“Jane Addams on Suffrage” Letter to the Editor in The New York Times, March 20, 1909

In responding to New York Senator Elihu Root’s anti-suffragist comments, Julia Ward Howe quotes Jane Addams in the New York Times on March 20, 1909 on the ability of women to battle unsafe and unhealthy municipal conditions if given the right to vote.

Courtesy of Library of Congress, Howe, Julia Ward, “Jane Addams on Suffrage,” The New York Times, 20 March 1909

Description

In responding to New York Senator Elihu Root’s anti-suffragist comments, Julia Ward Howe quotes Jane Addams in this New York Times letter to the editor. Published March 20, 1909, the op-ed explains the unsafe and unhealthy municipal conditions of keeping women unable to vote. Addams argues that cities, like homes, need housekeeping and they have suffered from internal problems because women have not been granted the right to vote.

Transcript of "Jane Addams on Suffrage"

Source-Dependent Questions

How does Jane Addams use the anti-suffrage argument that a woman’s responsibilities reside in the home (as previously seen in “Advice to Young Ladies,” “Woman” and “Election Day!”) to support her belief that society can benefit from women having the right to vote?
Select only one passage from Addams’ letter that captures her argument for why women deserve the right to vote. Provide justification for your selection.

Citation Information

Howe, Julia Ward, “Jane Addams on Suffrage,” The New York Times, 20 March 1909. Courtesy of Library of Congress