On this day in 1913, thousands of American women took a step, both figuratively and literally, towards equality.
With President Woodrow Wilson’s inauguration scheduled for the following morning, activist Alice Paul and the National American Women’s Suffrage Association (NAWSA) organized a historic march down Pennsylvania Avenue. Over 7,000 women showed up to march for the right to vote, braving resistance from America’s patriarchal society.
The decision to hold the march on the inauguration eve was deliberate; this way, the attention was compounded tenfold, ensuring that the women participating would not be brushed aside. All economic and social classes were represented by the marchers who walked alongside floats, banners, and even a horseback performance. Inez Milholland rode through the parade atop a white horse and dressed as Justice.
The group was also joined by Ida B. Wells, an African-American suffragette who defied segregation to walk with the other women. One of the other notable figures present at the march was Helen Keller, who was scheduled to give a speech but was unable to due to the harassment of men in attendance.
Their procession was not warmly welcomed. Marchers were met with a sea of hostile male spectators. Women were spit on, jeered at, verbally insulted, and even physically attacked at times. D.C police, despite the violence, refused to intervene, leading to an escalation of chaos that required the Army Cavalry to be called upon in order to restore peace. Nevertheless, the women continued on, marching down the avenue and advocating for the female right to participate in America’s democratic system.
When news spread of the violent treatment of the suffragettes, there was an eruption of national outrage— so much so that a congressional investigation was launched regarding the police conduct, given how passive they were during the event. This, added with the attention garnered from the procession alone, led many to back the movement, reenergizing public opinion about the proposed 19th amendment.
President Wilson was notably disapproving of the march, refusing to ratify the amendment or do anything to aid female empowerment. He believed that World War I required Americans to “make democracy safe at home,” which included women’s docility. As 1920 dawned, he finally relented, pushing for the Senate to pass the 19th amendment— American women finally received the right to vote.
