THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN SUFFRAGE, ABOLITION, AND TEMPERANCE

Abstract

This capstone project will analyze the influence of other reform movements on the women's suffrage movement during the late 1800s and early 1900s. There are two reforms of particular interest to suffrage—the abolition movement of the mid 1800s and the temperance movement of the Progressive Era. The complex and changing nature of the relationship between suffragists, abolitionists, and temperance advocates presents several questions for investigation: 1) How and why did the relationship with the reform movements change over time?; 2) What strategies and examples did suffragists learn from the abolition and temperance movements?; and 3) What is the enduring legacy of the partnership of these reform movements? The women's suffrage movement required a partnership with abolition and temperance in order to bring women out of the private sphere and allow them to access the public sphere, shown primarily through the acquisition of voting rights.