TAKING CENTER STAGE: WOMEN’S SUFFRAGE IN GRAND RAPIDS AND MICHIGAN

Setting the Stage

The women’s suffrage movement in the United States spanned over seven decades, from the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls, New York in 1848 to the ratification of the 19th amendment in 1920. This national story is well known, with influential groups and individuals like the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), founded by Susan B. Anthony, and Alice Paul’s National Woman’s Party (NWP) included in every complete account of the struggle for women’s voting rights.

But the national story is not the whole story. State and local organizations were as critical to winning the vote as the national organizations headquartered in Washington, D.C. and New York. Grand Rapids suffragists agitated for the vote as early as 1874 and, in partnership with suffragists around Michigan, continued fighting until 1918, when a state constitutional amendment finally granted suffrage to all Michigan women. Grand Rapids suffragists would take center stage in both the Michigan and national suffrage movements during this nearly half-century long effort.

Prepared in celebration of the 100th anniversary of national women’s suffrage in 2020, this digital history exhibit tells the rich history of women’s suffrage in Grand Rapids and in Michigan. It documents the three central stages of the Grand Rapids campaign and explores its stories in depth with historical vignettes from key moments of the decades-long struggle. Finally, a comprehensive timeline puts the Grand Rapids suffrage movement in context by highlighting crucial events from both the Michigan and U.S. suffrage movements.

Prepared in celebration of the 100th anniversary of national women’s suffrage in 2020, this digital history exhibit tells the rich history of women’s suffrage in Grand Rapids and in Michigan. It documents the three central stages of the Grand Rapids campaign and explores its stories in depth with historical vignettes from key moments of the decades-long struggle. Finally, a comprehensive timeline puts the Grand Rapids suffrage movement in context by highlighting crucial events from both the Michigan and U.S. suffrage movements.

Explore and remember the women who gave so much for this fundamental civil right—the right to vote

Exploring the Grand Rapids Suffrage Movement: Historical Timelines

The 1874 Statewide Campaign

In the months before Michigan’s first women’s suffrage referendum, Grand Rapids buzzed with suffrage activity. Explore the roles Grand Rapids suffragists played in this statewide campaign for equal voting rights. LEARN MORE » 

Taking Center Stage: 1879-1907

Explore the period when Grand Rapids hosted the national suffrage convention and local suffragist Emily Burton Ketcham rose through the ranks of the state movement. LEARN MORE » 

Organizing for the Vote: 1907-1920

The Grand Rapids Equal Franchise Club, founded in 1910, revived the local suffrage effort. Explore the roles Grand Rapids suffragists played in the 1912, 1913, and 1918 statewide women’s suffrage referendums. LEARN MORE » 

The Grand Rapids Suffrage Movement in Focus: Stories from the Campaign

NAWSA Comes to Grand Rapids

The national suffrage movement convened in Grand Rapids in 1899. Explore the history behind this convention attended by Susan B. Anthony, Anna Howard Shaw, and other national suffragists. LEARN MORE » 

A Resolution for Racial Equality

At the 1899 NAWSA convention in Grand Rapids, African-American suffragist Lottie Wilson Jackson fought for equality with a resolution protesting Jim Crow. Explore the history behind her fight. LEARN MORE » 

The Suffrage Edition

On May 2, 1914, suffragists took over the Grand Rapids Press to publish a suffrage-themed edition. Explore this remarkable event with excerpts from the actual suffrage edition. LEARN MORE » 

The Grand Rapids Suffrage Movement in Context

Use this timeline to explore the Grand Rapids suffrage story in the context of the U.S. and Michigan suffrage movements. LEARN MORE »

Suffrage History Resources

Primary Sources

Periodicals
Digitized Archival Collections

Further Reading

Curated and written by Julia Bouwkamp with research and editorial assistance from GVSU interns Savannah Grodzicki and Emily Driscoll
“Taking Center Stage: Women’s Suffrage in Grand Rapids” was inspired by and owes a debt of gratitude to other great women’s suffrage history resources from the National Women’s History Museum, the Grand Rapids Public Library, and the Grand Rapids Public Museum