Today, I arranged the combining of the National Women's Suffrage Association (NWSA) with the American Women Suffrage Association (AWSA), and created the National American Women Suffrage Association (NAWSA). Above is a picture of the state presidents and officers of the National American Woman Suffrage Association. About 20 years ago, in 1869, my dear friend Elizabeth Cady Stanton and I founded the NWSA. This organization was committed to gaining women's right to vote. I have made many attempts to unite women in the labor movement with the suffragist cause but I haven't had much success in the past. This merge was quite the controversy for I created a NWSA executive committee to vote on whether we should merge with the AWSA, despite the fact that using a committee instead of an all-member vote went against the NWSA constitution.
In this new organization, we will continue the work of both associations, helping to pass woman suffrage legislation at the state level. We will be the parent organization of hundreds of smaller local and state groups. Like the AWSA and NWSA, we will promote the formation of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's voting rights. We hope that state-by-state support will eventually force the federal government to pass the amendment. I am really excited about this new organization an I hope we are successful in our long term goals.
In this new organization, we will continue the work of both associations, helping to pass woman suffrage legislation at the state level. We will be the parent organization of hundreds of smaller local and state groups. Like the AWSA and NWSA, we will promote the formation of a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's voting rights. We hope that state-by-state support will eventually force the federal government to pass the amendment. I am really excited about this new organization an I hope we are successful in our long term goals.
