National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage (NAOWS)

The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage (NAOWS) was founded in the United States by women opposed to the suffrage movement of the twentieth century. Established by Josephine Jewell Dodge in New York City in 1911, the organization was most popular in northeastern cities.[1] Like other anti-suffrage organizations, NAOWS published a newsletter as well as other publications, containing their opinions on the current political issues of the time. The newsletter of the association was called Woman's Protest (later renamed Woman Patriot in 1918).[2]

In July 1917, in part as a response to the growing possibility of a suffrage amendment to the United States Constitution, the organization's headquarters were moved from New York to Washington, D.C. Josephine Dodge, the founding president, was replaced by Alice Hay Wadsworth, wife of U.S. Senator James W. Wadsworth, Jr. from New York. Mrs. Wadsworth was a leader of the anti-suffrage movement and upon amendment to the New York State Constitution granting women the right to vote, the focus of the NAOWS shifted from the state level to the federal level. The organization disbanded in 1920 as a result of the passage of the Nineteenth Amendment.[3]

Political views

One of NAOWS' publications included a pamphlet, Some Reasons Why We Oppose Votes for Women,[4] which, as the title suggests, outlines some of the reasons why they are opposed to women suffrage. They believe it is irrelevant to the success of the country, as stated in their pamphlet:

"Because the great advance of women in the last century— moral, intellectual and economic— has been made without the vote; which goes to prove that it is not needed for their further advancement along the same lines."[5]

The National Association Opposed to Women Suffrage also opposed women's right to vote because the majority of women did not want the right to vote, and because they believed that the men in their lives accurately represented the political will of women around the United States. NAOWS submitted pamphlets like these to the general public as well as directing them to government officials so that political figures would see that women opposed the then-unratified nineteenth amendment. They did this in order to counteract the rhetoric of the suffragettes of the time.

Quotes from Some Reasons Why We Oppose Votes For Women

"We believe that political equality will deprive us of special privileges hitherto accorded to us by law."[6]

"[We oppose suffrage] Because it means simply doubling the vote, and especially the undesirable and corrupt vote of our large cities." [7]

"[We oppose suffrage] Because our present duties fill up the whole measure of our time and ability, and are such as none but ourselves can perform."[8]

Further reading

No Turning Back by Estelle Freedman

No Votes for Women: The New York State Anti-Suffrage Movement by Susan Goodier

References

  1. ↑ "National Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage".
  2. ↑ https://www.britannica.com/topic/National-Association-Opposed-to-Woman-Suffrage
  3. ↑ E.,, Marshall, Susan (2010). Splintered Sisterhood Gender and Class in the Campaign Against Woman Suffrage. University of Wisconsin Press. ISBN 9780299154639. OCLC 934667338.
  4. ↑ http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss190_main.html
  5. ↑ http://asteria.fivecolleges.edu/findaids/sophiasmith/mnsss190_main.html. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  6. ↑ "Suffrage Collection".
  7. ↑ "Suffrage Collection".
  8. ↑ "Suffrage Collection".
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