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 Casting Ballots

 


 "Woman's Rights"
  Cartoonist:  Lloyd
  Source:  Harper's Weekly
  Date:   November 25, 1876, p. 960

Click to see a large version of this cartoon...

Click to see a large version of this cartoon

Complete HarpWeek Explanation:
Although women could not vote in 19th-century America, they often took a keen interest in politics and participated in political events (see "Women's Role" in Campaigning). From the days of the early republic, the ideal of "republican motherhood" assigned women the vital task of ensuring that their children were educated in the values and practices of good citizenship. In 1848, the women's rights movement gained prominence at the Seneca Falls Convention.

This cartoon draws upon common assumptions (held by women as well as men) that were contrary to the ideology of 19th-century women's rights advocates. First, that women already had significant influence on how men voted; and second, that a husband's vote would be cast in the interests of his entire family; therefore, the right to vote was unnecessary for women, and could undermine the family unit.

 

 

 

 
 

 

     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 
     
 

 

 

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