Woman Suffrage Postcard, 1913

Woman Suffrage Postcard, 1913

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Description
Several different scenes of the 1913 suffrage parade and pageant in Washington, DC were available on postcards, a popular souvenir. The parade’s floats and marching sections represented women’s organizations and the progress of women’s rights. The tableau on the steps of the U.S. Treasury building illustrated the ideals of Justice, Charity, Liberty, Peace, and Hope.
On the day before the 1913 presidential inauguration, more than 5,000 women marched up Pennsylvania Avenue demanding the right to vote. Women from around the country came to Washington in a show of strength and determination to obtain the ballot. More than 10,000 spectators crowded the parade route. Some were simply boisterous but others were hostile. They spilled past the barriers and off the sidewalks, clogging Pennsylvania Avenue. Police officers were unable or unwilling to hold back the crowds and after the first four blocks the parade stalled as the marchers couldn’t pass through the mob. A cavalry unit from Fort Myer was finally called in to restore order and the parade finished hours late. The public was horrified, and a one-day event became an ongoing story, with demands for an investigation of the police department’s failure to protect the women.
Location
Currently not on view
Object Name
postcard
associated dates
1913
associated institution
National Woman's Party
associated person
Paul, Alice
associated place
United States: District of Columbia
Physical Description
paper (overall material)
Measurements
average spatial: 3 1/2 in x 5 1/2 in; 8.89 cm x 13.97 cm
ID Number
1991.3016.075
catalog number
1991.3016.075
nonaccession number
1991.3016
Credit Line
Alice Paul Centennial Foundation, Inc.
subject
Women's Suffrage
Equal Rights Amendment
Voting Rights
March, Rally, Demonstration, or Other
Postcards
See more items in
Political and Military History: Political History, Women's History Collection
Government, Politics, and Reform
Woman Suffrage
Data Source
National Museum of American History
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