and there, but you are not likely to command the adherence of any of the really efficient ones."
The red words are the title and date of the document. The blue words are the location of the document. It is stored at the Library of Congress (LOC) in the National Woman's Party (NWP) Papers, Group 2, in box 1, folder 14. The annotation describes the content of the particular letter.
Abbreviations used in the Annotations
- CU
- Congressional Union
- CU/NWP
- Congressional Union/National Woman's Party. NOTE: Because the Congressional Union became the National Woman's Party in 1917, I use the names interchangeably, and sometimes together, within this web page.
- LOC
- Library of Congress, Manuscripts Division
- NAWSA
- National American Woman Suffrage Association
- NWP
- National Woman's Party
- SSC
- Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College Libraries
Visiting the Libraries
After examining this bibliography, you may want to examine the sources yourself.
For information on visiting the Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College Libraries, Northampton, MA CLICK HERE
For information on visiting the Library of Congress, Manuscript Division, Washington, D.C. CLICK HERE
Both libraries may be able to send copies of documents to you through interlibrary loan programs.
Additionally, the Schlesinger Library, Radcliffe College, Cambridge, MA holds Alice Paul's papers and other Congressional Union/National Woman's Party documents. CLICK HERE for information about visiting the library.
Biographies of Suffragists
You can find biographies of most of the suffragists who authored correspondence that is annotated on this web page on the 75 Suffragists web page. Below are short biographies of suffragists not mentioned on that page.
Charles Beard- Husband of Mary Beard. Historian known for his Marxist interpretation of the U.S. Constitution.
Mary Beard- A writer and original CU member. Author of Woman: a Force in History. She was friendly with Carrie Chapman Catt.
Katharine B. Day- CU member.
Antoinette Funk-Chair of NAWSA Congressional Committee.
Ida Husted Harper- NAWSA member. Author of volume 5 of History of Woman Suffrage.
Ellen Key-Scandinavian theorist of feminist sexuality and motherhood.
Dora Lewis- Wealthy socialite and original CU member.
Mrs. Medill McCormick- NAWSA member.
Ruth Hanna McCormick-NAWSA Congressional Committee chair.
Anna G. Porrett-CU member.
Doris Stevens- CU member and author of Jailed for Freedom.
Helen Hill Weed- CU member.
I was unable to find information about the following people:
Lucy Anthony, Wilmar Atkinson, Inez A. Applebee, Mrs. Vincent Bly, Margaret Clark, Susan W. Fitzgerald, Mrs. Gillette, H.B. Laidlaw, Minnie J. Reynolds, Emma Winner Rogers, Ethel Smith, and Christine Bradley South.
Acknowledgments
This web page would not exist without the assistance of my research committee: Dr. Alexandrina Deschamps, Women's Studies professor, Dr. Kathy Peiss, History professor, and Emily Silverman, reference librarian. In addition, the University of Massachusetts, Amherst Commonwealth College provided financial assistance through an Honors Research Fellowship. Last, but certainly not least, the reference staff at the Sophia Smith Collection, Smith College Libraries and the Library of Congress Manuscript Reading Room, Manuscript Division were extremely helpful.
Created to complete research requirements for graduation with honors.
E-mail me at: emilyc_25@yahoo.com with your comments.
Last updated: May 17, 2000
