Images in the Fight for Women's Votes

Since the nation’s founding, Americans have used images to define power and gender roles. Popular pictures praised male presidents, while cartoons mocked women who sought rights. Women’s rights activists like Sojourner Truth and Susan B. Anthony challenged these powerful pictures by distributing portraits that featured women as political leaders. Over time, suffragists developed a national visual campaign to change ideas about gender and politics and win voting rights. These pictures continue to engage us today, and this talk will offer suggestions on ways to make them useful in the classroom.