The Feminist Alliance was a

progressive era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...

organization founded in 1914 by feminist activist

Henrietta Rodman Henrietta Rodman (August 29, 1877 – March 21, 1923) was an American educator and feminist. She was active in advocating on behalf of married women teachers for their right to promotion and maternity leave. Early life and education Rodman ...

and her husband, Herman de Fremery, a professor at

Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...

Creation of the Feminist Alliance

and Herman de Fremery created the Feminist Alliance in 1914.

Leta Hollingworth Leta Stetter Hollingworth (25 May 1886 – 27 November 1939) was an American psychologist, educator, and feminist. Hollingworth also made contributions in psychology of women; clinical psychology; and educational psychology. She is best known for ...

served on the board and the organization had more than fifty members. The group frequently worked with women from the feminist group

Heterodoxy In religion, heterodoxy (from Ancient Greek: , "other, another, different" + , "popular belief") means "any opinions or doctrines at variance with an official or orthodox position". Under this definition, heterodoxy is similar to unorthodoxy, wh ...

Political campaigns

Co-operative living

The Feminist Alliance worked to create an apartment house where families could live together and share the workload. According to Marie Dille of the ''Fall River Globe'' who reported on this movement, the apartment was for "...married professional women who have achieved such success as to desire continuing their work after marriage."

Equality in the workplace

The Feminist Alliance was an important organization in the campaign for equal rights for women in the workforce. In October 1914, the group advocated for the right for pregnant women to continue to work as school teachers. As part of this campaign, they submitted a letter to the Superintendent that was signed by

Charlotte Perkins Gilman Charlotte Perkins Gilman (; née Perkins; July 3, 1860 – August 17, 1935), also known by her first married name Charlotte Perkins Stetson, was an American humanist, novelist, writer, lecturer, advocate for social reform, and eugenicist. She wa ...

, Fola La Folette and

Crystal Eastman Crystal Catherine Eastman (June 25, 1881 – July 28, 1928) was an American lawyer, antimilitarist, feminist, socialist, and journalist. She is best remembered as a leader in the fight for women's suffrage, as a co-founder and co-editor with ...

as well as many others.

Support for constitutional gender equality

The Feminist Alliance supported of constitutional gender equality as early as the 1910s, even before the

Equal Rights Amendment The Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) is a proposed amendment to the United States Constitution designed to guarantee equal legal rights for all American citizens regardless of sex. Proponents assert it would end legal distinctions between men and ...

was first proposed in Congress in 1923.

Immigration

In 1914, the Feminist Alliance supported the Thompson Bill proposed in the senate by Senator Thompson which would allow women who married non-U.S. citizens to maintain their citizenship.

Women's suffrage

Many women affiliated with the Feminist Alliance were suffragists. In April of 1914, the group sent a letter to President Woodrow Wilson calling on him to support a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution granting women the right to vote.

Members

* Edna Bryner * Leta Hollingsworth * Rebecca Hourwich *

{{Cite journal , last=Sochen , first=June , date=1970 , title=Henrietta Rodman and the Feminist Alliance: 1914-1917 , url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.0022-3840.1970.0401_57.x , journal=The Journal of Popular Culture , language= , volume=IV , issue= , pages=57–65 , doi=10.1111/j.0022-3840.1970.0401_57.x * Florence Wise

References

Feminist organizations Suffrage organisations in the United States Equal Rights Amendment organizations