Women's suffrage in Alaska
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Women's suffrage in Alaska was won fairly easily for non-native women in 1913. Prior to becoming a territory, non-native women were able to vote in school board elections.
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 ...
work took place in the
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
chapters 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). After Alaska was admitted as a territory, the first Territorial Legislature passed a women's suffrage bill in 1913 and was signed into law on March 21. This law only applied to non-native women since
Alaska Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik, Aleut, Eyak, Tlingit, Haida, Tsimshian, and a numbe ...
were not considered citizens of the United States. Alaska Natives continued to fight for the right to vote, along with other civil rights throughout the twentieth and twenty-first century.


Women's suffrage

The
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
passed a law in 1904, giving all adult citizens in
Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S., ...
the right to vote and women the right to vote in school board elections. Early white women's rights activists were active in 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) in Territorial Alaska. The
Skagway, Alaska The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal wit ...
WCTU was very active in their own community. Members of the Alaska WCTU eventually felt that to pass successful
temperance Temperance may refer to: Moderation *Temperance movement, movement to reduce the amount of alcohol consumed *Temperance (virtue), habitual moderation in the indulgence of a natural appetite or passion Culture *Temperance (group), Canadian danc ...
efforts meant they would need the right to vote.
Liquor license A liquor license (or liquor licence in most forms of Commonwealth English) is a governmentally issued permit to sell, manufacture, store, or otherwise use alcoholic beverages. Canada In Canada, liquor licences are issued by the legal authority ...
s were voted on and issued on an annual basis in Territorial Alaska since 1908. One member of the Alaskan chapters of WCTU, Cornelia Templeton Jewett Hatcher, was also a suffragist who advocated for women's right to vote in the territory. In 1912 Hatcher drafted and solicited signatures on a women's suffrage petition to the Territorial Legislature. Lena Morrow Lewis arrived in Alaska in 1912 where she served as an
American Socialist Party The Socialist Party of America (SPA) was a socialist political party in the United States formed in 1901 by a merger between the three-year-old Social Democratic Party of America and disaffected elements of the Socialist Labor Party of America ...
leader for five years. During this time she advocated for women's suffrage and helped women with voting issues. In
Skagway, Alaska The Municipality and Borough of Skagway is a first-class borough in Alaska on the Alaska Panhandle. As of the 2020 census, the population was 1,240, up from 968 in 2010. The population doubles in the summer tourist season in order to deal wit ...
, women lobbied congressional delegate, James Wickersham, for women's suffrage. The Western Federation of Miners came out in favor of women's suffrage in Alaska. Overall, the press was also supportive of women's suffrage in the state. The ''Daily Alaska Dispatch'', a Republican newspaper, "actively supported" women's suffrage. In the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
, Representative Frank W. Mondell included language in an amendment to the Alaskan Territory bill that would allow the territorial legislature to approve women's suffrage without the need for a
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
. One of the territorial senators, Arthur G. Stroup was in contact with the
National American Woman Suffrage Association The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) was an organization formed on February 18, 1890, to advocate in favor of women's suffrage in the United States. It was created by the merger of two existing organizations, the National ...
(NAWSA) about introducing a women's suffrage bill for Alaska. Other members of NAWSA lobbied Alaska legislators as soon as they had been elected. When the Territorial Legislature opened in
Juneau The City and Borough of Juneau, more commonly known simply as Juneau ( ; tli, Dzánti K'ihéeni ), is the capital city of the state of Alaska. Located in the Gastineau Channel and the Alaskan panhandle, it is a unified municipality and the se ...
in 1913, Representative Milo Kelly of Knik, Alaska presented Hatcher's petition. Stroup's bill was also introduced at the first Territorial Legislature. One member of the House, Charles E. Ingersoll, attempted to stall the bill, but the rest of the House stopped the delay and continued deliberations. While the House was voting, another petition for women's suffrage was on its way to Juneau by
steamship A steamship, often referred to as a steamer, is a type of steam-powered vessel, typically ocean-faring and seaworthy, that is propelled by one or more steam engines that typically move (turn) propellers or paddlewheels. The first steamships ...
. The petition came from three women from Seward, Ada Brownell, Ida E. Green and Francis Turner Pedersen, and had 143 signatures. Both of the petitions and the bill passed by the House were presented to the Senate where it also passed. It was the first bill to pass through both House and Senate in the Alaskan Territory. The women's suffrage bill was signed into law on March 21, 1913. This law did not include
Alaskan Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik peoples, Yupik, A ...
except under certain circumstances. After the bill passed, Harriet Pullen used a wagon, called the Pullen House Bus, to help women reach polling locations in Alaska. Pullen supported temperance and her wagon had a sign that read, "Vote Dry and Protect Your Home."


Alaska Native women and voting

While non-native women had largely gained voting rights,
Alaskan Natives Alaska Natives (also known as Alaskan Natives, Native Alaskans, Indigenous Alaskans, Aboriginal Alaskans or First Alaskans) are the Indigenous peoples of the Americas, indigenous peoples of Alaska and include Iñupiat, Yupik peoples, Yupik, A ...
still had an uncertain path to be able to vote. Some indigenous women were considered citizens through their marriage to white men, but most Alaska Natives were not considered citizens of the United States. The
Alaska Native Brotherhood The Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and its counterpart, the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS), are two nonprofit organizations founded to address racism against Alaska Native peoples in Alaska. ANB was formed in 1912 and ANS founded three years lat ...
(ANB) was formed in 1912 to support the civil rights of Natives. The
Alaska Native Sisterhood The Alaska Native Brotherhood (ANB) and its counterpart, the Alaska Native Sisterhood (ANS), are two nonprofit organizations founded to address racism against Alaska Native peoples in Alaska. ANB was formed in 1912 and ANS founded three years lat ...
(ANS) was formed three years later in 1915. A law passed by the Territorial Legislature allowed Alaskan Natives to vote if they gave up their "tribal customs and traditions." Native women largely were not able to vote after the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment because of questions about their citizenship. William Paul ( Tlingit) fought for indigenous people's right to vote during the 1920s. He organized both literate and illiterate voters in the state. Paul gave illiterate voters a template individuals could place over the ballot and be able to vote in a manner Paul approved of.
Tillie Paul Matilda Kinnon "Tillie"' Paul Tamaree (January 18, 1863 – August 20, 1952) was a Tlingit translator, civil rights advocate, educator, and Presbyterian church elder. Early life and education Matilda Kinnon was born in Victoria, British Columbia, ...
(Tlingit) was arrested for helping Charlie Jones (Tlingit) vote since Alaska did not consider them citizens. After winning in court, the case helped set a
precedent A precedent is a principle or rule established in a previous legal case that is either binding on or persuasive for a court or other tribunal when deciding subsequent cases with similar issues or facts. Common-law legal systems place great valu ...
that Alaska Natives could legally vote. In 1924, the
United States Congress The United States Congress is the legislature of the federal government of the United States. It is bicameral, composed of a lower body, the House of Representatives, and an upper body, the Senate. It meets in the U.S. Capitol in Washing ...
passed the Indian Citizenship Act. The next year, however, Alaska passed a
literacy test A literacy test assesses a person's literacy skills: their ability to read and write have been administered by various governments, particularly to immigrants. In the United States, between the 1850s and 1960s, literacy tests were administered t ...
that was meant to suppress the votes of Natives. Alaska became a segregated state with different areas and rules for non-native and indigenous people. ANB protested the segregation with
boycott A boycott is an act of nonviolent, voluntary abstention from a product, person, organization, or country as an expression of protest. It is usually for moral, social, political, or environmental reasons. The purpose of a boycott is to inflict som ...
s. Governor
Ernest Gruening Ernest Henry Gruening ( ; February 6, 1887 – June 26, 1974) was an American journalist and politician. A member of the Democratic Party, Gruening was the governor of the Alaska Territory from 1939 until 1953, and a United States Senator from A ...
felt that an
anti-discrimination law Anti-discrimination law or non-discrimination law refers to legislation designed to prevent discrimination against particular groups of people; these groups are often referred to as protected groups or protected classes. Anti-discrimination laws ...
was needed. A bill was sent to the territorial legislature in 1943, but was narrowly defeated. Gruening actively recruited Alaska Natives through the ANB and by 1944,
Frank Peratrovich Frank Peratrovich (April 2, 1895 – January 4, 1984) was an American businessman and politician. Early life and education Born in Klawock, Alaska to parents of mixed Tlingit and Serbian descent, Peratrovich served in the United States ...
(Tlingit) and
Andrew Hope Andrew is the English form of a given name common in many countries. In the 1990s, it was among the top ten most popular names given to boys in English-speaking countries. "Andrew" is frequently shortened to "Andy" or "Drew". The word is derived ...
(Tlingit) were elected into office. Also that year, Alberta Schenck ( Inupiaq) was arrested for resisting segregation in a theater in
Nome, Alaska Nome (; ik, Sitŋasuaq, ) is a city in the Nome Census Area in the Unorganized Borough of Alaska, United States. The city is located on the southern Seward Peninsula coast on Norton Sound of the Bering Sea. It had a population of 3,699 recorded ...
. The publicity surrounding her arrest led to Schenck being elected the Queen of Nome in 1944. Another young activist who also staged a sit in at a theater in Nome was Holger Jorgensen (Inupiaq). When the Alaska Territorial Legislation opened in 1945, one of the top issues was dealing with civil rights for Native Alaskans. Alaska Natives "turned out in full force" to the hearings. During the proceedings Elizabeth Peratrovich (Tlingit), a president of the ANS testified about how it felt to be subject to segregation. Peratrovich's speech helped turn sentiment towards the bill. After hours of debate, the bill was passed and signed into law on February 16, 1945. The
Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945 The Alaska Equal Rights Act of 1945 (also known as the Anti-Discrimination Law of 1945 Alaska Statutes 44.12.065) was the first state or territorial anti-discrimination law enacted in the United States in the 20th century. The law, signed on Februar ...
ended segregation of Native Alaskans. However, there was still discrimination against Native Alaskans accessing their right to vote. When Alaska became a state, the new constitution specified a more lenient literacy test. In 1970, the Alaska state legislature adopted women's suffrage and a
referendum A referendum (plural: referendums or less commonly referenda) is a direct vote by the electorate on a proposal, law, or political issue. This is in contrast to an issue being voted on by a representative. This may result in the adoption of a ...
ratified a constitutional amendment against literacy tests in the state. The
Voting Rights Act of 1965 The Voting Rights Act of 1965 is a landmark piece of federal legislation in the United States that prohibits racial discrimination in voting. It was signed into law by President Lyndon B. Johnson during the height of the civil rights movement ...
(VRA), modified in 1975, provided additional help for individuals who do not speak English. This affects around 14 census areas in Alaska where individuals must have help in Native Alaskan languages. Into the twenty-first century, many villages in Alaska that have large Alaska Native populations continue to face barriers to voting.


See also

*
List of Alaska suffragists This is a list of Alaska suffragists, suffrage groups and others associated with the cause of women's suffrage in Alaska. Groups * Alaska Native Brotherhood, formed in 1912. * Alaska Native Sisterhood, formed in 1915. *National American Woman ...
* Timeline of women's suffrage in Alaska * Women's suffrage in states of the United States *
Women's suffrage in the United States In the 1700's to early 1800's New Jersey did allow Women the right to vote before the passing of the 19th Amendment, but in 1807 the state restricted the right to vote to "...tax-paying, white male citizens..." Women's legal right to vote w ...


References


Sources

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External links


Alaska Suffrage Star
{{DEFAULTSORT:Alaska women's suffrage movement Politics of Alaska Suffrage referendums Women's suffrage in Alaska