''Woman's Journal'' was an American

women's rights Women's rights are the rights and entitlements claimed for women and girls worldwide. They formed the basis for the women's rights movement in the 19th century and the feminist movements during the 20th and 21st centuries. In some countries, ...

periodical A periodical literature (also called a periodical publication or simply a periodical) is a published work that appears in a new edition on a regular schedule. The most familiar example is a newspaper, but a magazine or a journal are also example ...

published from 1870 to 1931. It was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Lucy Stone and her husband

Henry Browne Blackwell Henry Browne Blackwell (May 4, 1825 – September 7, 1909), was an American advocate for social and economic reform. He was one of the founders of the Republican Party and the American Woman Suffrage Association. He published '' Woman's Jou ...

as a weekly newspaper. In 1917 it was purchased by

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 ...

Leslie Woman Suffrage Commission The Leslie Woman Suffrage Commission was an American woman's suffrage organization formed by Carrie Chapman Catt in March 1917 in New York City, based on funds willed for the purpose by publisher Miriam Leslie. The organization helped promote the ca ...

and merged with '' The Woman Voter'' and ''National Suffrage News'' to become known as ''The Woman Citizen''. It served as the official organ of 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 ...

until 1920, when the organization was reformed as the League of Women Voters, and the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed granting women the right to vote. Publication of ''Woman Citizen'' slowed from weekly, to bi-weekly, to monthly. In 1927, it was renamed ''The Woman's Journal''. It ceased publication in June 1931.

History

''Woman's Journal'' was founded in 1870 in Boston, Massachusetts, by Lucy Stone and her husband

as a weekly newspaper. The new paper incorporated Mary A. Livermore's ''The Agitator'', as well as a lesser known periodical called the ''Woman's Advocate''. The works of Ohioan comedy writer

Rosella Rice Rosella Rice (11 August 1827 – 6 June 1888) was an American author, poet, and lecturer born in Perrysville, Ohio. She was known for her direct and energetic comedy writing, her nature poems, and her vivid descriptions of folklore figure John " ...

, whose poems mythologized the figure of

Johnny Appleseed John Chapman (September 26, 1774March 18, 1845), better known as Johnny Appleseed, was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Ontario, as well as the northern cou ...

, were published in ''Woman's Journal''. The first issue was published on January 8, on the two-year anniversary of the first issue of

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 ...

's '' The Revolution''. Stone and Blackwell served as editors, with assistance from Livermore.

Julia Ward Howe Julia Ward Howe (; May 27, 1819 – October 17, 1910) was an American author and poet, known for writing the " Battle Hymn of the Republic" and the original 1870 pacifist Mother's Day Proclamation. She was also an advocate for abolitionism ...

edited from 1872 to 1879.

Alice Stone Blackwell Alice Stone Blackwell (September 14, 1857 – March 15, 1950) was an American feminist, suffragist, journalist, radical socialist, and human rights advocate. Early life and education Blackwell was born in East Orange, New Jersey to Henry Browne ...

, daughter of Stone and Blackwell, began editing in 1883 and took over as sole editor after her father's death in 1909, continuing until 1917. Contributors included Antoinette Brown Blackwell,

Mary Johnston Mary Johnston (November 21, 1870 – May 9, 1936) was an American novelist and women's rights advocate from Virginia. She was one of America's best selling authors during her writing career and had three silent films adapted from her novels. Jo ...

, Stephen S. Wise,

Zona Gale Zona Gale, also known by her married name, Zona Gale Breese (August 26, 1874 – December 27, 1938), was an American novelist, short story writer, and playwright. She became the first woman to win the Pulitzer Prize for Drama in 1921. The close r ...

Florence Kelley Florence Moltrop Kelley (September 12, 1859 – February 17, 1932) was a social and political reformer and the pioneer of the term wage abolitionism. Her work against sweatshops and for the minimum wage, eight-hour workdays, and children's rig ...

Witter Bynner Harold Witter Bynner (August 10, 1881 – June 1, 1968), also known by the pen name Emanuel Morgan, was an American poet and translator. He was known for his long residence in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and association with other literary figures the ...

, Ben B. Lindsey, Louisa May Alcott, Harriet Clisby and Caroline Bartlett Crane.

William Lloyd Garrison William Lloyd Garrison (December , 1805 – May 24, 1879) was a prominent American Christian, abolitionist, journalist, suffragist, and social reformer. He is best known for his widely read antislavery newspaper '' The Liberator'', which he foun ...

was a frequent contributor. Around 1887, headquarters were located in Boston on Park Street. ''Woman's Journal'' refused to carry

advertisements Advertising is the practice and techniques employed to bring attention to a product or service. Advertising aims to put a product or service in the spotlight in hopes of drawing it attention from consumers. It is typically used to promote a ...

for

tobacco Tobacco is the common name of several plants in the genus '' Nicotiana'' of the family Solanaceae, and the general term for any product prepared from the cured leaves of these plants. More than 70 species of tobacco are known, but the ...

, liquor, or drugs. In 1910, ''Woman's Journal'' absorbed ''Progress'', the official organ of the

(NAWSA). Until 1912, it served in that capacity, at which point it was renamed ''Woman's Journal and Suffrage News''. By 1915, circulation had reached 27,634, up from 2,328 in 1909.

''The Woman Citizen''

In 1917, ''Woman's Journal'' was purchased by

for $50,000, and merged with '' The Woman Voter'', the official journal of the Woman Suffrage Party of New York City, and NAWSA's ''National Suffrage News'' to become known as ''The Woman Citizen''. It served as NAWSA's official organ until 1920, when NAWSA was reformed as the League of Women Voters, and the Nineteenth Amendment to the United States Constitution was passed ensuring women's right to vote. The editor-in-chief of ''The Woman Citizen'' was Rose Emmet Young;

was a contributing editor. Every U.S. Congress member was given a free subscription to the journal. It covered issues such as

child labor Child labour refers to the exploitation of children through any form of work that deprives children of their childhood, interferes with their ability to attend regular school, and is mentally, physically, socially and morally harmful. Such e ...

in addition to women's suffrage. After women won the right to vote, the journal's focus shifted to political education for women. One of the aims of the League of Women Voters was to demonstrate its continued political power, now in the form of large numbers of newly enfranchised voters, and to soften its image in the eyes of women who were wary of radical politics. To that end, the journal courted middle-class female readers. It editorialized in support of the Maternity and Infancy Act of 1921, which was the first major legislation to be passed after the full enfranchisement of women. Readers were urged to support the Act by writing to their representatives and talking to their neighbors about it; one article included step-by-step instructions for finding out the names and addresses of their legislators. Publication of ''Woman Citizen'' slowed from weekly, to bi-weekly, to monthly. In 1927, it was renamed ''The Woman's Journal''. It ceased publication in June 1931.

Notes

Bibliography

* Ryan, Agnes E
''The Torch Bearer: A Look Forward and Back at the Woman's Journal, the Organ of the Woman's Movement''
1916. National American Woman Suffrage Association Collection, Library of Congress

External links

Editorial cartoons from ''Woman's Journal and Suffrage News''
in the Social Welfare History Image Portal, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries
''Woman's Journal'' in the Harvard University Library
*
The Woman Citizen
' in the Social Welfare History Image Portal, Virginia Commonwealth University Libraries {{Authority control 19th century in Boston Defunct women's magazines published in the United States History of women's rights in the United States Feminist magazines Magazines established in 1870 Magazines disestablished in 1931 Magazines published in Boston

History

''The Woman Citizen''

See also

Notes

Bibliography

External links