Women’s Suffrage – the Edwardian Experience
Article SOURCE
The Edwardian era officially lasted from 1901-1910, encompassing the rule of British King Edward VII. The blurry line that melds one era into another reaches back into the last decade of the 1800s and moves forward perhaps, until the end of World War 1. There is much to explore about this transitory period in history. One of the most important historical events that took place during this time is the success of women’s suffrage. Since it is Women’s History Month, we decided to explore women’s suffrage during the Edwardian era. We’re highlighting 10 events coming up for the remainder of the year.
Women’s suffrage was a global movement. In Australia, women gained the right to vote between 1895 and 1902. By 1918, women were also allowed to serve in Parliament. In the U.K., women over thirty (along with other qualifiers) won the right to vote in parliamentary elections in 1918. Full voting rights for women age 21 and older would not be achieved until 1928. Women in Canada won the right to vote between 1916 and 1922 (each province voted separately), with Quebec holding out until 1940.
In America, the seeds of equality were sown during the Revolutionary War. The right to an education and the right to own property were sought by women in the new nation. Indeed, Abigail Adams implored her husband to remember that women are people, too. The result was that by 1807, the right of women to vote was revoked from every state in the Union. Most of the century would see women’s voting rights granted and revoked in many states and territories. Although Wyoming was the first state to grant women voting rights in 1869, it wasn’t until the 1890s that the women’s suffrage movement led to the permanent granting of voting rights to women in states and territories in the United States.
The year 1917-1918 was an important year in women’s history. North Dakota, Indiana, Nebraska, Rhode Island, and Michigan granted women the right to vote in presidential elections. Arkansas allowed them to vote in primary elections. New York, South Dakota, and Oklahoma state constitutions granted suffrage. (The Liz Library) The National Constitution Center offers a map that shows when states granted women the right to vote.
