12 postcards that helped and hindered in women’s battle for the vote

Suffragists worked persistently for many years to guarantee the right to vote for women in the United States, facing opposition, ridicule, and even physical harm along the way. On June 4th of 1919, the suffragists’ hard work finally paid off, and Congress passed the 19th amendment and sent it to the states for ratification. Although many states quickly approved it, it took over a year for the amendment to complete ratification. However, the passing of the 19th amendment is often seen as the culmination of the women’s suffrage movement.

As strange as it may seem to us now, postcards played a major role in the suffrage movement. At the time, postcards were used in a way similar to how we use the Internet today to advocate for political and social change. They were hugely popular in the beginning of the 20th century, and the suffrage movement alone produced around 4,500 different cards.

So in honor of the hard work of the brave women that earned women the right to vote, let’s take a look at a few of the postcards that helped to spread the message of equality throughout the country, as well as some of the anti-suffrage cards.

Anti-suffrage postcards were also popular with the many people that opposed women’s rights. These cards were intended to ridicule suffragists, usually using humor as a means to belittle the women that supported voting rights. They often focused on the perception that granting women the right to vote would force men into performing traditionally female roles. Even worse, many simply resorted to calling suffragists ugly and undesirable.

While these postcards may seem trivial to us today, they are important reminders of the many barriers that women have had to face in the past. And they’re pretty cool looking to boot!

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