Not only did the suffragists march in huge parades, but in some events they even carried portable soapboxes (such as in the photo below) in the event an opportunity arose for them to stand up on a street corner and speak. It was a novelty for women to speak in public back then as Susan B. Anthony knew well. And it was equally daring to climb up on a soap box and speak for as long as a crowd gathered to listen. This took considerable courage. The suffragists had to duck water thrown on them and smile in the face of insults and worse. The men who marched in suffrage parades also faced jeers and insults. Critics accused them of tagging after the “girls.” One man anonymously wrote a book entitled How it feels to be the husband of a suffragette. It’s not only funny, but you get the point. And it’s free for the download.
-
Join 562 other subscribers
Archives
Suffrage Wagon News Channel
Tweets by VotesforWomenImportant Links
- Alice Paul Institute
- Chick History
- ElectWomen
- Elizabeth Cady Stanton Hometown Association
- Equal Rights Amendment
- Her Hat Was in the Ring
- League of Women Voters
- Let's rock the cradle
- Long Island Suffrage Movement
- Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation & Home
- National Archives Online
- National Constitution Center
- National Women's History Museum
- National Women's History Project
- New York State Museum
- NYC Women's History Walk
- Organizing Toolbox: Video
- Sewall-Bemont House and Museum
- Songs of the Suffragettes- Recording
- Stanton and Anthony Papers
- Suffrage Buffs of America
- Suffrage Centennials
- Suffrage Memorabilia
- Suffrage Wagon News Channel
- Suffragist Elisabeth Freeman
- Suffragist Oral Histories
- Susan B. Anthony House
- The Women's Museum
- Turning Point Suffragist Memorial
- Women's Heritage Trails
- Women's History Carnival
- Women's Rights National Historic Park (Seneca Falls, NY)
- Womens Enews
- WomensSuffrage.org
Member: National Storytelling Network
Let’s Link Up on Facebook
And now I understand why I’ve been accused of getting on my soapbox — thankfully I don’t have to carry an actual box around with me!
I bet that if people stood up on soapboxes in the street that they would attract notice. Occupy Wall Street, this could be something to consider.