OP-ED: All ‘suffed’ up at the Benedum
We were recently gifted tickets to see the Broadway musical “Suffs” at the Pittsburgh CLO Benedum Center. The theme is the story of the American women who organized, marched, and who were brutally jailed to procure a constitutional amendment so that women could vote. The slogan for the musical is “Behind Every Powerful Woman Are More Powerful Women.” The production was first class, and it was clear why it had won several Tony awards and been crowned best new musical by the Outer Critics’ Circle.
“Suffs” was written by Shaina Taub, artist-in-residence at New York City’s Public Theater. She single-handedly created the show’s book, music, and lyrics. The musical has an all-female and non-binary cast that plays every character. This includes not only the historical female activists, but also all of the male historical figures such as President Woodrow Wilson and his chief aide Dudley Malone.
The Benedum was packed to the rafters with women of every age — from elementary school students to those with nose piercings and tattoos to ladies with walkers and wheelchairs. The scattering of men who accompanied the females could only admire and join in on their enthusiasm.
It reminded me of a Taylor Swift concert for women of all ages. “Suffs” was a celebration of womanhood and what it took to achieve the right to vote for half of America’s growing population.
While the suffrage movement shares many parallels with the Black civil rights movement, there were also major differences. Up until the beginning of the 20th century, society viewed men as responsible for the public and political world, while women were expected to focus on the home and family. Some critics warned that permitting women to vote would lead to neglected children and the destruction of family values. Others argued that politics was a blood sport, too corrupt and immoral for women. Under this theory, women were kept away from politics for their own protection. Lastly, there was the widely held view that since a husband represented his entire family, the wife and daughters would never vote independently to express their own opinions.
It is difficult to imagine that only 100 years ago these perceptions were widely held. How could women be excluded from exercising the most basic right in a democratic constitutional republic?
Today, The League of Women Voters website proclaims: “We believe in the power of women to create a more perfect democracy. That’s been our vision since 1920, when the League was founded by leaders of the women’s suffrage movement. Women are more likely to vote than men. When women vote, organize, and engage in public life, they influence the direction of policies that affect millions of people nationwide.”
The suffragists’ battle was a seven-decade campaign of activism until the right to vote was achieved. The movement started in 1848 at the Seneca Falls Convention in upper New York state. Approximately 300 people, women and men, attended the two-day event at a local church. The African American abolitionist Frederick Douglass was in attendance. Black men would win the right to vote well before any woman could cast a ballot.
Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Lucretia Mott are considered the founders of the suffrage movement. For the convention, Stanton wrote the “Declaration of Sentiments” that would become known as the Women’s Declaration of Independence.
Sixty-eight women and 32 men signed the final document calling for many societal changes to ensure equality for women. The document begins by asserting the equality of all men and women. It reiterates that both genders are endowed with unalienable rights to life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. It argues that women are oppressed by the government and the patriarchal society of which they are apart. The most controversial provision was the vote for women.
Several years ago, my spouse and I spent a day in the beautiful town of Seneca Falls. The main attraction is the Women’s Rights National Historical Park. There is an excellent visitors’ center and several historical buildings. We returned home with multiple copies of the Declaration of Sentiments. Each time a female family member or friend started her career, we framed a copy for her first work space.
After Seneca Falls, Susan B. Anthony joined the movement and was the face of women’s suffrage until her death in 1906. The musical “Suffs” covers the years 1913 to 1920. It focuses on the final seven-year fight leading up to the ratification of the 19th Amendment.
One of the final scenes in “Suffs” is a true event with high drama. Tennessee state Rep. Harry Burns receives an emotional letter from his mother, compelling him to think about equality as it affects the women in his family. Burns cast the tie-breaking vote, making Tennessee the 36th and final state to ratify the 19th Amendment. National Secretary of State Bainbridge Colby certified the ratification on Aug. 26, 1920, changing the face of the American electorate forever.
Initially, the turnout of women voters was lower than men. It would take decades for women to become equal in the electoral process. “Suffs” ends with a scene where the struggle for women’s rights is passed from the older suffrage movement to the younger members of the National Organization of Women (NOW).
The recent “Me Too” movement, focusing on sexual abuse and harassment, demonstrates that there is still work to be done.
Gary Stout is a Washington attorney.