Description
This photograph shows Annie Fraher, Bertha Moller, Berthe Arnold and Anita Pollitzer standing outside the National Woman's Party headquarters with a large-rolled suffrage petition. After a multi-state journey, the petition was delivered to Senator Andrieus Jones of New Mexico, who was chairman of the Suffrage Committee in September 1918. An earlier movement resulted in an 18,000 foot-long petition with half a million signatures in support of women’s suffrage. That petition was delivered on several huge spools to President Woodrow Wilson in December 1915, but he remained committed that suffrage was a state issue, not a federal one.
Source-Dependent Questions
- How does a petition, one form of "grassroots activism," show lawmakers what the general public thinks?
- Using what you’ve learned about suffrage movements, analyze the effectiveness of this strategy to ensure rights. What motivates lawmakers to "listen" to petitions?
Citation Information
Harris & Ewing, "Deputation Leaving Headquarters to Take Petition to Senator Jones of New Mexico [Annie Fraher, Bertha Moller, Berthe Arnold, Anita Pollitzer]," September 1918. Courtesy of Library of Congress