This is a timeline of women's suffrage in Delaware.

Suffragists Suffrage, political franchise, or simply franchise, is the right to vote in public, political elections and referendums (although the term is sometimes used for any right to vote). In some languages, and occasionally in English, the right to v ...

Delaware Delaware ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States, bordering Maryland to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and New Jersey and the Atlantic Ocean to its east. The state takes its name from the adjacent Del ...

began to fight for

women's suffrage Women's suffrage is the right of women to vote in elections. Beginning in the start of the 18th century, some people sought to change voting laws to allow women to vote. Liberal political parties would go on to grant women the right to vot ...

in the late 1860s. Mary Ann Sorden Stuart and national suffragists lobbied the

Delaware General Assembly The Delaware General Assembly is the legislature of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is a bicameral legislature composed of the Delaware Senate with 21 senators and the Delaware House of Representatives with 41 representatives. It meets at Legisla ...

for women's suffrage. In 1896, the Delaware Equal Suffrage Association (DESA) was formed. Annual state suffrage conventions were held. There were also numerous attempts to pass an equal suffrage amendment to the Delaware State Constitution, but none were successful. In 1913, a state chapter of the

Congressional Union The Congressional Union for Woman Suffrage was an American organization formed in 1913 led by Alice Paul and Lucy Burns to campaign for a constitutional amendment guaranteeing women's suffrage. It was inspired by the United Kingdom's suffraget ...

(CU) was opened by

Mabel Vernon Mabel is an English female given name derived from the Latin ''amabilis'', "lovable, dear".Reclams Namensbuch, 1987, History Amabilis of Riom (died 475) was a French male saint who logically would have assumed the name Amabilis upon entering th ...

. Delaware suffragists are involved in more militant tactics, including taking part of the

Silent Sentinels The Silent Sentinels, also known as the Sentinels of Liberty, were a group of over 2,000 women in favor of women's suffrage organized by Alice Paul and the National Woman's Party, who protested in front of the White House during Woodrow Wilson's ...

. On March 22, 1920, Delaware had a special session of the General Assembly to consider ratification of the Nineteenth Amendment. It was not ratified by Delaware until 1923.

19th century

1860s

1869 * November 12: Women's rights convention held in

Wilmington, Delaware Wilmington ( Lenape: ''Paxahakink /'' ''Pakehakink)'' is the largest city in the U.S. state of Delaware. The city was built on the site of Fort Christina, the first Swedish settlement in North America. It lies at the confluence of the Christina ...

. Delaware Suffrage Association is formed and affiliates with the

American Woman Suffrage Association The American Woman Suffrage Association (AWSA) was a single-issue national organization formed in 1869 to work for women's suffrage in the United States. The AWSA lobbied state governments to enact laws granting or expanding women's right to vote ...

(AWSA).

1870s

1878 * Mary Ann Sorden Stuart speaks in favor of women's suffrage at the

United States Senate Judiciary Committee The United States Senate Committee on the Judiciary, informally the Senate Judiciary Committee, is a standing committee of 22 U.S. senators whose role is to oversee the Department of Justice (DOJ), consider executive and judicial nominations, ...

1880s

1881 * Stuart,

Susan B. Anthony Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to s ...

and

Elizabeth Cady Stanton Elizabeth Cady Stanton (November 12, 1815 – October 26, 1902) was an American writer and activist who was a leader of the women's rights movement in the U.S. during the mid- to late-19th century. She was the main force behind the 1848 Seneca ...

lobby the Delaware General Assembly to amend the state constitution in favor of women's suffrage. 1888 * The Delaware chapter of the

Women's Christian Temperance Union The Woman's Christian Temperance Union (WCTU) is an international temperance organization, originating among women in the United States Prohibition movement. It was among the first organizations of women devoted to social reform with a program th ...

(WCTU) endorses women's suffrage. *Delaware WCTU sets up a "franchise department."

1890s

1895 * June:

Mary Church Terrell Mary Church Terrell (born Mary Eliza Church; September 23, 1863 – July 24, 1954) was one of the first African-American women to earn a college degree, and became known as a national activist for civil rights and suffrage. She taught in the Lati ...

speaks at the Commencement of

Howard High School Howard High School may refer to: * David T. Howard High School, a former high school in Atlanta, Georgia, U.S. * Howard High School of Technology Howard High School of Technology is a vocational-technical high school in Wilmington, Delaware and is ...

. * November 18: The Wilmington Suffrage Club (or Association) is formed. 1896 * January 17–18: First annual state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. The Delaware Equal Suffrage Association (DESA) was formed and affiliated with the National American Women's Suffrage Association (NAWSA). *November 27: Second annual state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1897 * January 13: Prominent suffragists speak in favor of women's suffrage at a hearing at the Delaware constitutional convention. *February 16: Voting was held on a proposition to not include "male" as a description of a voter in the state constitution, but it did not pass. *April 22–23: National suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. *December 2: Third annual state suffrage convention is held in Delaware. 1899 * December 15: State suffrage meeting held in Wilmington Unitarian Church with

Carrie Chapman Catt Carrie Chapman Catt (; January 9, 1859 Fowler, p. 3 – March 9, 1947) was an American women's suffrage leader who campaigned for the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, which gave U.S. women the right to vote in 1920. Catt ...

as featured speaker.

20th century

1900s

1900 * Some women who pay a

property tax A property tax or millage rate is an ad valorem tax on the value of a property.In the OECD classification scheme, tax on property includes "taxes on immovable property or net wealth, taxes on the change of ownership of property through inheri ...

are allowed to vote for school commissioners in Delaware. *November 15: State suffrage meeting was held in

New Castle, Delaware New Castle is a city in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. The city is located six miles (10 km) south of Wilmington and is situated on the Delaware River. As of the 2010 census, the city's population was 5,285. History New Castl ...

. 1901 * November 6: The state suffrage convention is held in

Newport, Delaware Newport is a town in New Castle County, Delaware, United States. It is on the Christina River. It is best known for being the home of colonial inventor Oliver Evans. The population was 1,055 at the 2010 census. Four limited access highways, I- ...

. 1902 * November 8: The state suffrage convention takes place in Wilmington. 1903 * November 28: The state suffrage convention is held in Newport. 1904 * November 22: The state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1905 * November 4: The state suffrage convention takes place in New Castle. 1906 * November 6 : The state suffrage convention is held in

. 1907 * October 2: The state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1908 * November 12: The state suffrage convention is held in Newport. 1909 * DESA helps NAWSA with a petition drive for a federal suffrage amendment. *November 29: The state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington.

1910s

1910 * November 10: The state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1911 * November 9: The annual state suffrage convention is held in Newport. 1912 * November 20: The state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. * The Arden Colony forms a women's suffrage group. 1913 *Equal Suffrage amendment for the Delaware constitution does not pass out of the General Assembly. *January 4: Suffragists in Wilmington speak to the Charter Commission and ask for municipal women's suffrage, but it does not pass. *February 18–20: The Wilmington suffrage group sponsored

Rosalie Gardiner Jones Rosalie Gardiner Jones (February 24, 1883 – January 12, 1978) was an American suffragette. She took the "Pankhursts" as role models and after hearing of the " Brown Women" she organised marches to draw attention to the suffrage cause. She was ...

and her pilgrims. * March 3: Delaware sends suffragists to the

Woman Suffrage Procession The Woman Suffrage Procession on 3 March 1913 was the first suffragist parade in Washington, D.C. It was also the first large, organized march on Washington for political purposes. The procession was organized by the suffragists Alice Paul and L ...

Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...

*April 7: Delaware is part of the procession that marches to the

Capitol A capitol, named after the Capitoline Hill in Rome, is usually a legislative building where a legislature meets and makes laws for its respective political entity. Specific capitols include: * United States Capitol in Washington, D.C. * Numerous ...

with letters to the U.S. Congress. * Summer:

is hired as the Delaware

(CU) organizer. * September: CU and DESA open up joint women's suffrage headquarters in Wilmington. *November 6: The state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1914 * May 2: Large women's suffrage parade in Wilmington. * May 9: Delaware is represented in a national suffrage parade in Washington, D.C. * Summer:

Florence Bayard Hilles Florence Bayard Hilles (1865–1954) was an American suffragist, one of the founders of the National Woman's Party. Biography Hilles was born in 1865, the daughter of Thomas Francis Bayard. She was a munitions worker in World War I, and assist ...

and

Elsie Hill Elsie Hill (September 23, 1883 – August 6, 1970) was an American suffragist, as were her sisters Clara and Helena Hill. Biography She was the daughter of Congressman Ebenezer J. Hill and Mary Eileen Mossman. Hill graduated from Vassar College ...

go on a two-day suffrage tour of 7 Delaware towns. *October 30: The annual state suffrage club takes place in Dover. 1915 * Hilles drives through Delaware in her car, the "Votes for Women Flyer." * February–March: Blanche Williams Stubbs and Mary J Johnson Woodlen are published in Wilmington newspapers on the issue of racism against Black women's suffrage. * March: Another equal suffrage amendment fails in the General Assembly. * June : DESA moves out of the joint headquarters when they split with CU. *November 11: Annual state suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1916 * July 8 : Mary Ospina of DESA polls members of the Delaware General Assembly on where they stand on women's suffrage. *November 10: State suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1917 * January: Governor John G. Townsend, Jr., comes out in support of women's suffrage. *February: A full equal suffrage bill is defeated in the General Assembly. * March 1: "Delaware Day" in the Silent Sentinel picket of the

White House The White House is the official residence and workplace of the president of the United States. It is located at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue NW in Washington, D.C., and has been the residence of every U.S. president since John Adams in 1800. ...

where all women are from Delaware. *November 22: State suffrage convention is held in Newport. *November 23: DESA states that the group is officially opposed to picketing. 1918 * May: Women's suffrage petition campaign to send to congress is launched at the Hotel DuPont in Wilmington. * November 29: State suffrage convention is held in Wilmington. 1919 *January: Maria McMahon comes to Delaware to open suffrage headquarters in Dover. *February: Suffragists send around 600 telegrams to their U.S. Senators to support the federal amendment for women's suffrage. *June 26: DESA celebrates the congressional approval of a federal suffrage amendment. * August 3:

National Women's Party The National Woman's Party (NWP) was an American women's political organization formed in 1916 to fight for women's suffrage. After achieving this goal with the 1920 adoption of the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution, the NW ...

(NWP) hold a ratification rally in Wilmington. * August 9:

Dover, Delaware Dover () is the capital and second-largest city of the U.S. state of Delaware. It is also the county seat of Kent County and the principal city of the Dover, DE, Metropolitan Statistical Area, which encompasses all of Kent County and is part of ...

holds a ratification rally. *November: State suffrage convention takes place in Dover.

1920s

1920

* March 22: A special session of the Delaware General Assembly is convened. *March 25: A hearing on women's suffrage takes place in the General Assembly. *April 5: Emma Gibson Sykes is published in the Sunday ''Star'' where she decries racist opposition to women's suffrage. * April 20: A large suffrage rally is held in Dover. *May 5: The General Assembly Senate approves the federal suffrage amendment. *May 28: The General Assembly House votes against the federal suffrage amendment. * June 2: The Delaware General Assembly ends its session without ratifying the 19th Amendment. 1923 * Delaware ratifies the 19th Amendment.

References

Sources

* * * {{Authority control Women's suffrage in Delaware Timelines of states of the United States Suffrage referendums