Alpha Suffrage Club facts for kids
The Alpha Suffrage Club was a very important group for Black women in Chicago. It was the first and most important club of its kind in the city. It was started on January 30, 1913, by Ida B. Wells. She had help from her white friends Belle Squire and Virginia Brooks.
The club's main goal was to give a voice to African American women. These women were often left out of bigger groups like the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). The Alpha Suffrage Club wanted to teach Black women about their rights and duties as citizens. They also wanted to help elect leaders who would support African Americans in Chicago.
The club was formed after women in Chicago got the right to vote in 1910. It worked against white women who tried to stop African Americans from voting. The club also wanted to help Black people get elected to public office. Ida B. Wells said that women could "use our vote for the advantage of ourselves and our race." She also said the club wanted to make women "strong enough to help elect some conscientious race man as alderman." Wells also encouraged women to make sure their husbands voted too. She believed voting was very important for everyone.
At the club's first birthday, a poet named Bettiola Heloise Fortson read her poem "Brothers." She was the club's vice-president. The poem told a sad story about two men who were killed for trying to save their sister.
In October 2021, a special marker was placed for the Alpha Suffrage Club. It is at the club's old location in Chicago. This marker is part of the National Votes for Women Trail.
Contents
Why Was the Club Needed?
The year 1913, when the club started, was a difficult time. Jim Crow laws were common. These laws kept Black people separate and treated them unfairly. Black women faced a lot of discrimination. They often had fewer chances for education or good jobs. They were expected to stay home or work on farms. Laws did not protect them well.
Ida B. Wells said that many Black women did not focus on getting the right to vote at first. This was because men and churches in their communities did not always support it. Even after women got the right to vote, "nobody had attempted to instruct them in voting." The Alpha Suffrage Club worked to fix this. They went door-to-door in neighborhoods. They also helped Black women register to vote.
African American women faced a tough choice. Black men, who could already vote, wanted them to focus on racial issues. White women who wanted to vote wanted them to focus only on women's voting rights. But Black women's lives were affected by both their race and their gender.
How Did White Suffrage Groups Treat Black Women?
In the early days of the women's right to vote movement, many people worked together. They fought against slavery and for women's rights. This lasted from the end of the Civil War until the late 1800s. For example, Frederick Douglass used his newspaper to tell people about the 1848 Seneca Falls Convention. This was a big meeting for women's voting rights.
In 1866, the American Equal Rights Association was formed. It wanted voting rights for everyone. At first, this group supported both women's and African Americans' voting rights. But things changed after the 14th and 15th Amendments were passed. These amendments gave Black men the right to vote.
By 1868, the movement split into two groups. They had different ideas about Black men voting. Black women were part of both groups for a while. But then, racism became a problem in many suffrage groups.
Over time, getting the right to vote became the main goal. Some groups used Black voting rights as an excuse to gain more support. Women in the Southern states especially did not want Black women to vote. They still believed African Americans were not as good as white people.
Ida B. Wells, who started the Alpha Suffrage Club, faced this racism. She was told she could only march in the Black section of the Woman Suffrage Parade. This was because she was an African American woman. But Wells still marched with the white women that day. She fought for voting rights for all.
About a year later, Wells started the Alpha Suffrage Club. This club supported voting rights for all women, no matter their race or social class. Other popular women's groups at the time did not push for this. The movement became divided. One side supported voting rights for all women. The other side only supported voting rights for white women. Ida B. Wells and her club believed that not giving everyone the right to vote would hurt the whole cause.
The 19th Amendment was passed in 1920. It gave all women the right to vote. This included women of all races and backgrounds. So, even though there was racism in the early fight, the final law was fair.
The 1913 Woman Suffrage Parade
The Woman Suffrage Procession happened in Washington, D.C., on March 3, 1913. This was the day before Woodrow Wilson became president. The parade wanted to show support for all women getting the right to vote.
One of Ida B. Wells's first actions as president of the Alpha Suffrage Club was to go to Washington. She marched in the parade with 65 Black women from Illinois. The rules placed on them showed the discrimination Black women faced.
The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) organized the parade. They were afraid of upsetting white women from the South. So, they told Black and white women not to march together. The NAWSA leader told Wells to march at the very end of the parade. This section was only for African-American women.
Wells refused to do what they asked. Grace Wilbur Trout, who led the Illinois group, warned Wells. She said that if Wells did not move, the whole Illinois group might be kicked out of the parade. But Wells insisted, saying, "I shall not march at all unless I can march under the Illinois banner." Wells wanted to show the country that Illinois was fair. She wanted to show that women of all races could stand together. But only Belle Squire and Virginia Brooks, her white friends, listened to her.
Brooks and Squire joined Wells in protesting the separation by race. They offered to march with their friend at the back of the parade. But Wells did something different. She waited in the crowd of people watching. When the Chicago group marched by, she stepped out and joined them. A picture of this was in the Chicago Daily Tribune newspaper. A reporter saw Wells join the parade. However, only Wells marched with the Illinois group. The other Black women from the Alpha Suffrage Club marched at the back. This group included members of Delta Sigma Theta and Mary Church Terrell. The club paid for Wells's trip so she could march.
What Did the Club Believe?
The Alpha Suffrage Club had many strong beliefs. They were different from other groups. The club believed that all women should get the right to vote, no matter their race. Other groups wanted women to vote, but they did not always support Black women's voting rights.
The club believed that to truly use their voting rights, people needed to be involved in politics. Their group in Chicago was active in making laws about voting, equality, and other civil rights. They also helped their community. They wanted to make life better for Black people in Chicago. They were early supporters of equality for Black people in many ways.
Ida B. Wells taught that men were not using their vote properly after they got it. Now that both men and women could vote, the club wanted to make the most of it. They wanted equality and power for Black women.
Besides voting rights for everyone, the club also fought for racial equality in other areas. They questioned why brave soldiers were judged by their race instead of their actions.
Illinois Equal Suffrage Act
Ida B. Wells-Barnett started the Alpha Suffrage Club because she saw white women working hard to pass a law in Illinois. This law would give women limited voting rights in the state. Soon after the Washington parade, Wells-Barnett led hundreds of Black women to the Capitol building in Springfield. They wanted to support the Illinois Equal Suffrage Act. They also wanted to fight against unfair Jim Crow laws.
The Illinois Equal Suffrage Act (IESA) became law on June 26, 1913. This made Illinois the first state in many years to give women the right to vote. Carrie Chapman Catt, a suffrage leader, said that "suffrage sentiment doubled over night." This law, along with the successful Suffrage Parade of 1913 and other protests, gave new energy to the national effort for a voting rights amendment.
A car parade in Chicago celebrated this important new law. On July 1, Wells-Barnett was a parade marshall. She rode with her daughter Alfreda down Michigan Avenue. But only the Chicago Defender, a Black newspaper, mentioned this honor. Other Chicago newspapers did not.
The IESA was passed because many groups worked together. Social clubs at the time were often separated by race. One historian said, "Club women in Chicago established the most and largest gender-segregated suffrage clubs in the nation." Because Black women were often left out, Wells and Squire created the Alpha Suffrage Club. It was in the 2nd Ward, which had many African Americans. The club even held a meeting at a prison to interest prisoners in voting rights. This also gave club women practice in activism. By 1916, the club had almost 200 members. Important members included Mary E. Jackson, Viola Hill, Vera Wesley Green, and Sadie L. Adams. Jane Addams, a famous social reformer, often spoke at the club.
Because of the IESA, women in Illinois could vote for president, mayor, and most other local leaders. However, they could not vote for members of Congress or the Governor. To vote for these offices, the state constitution needed to be changed.
Helping Elect Oscar De Priest
The Alpha Suffrage Club played a big role in Chicago politics. They were especially active in the 1915 election for alderman in the 2nd Ward. The club created a system to go block by block. They wanted to register African American women to vote. In 1914, the club's efforts registered 7,290 women. At that time, there were 16,237 registered men in the ward.
In an early election, the club supported William R. Cowen. He was an independent Black candidate. The city's Republican Party did not support him. Even with the women's hard work, he lost by only 352 votes. But the Alpha Suffrage Club's power was noticed quickly. The Chicago Defender reported that "the women’s vote was a revelation to everyone..." The Republican Party also saw the club's influence. They sent two people to the club's meeting after the election. They encouraged the women to keep campaigning. They also promised that the Republicans would support a Black candidate next year.
After this election, the club members kept working. They focused on areas with many African Americans. They held weekly meetings to talk about being good citizens. They showed women how to use voting machines. They also trained women to work at polling places. They gave out lists of voting locations in all parts of the city.
The women's efforts faced criticism. Men sometimes "jeered at them and told them they ought to be at home taking care of the babies." Others said they were "trying to take the place of men and wear the trousers." Local newspapers worried about women going door-to-door. They were concerned about women "seeing all of the activities that might be going on."
After the club's success in 1914, the Republican Party chose Oscar De Priest as their candidate. He ran for alderman in the 2nd Ward. He ran against two white candidates and won. He became the first Black alderman in Chicago. He served on the Chicago City Council from 1915 to 1917. The club's impact was clear. One-third of the votes he received came from women. De Priest and the club knew each other well. He had attended their meetings during the elections. After he won, De Priest thanked the women in the 2nd Ward for their important work. News of the club's success spread. A Black newspaper in Indianapolis proudly reported on the election "of a Negro for alderman." It said this was "in no small part" due to the 1,093 votes cast by Black women.
De Priest served only one term as alderman. There were questions about his actions. But De Priest's career continued. He later became the first African American elected to the U.S. Congress after the Civil War era. The Alpha Suffrage Club's influence in the Second Ward stayed strong. Another Black alderman, Louis B. Anderson, took De Priest's place. This showed a lasting change in Chicago's second ward.
Alpha Suffrage Record Newsletter
The Alpha Suffrage Club published a newsletter called the Alpha Suffrage Record. This newsletter announced the club's start. It also described its activities. It helped the club reach more African Americans in Chicago. It focused on the people in the 2nd Ward. It gave the club women a public voice in politics.
What Was the Club's Impact?
The Woman Suffrage Parade of 1913 made the women's voting rights movement more respected. The Alpha Suffrage Club's protest against being forced to march at the back showed a big problem. It highlighted that racism was an issue even within a movement that seemed united. NAWSA wanted to get voting rights for white women first. But the Alpha Suffrage Club and other groups pushed back. Because of their efforts, the 19th Amendment gave voting rights to all women, no matter their race.
The club's importance was clear after the 1914 elections. Republican leaders attended a club meeting. They promised to choose a Black candidate if the women supported them. The club played a key role in electing Oscar De Priest. This led him to support women's voting rights. This helped the club's causes in the years that followed. It helped them use political power to make social changes.
Locally, the Alpha Suffrage Club started a system to go door-to-door in neighborhoods. They held weekly meetings to teach people about their rights as citizens. They also registered female voters block by block. The club's protests and efforts also helped push the U.S. Congress to approve the 19th Amendment on June 10, 1919. It became law on August 18, 1920.
Important Members
- Ida B. Wells-Barnett, co-founder and president
- Belle Squire, co-founder, supported Wells-Barnett in the 1913 parade
- Virginia Brooks, co-founder, supported Wells-Barnett in the 1913 parade
- Mary E. Jackson, the first vice president of the club
- Sadie L. Williams, corresponding secretary
- Viola Hill, second vice president
- Vera Wesley Green, recording secretary
- Laura Beasley, treasurer
- Kizziah J. Bills (also known as Mrs. K. J. Bills), editor
- E.D. Wyatt
- W.N. Mills
- J.E. Hughes
- Bettiola Heloise Fortson, vice president
Images for kids
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Ida B. Wells in the suffrage parade, 1913
See also
In Spanish: Club Sufragista Alpha para niños
- African-American Woman Suffrage Movement
- Timeline of women's suffrage in the United States
- Woman's club movement
- Women's suffrage in the United States
