THE NATIONAL SUFFRAGE MOVEMENT
When our contitution was written, it was silent on women.
In the 1800 's here in Vermont women's rights were finite as property. Personal and voting rights did not exist. The movement to expand them was sparked in the 1840's-50's by the efforts of Clarina Howard Nichols. Born in West Townshend, VT in 1810 her writings, legislative testimonies and local and national speaking engagements placed her in the center of the growing struggle for women's rights. Though Nichols' efforts did not immediately produce results they provided momentum for Vermont women gaining the right to vote.
Who was Grafton's Lucy?
Lucy Joslyn Cutler Daniels was born November 5, 1858 in Grafton, Vermont. She posted a sign on one of her buildings which read "A-SQUARE-DEAL. Votes for Vermont Women" This and her involvement in the movement put Grafton in the news, and forced her to endure name-calling & propery vandalism. In 1917 she traveled to Washington as a "Silent Sentinel" to protest women's disenfranchisement at the White House gates. Lucy was among those arrested and jailed, according to Marilyn Blackwell. In 1920, she is also mentioned in "Jailed for Freedom", Doris Stevens' authoritative account of the push for women's suffrage.
