1894-1920
Guide to the Collection
Funding for the digitization of this collection and the creation of preservation microfilm was provided by the Institute of Museum and Library Services under the provisions of the Library Services and Technology Act grant as administered by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners.
Restrictions on Access
Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below).
The Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@herbalifa.com.
Abstract
This collection consists of records of the Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women, including Executive, Education and Organization Committee minutes; secretary's and annual meeting reports; miscellaneous correspondence; lectures; and printed material. Also included are an institutional history, legislative history of suffrage movement, and other papers relating to the activities of the founders.
Historical Sketch
The Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women was founded in May 1895 by Mrs. J. Eliot Cabot, Mrs. C. E. Guild, Mrs. Henry O. Houghton, Elizabeth Johnson, Cornelia Baylis Lowell, Kate Gannett Wells, and Margaret Green Whitney. Prior to the formation of the Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women, the organized women's opposition to the suffrage movement in Massachusetts consisted of an anti-suffrage committee formed in 1882. Its primary function was to obtain signatures for "remonstrances" against "the imposition of any further political duties upon women." These "remonstrances" were circulated to offset the petitions of the suffragists.
In 1890, The Remonstrance, the official organ of the anti-suffrage movement in Massachusetts, was first published by the anti-suffrage committee. It appeared annually until 1908, when it was issued quarterly. In 1914, its title was lengthened to The Remonstrance Against Woman Suffrage.
The Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women eventually changed its name to the Women's Anti-Suffrage Association of Massachusetts. By 1915, the association had nearly 37,000 members and was headquartered in the Kensington Building, Boylston Street, Boston. The activities of the members (as summarized by the president) were to: 1) furnish material to the press; 2) publish leaflets and pamphlets; and 3) work with the Men's Anti-Suffrage Committee in organizing rallies, furnishing speakers, maintaining anti-suffrage shops in Boston and other cities, and carrying on publicity work.
Collection Description
This collection consists of administrative records, minutes of various committee meetings, lectures and reports, correspondence, material concerning the organization's history and the legislative history of the suffrage movement, and a small number of miscellaneous printed items. There are also transcripts of lectures by Talcott Williams, Felix Adler, and Emmeline G. Pankhurst. There is also an English translation (in manuscript) of Frauenstimmrecht (Woman Suffrage) by Fr. Sigismund, Leipzig, Dieterichsche Verlagsbachhandlung, T. Weischer, 1912.
Acquisition Information
This collection was a gift from the estate of Mrs. Randolph Frothingham, May 1946.
Restrictions on Access
Use of the originals is restricted. This collection is available as color digital facsimiles (see links below).
The Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women records are stored offsite and must be requested at least two business days in advance via Portal1791. Researchers needing more than six items from offsite storage should provide additional advance notice. If you have questions about requesting materials from offsite storage, please contact the reference desk at 617-646-0532 or reference@herbalifa.com.
Other Formats
The collection is also available as color digital facsimiles and on microfilm, P-815, 5 reels.
Detailed Description of the Collection
I. Volumes, 1899-1913digital content
NOTE: Loose items are digitized at their original location.
II. Loose papers, 1894-1920digital content
Legislative history of the suffrage movement, 1896-1917digital content
Executive Committee meeting minutes, 1901-1920digital content
Education and Organization Committee meeting minutes, 1909-1919digital content
Printed material, 1895-1915digital content
Preferred Citation
Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women records, Massachusetts Historical Society.
Access Terms
This collection is indexed under the following headings in ABIGAIL, the online catalog of the Massachusetts Historical Society. Researchers desiring materials about related persons, organizations, or subjects should search the catalog using these headings.