By Barbara McAllister
Word of the Day: Suffrage
The word suffrage means the right to vote in political elections. It comes from an old Latin word that originally meant assistance or a short, intercessory prayer. Although the word sounds like it might be connected with the word suffer, sources suggest otherwise, even if history doesn’t.
In 1870 freed male slaves were guaranteed the right to vote by the 15th Amendment to the Constitution, but it wasn’t until 1920 when Congress ratified the 19th amendment that women were allowed to vote. Women today accept voting as a given right, thanks to hard work and long battles of many notable female suffragettes.
Julia Ward Howe displayed a great deal of faith and optimism when she wrote the “Battle Hymn of the Republic” in 1862. Susan B. Anthony was one of the founders of the National Woman Suffrage Association and Carrie Chapman Catt started the League of Women Voters. All were female rebels who helped change the system. Victoria Claflin Woodhull even ran as an Equal Rights Party candidate against Ulysses S. Grant in the 1872 presidential election, despite not being allowed to vote.
The right to vote for all was, and still is, hard fought by many Americans. It’s not clear how “suffrage” became connected to voting rights, but it’s fitting to think as voting being a kind of prayer.
