They marched and battled for the ballot

Official program'Woman suffrage procession, Washington, D.C. March 3, 1913 March 3, 1913, was a major milestone in the battle for women in the United States to achieve national suffrage. Over 8,000 women and male supporters marched through the streets of Washington, D.C., on the day before President Woodrow Wilson's inauguration. Though attacked by viewers, and women who marched suffered injury, the parade route was completed by most of the marchers and brought national attention to the suffrage movement.

MOB HURTS 300 SUFFRAGISTS AT CAPITAL PARADE
'There would be nothing like this happen if you would stay at home.'

[...] The procession began late, but all went well for the first few blocks . Soon, however, the crowds, mostly men in town for the following day's inauguration of Woodrow Wilson, surged into the street making it almost impossible for the marchers to pass. Occasionally only a single file could move forward. Women were jeered, tripped, grabbed, shoved, and many heard 'indecent epithets' and 'barnyard conversation.' Instead of protecting the parade, the police 'seemed to enjoy all the ribald jokes and laughter and part participated in them.' One policeman explained that they should stay at home where they belonged. The men in the procession heard shouts of 'Henpecko' and 'Where are your skirts?' As one witness explained, 'There was a sort of spirit of levity connected with the crowd. They did not regard the affair very seriously.'

But to the women, the event was very serious. Helen Keller 'was so exhausted and unnerved by the experience in attempting to reach a grandstand . . . that she was unable to speak later at Continental hall [sic ].' Two ambulances 'came and went constantly for six hours, always impeded and at times actually opposed, so that doctor and driver literally had to fight their way to give succor to the injured' . One hundred marchers were taken to the local Emergency Hospital. Before the afternoon was over, Secretary of War Henry L. Stimson, responding to a request from the chief of police, authorized the use of a troop of cavalry from nearby Fort Myer to help control the crowd.

Though in 1869 the Wyoming territory constitution granted women the right to vote and to hold public office, and other states had slowly moved forward, it would be seven more years after 1913 before the majority population of the U.S.'women'would be granted the franchise.

It is fitting that we not only explore this history during Women's History Month, but that we take heed of the fact that though victories may have been won in the past, this is no time to rest on laurels, since efforts have been under way to erode the vote for many women'particularly women of color and the elderly'and just as suffragists had to fight to win the vote, we have to fight to keep the rights we have won and expand them.

Follow me below the fold to explore this history and these thoughts in more detail.