Suffragists in Washington, DC: The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote

by Rebecca Boggs Roberts

A vivid narrative of the heroic struggle of Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party as they worked to earn the vote, framed by the demonstration known as The Great Suffrage Parade.
The Great Suffrage Parade was the first civil rights march to use the nation's capital as a backdrop. Despite sixty years of relentless campaigning by suffrage organizations, by 1913 only six states allowed women to vote. Then Alice Paul came to Washington, D.C. She planned a grand spectacle on Pennsylvania Avenue on the day before Woodrow Wilson's inauguration - marking the beginning of a more aggressive strategy on the part of the women's suffrage movement. Groups of women protested and picketed outside the White House, and some were thrown into jail. Newspapers across the nation covered their activities. These tactics finally led to the ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment in 1920. Author Rebecca Boggs Roberts narrates the heroic struggle of Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party as they worked to earn the vote.

Genres: History, Nonfiction

160 pages, Paperback

Published December 11, 2017

About the author

Rebecca Boggs Roberts is the author of Suffragists in Washington, DC: The 1913 Parade and the Fight for the Vote and Historic Congressional Cemetery. She has been many things, including a journalist, producer, tour guide, forensic anthropologist, event planner, political consultant, jazz singer, and radio talk show host. Currently she is a program coordinator for Smithsonian Associates, where she has made it a personal mission to highlight the history of our capital city. She lives in Washington, DC, with her husband, three sons, and a big fat dog.

Reviews

[Teri · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short review of the national suffrage movement concentrating on the years between the 1913 Washington DC suffrage parade designed to eclipse Wilson's inauguration through ratification of the 19th amendment. This book is not heavy on minute details but offers a nice overview of the major players in the movement and their activism. A good deal is spent on the protests, arrests, and hunger strikes that many endured and the schism between the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) and the National Women's Party (NWP). This book is also heavy on pictures which is a great addition.

[Britt · Rating 5 out of 5]

I found this really interesting and enjoyed the DC walking tour of some of the notable sites (even though I’ve been to them already). There are just many interesting facts in this book, such as “suffragette” was a term used by detractors to make fun of suffragists and that the 1913 parade cost close to 400K in today’s dollars. This was a really nice companion read to the current Library of Congress exhibit on women’s right to vote—confirms much of the information there.

[Juliet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent history of the fight for the right to vote featuring the stories of many brave determined women. These women put their lives on the line and the politics then are eerily familiar today. Includes lots of photographs and an appendix with suffrage walking tour of DC.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really loved all the details about the later era of suffragists, and it was a good short read. Wish that the book had citations/footnotes to learn more about the sources.

[Julie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. A quick engaging read about a very interesting time in women's history.

[Sally · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's fairly good for a history book on a narrow subject. I got caught up in the middle with the progress the ladies were making and their arrests for the cause.

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Equal parts fascinating and infuriating. (By infuriating, I mean human nature and politics, not the writing or research.)

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

About Book about how we even got the vote and the parade of 19/13

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

2 1/2 stars. So blandly written and unremarkable, I saw this in my completed reads list and thought "Wait, I finished that?"