Jane Addams, “If Men Were Seeking the Franchise” (1913)
Jane Addams (1860-1935) was a social worker, political activist, author and leader in the women’s suffrage––the right to vote––movement. In the days before women’s suffrage (American women received the right to vote on August 18, 1920), she believed that women should make their voices heard in legislation as well as search for new realms for expression.
Addams wrote “If Men Were Seeking the Franchise” for Ladies’ Home Journal, a leading women’s 20th century magazine. Her article was based on an “absurd hypothesis”: a parallel world in which women rule, and men, denied political power, must petition for the vote. Like Truth, Addams approaches the question of women’s rights from an usual angle. Unlike Truth, however, Addams argues for different kinds of societal recognition and legal rights. Moreover, Addams writes this article during an incredibly important moment in history: roughly one year before the start of World War One. Though separated by the buffer of the Atlantic Ocean, Americans felt tensions rising in Europe and ultimately joined the Allies war efforts in 1917.
As you read this article, ask yourself: How does Addams describe women? How does she characterize and criticize men? Are her descriptions of gender effective? How do they compare with Truth’s descriptions of men and women? Finally, how does the anticipation of World War One influence this article?
