Women's right to vote

I've noticed a major hole in all of our readings--something that seems to have been passed over by all of the authors so far despite the fact that it had huge significance for at least half of the Los Angeles population. Why is it that not one of the books we have read even mentions the women's suffrage movement and the 1911 state referendum which granted women in the state of California the right to vote? I was looking through the indexes of the books we have read so far and found nothing. I find this particularly interesting since Kurashige refers quite frequently to Charlotta Bass, the editor of the California Eagle and an active member of the suffrage movement. She wrote many columns for the Eagle supporting women's right to vote, but as far as I can tell he does not mention any of them. Much of the fight for women's suffrage in California took place over a time period covered by Avila, Kurashige and Deverell. While the goal was widespread change on a national level, action on a local level was crucial for the movement's success. Women in California, particularly in urban areas like Los Angeles, played a large role in the suffrage movement.

Here is a very brief history of the suffrage movement in California (I got the dates from the Women of the West Museum website). In 1893, the California state legislature approved a bill granting women the right to vote. Henry Markham, the then governor of California, vetoed the bill, however, deeming it unconstitutional. In 1896, suffragists added a referendum providing for women's suffrage to the ballot, but it was defeated by the male voters. Nearly 15 years later, with the help of suffragists and women leaders across the state, another suffrage issue was submitted to be voted upon by referendum. This time, male voters of California passed the referendum, allowing California to be the sixth state to give women the right to vote. It was not until 1920 that the 19th amendment was passed and women all across America could participate in the political system.

The omission of women gaining the right to vote seems to be a huge oversight on the part of the authors I listed above, but they are not alone. I am taking an American History survey course this semester as well that covers the time period from 1865 to the 1980s and as far as I can tell, none of the texts we are reading that discuss the 1910s and 1920s mention the suffrage movement either. In a course that is meant to cover all of American history, such a crucial moment for female American citizens needs to be included. I also took a survey course about American Politics last semester in which African Americans gaining the right to vote was brought up, but not women. Clearly, since women could not vote in almost every state for several more decades, it was just African American men gaining the right to vote that was mentioned. When half of African Americans were denied this right, how can we say that African Americans in general were able to vote after emancipation? When half of the American population could not participate in the most basic way in politics, how can women's suffrage be overlooked?

I am curious as to why these various authors decided to omit this monumental change in American politics and society. Since voting affects Americans of all races and classes, the subjects of any one of these books were directly influenced by women's suffrage. During the fight for suffrage, many social groups, church groups, ethnic groups, political parties, and unions all incorporated issues of suffrage onto their agendas. Suffragists handed out pamphlets (in many different languages), gave street speeches, canvassed door to door and founded their own newspaper in California, using several of the same media avenues we have talked about in different contexts. Such a fundamental event in the United States' recent history should be addressed when discussing this time period, since it had widespread effects and reached all levels of society. The racial conflicts during and within the movement could add interesting subjects in ethnic and comparative ethnic studies. The aftermath of the 19th amendment and the influence women voters had on the course of American politics is also significant in studying American history, politics, society or culture. In studying the United States and American culture, we cannot neglect to notice the long-awaited and hard-fought enfranchisement for half of the population.