A Nursery for Militant Suffragists: The History of the Women's Suffrage Movement at Goucher College

Abstract

February 3, 2017 is the centennial of the College Day picket of women suffragists on the White House. To mark the occasion and to open the exhibit, Goucher College alumnae and students will present their original research on Goucher’s involvement in the women’s suffrage movement, highlighting the role of notable alumnae and faculty.

Goucher College students and faculty played an important role in the women’s suffrage movement. Situated in Baltimore City, which was an important center for the national suffrage movement, Goucher students and faculty were able to join with the active women’s suffrage organizations in the city to advocate for women’s right to vote. Beginning in the 1890s, they debated the suffrage question in classrooms and in meeting halls with other Baltimore suffragists. After 1912, when the women’s suffrage movement became more militant, Goucher students and faculty bravely joined with sister suffragists in marching, protesting, and picketing for women’s right to vote. In the eyes of some college and civic leaders, Goucher College appeared to be “a nursery for militant suffragists.”