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Music and the United States' Suffragettes

Example of Suffragette Music (TBD)

In 1848, women gathered at the Seneca Falls Convention in New York to discuss their rights, opportunities, and desire to obtain the vote in the United States. Throughout the following decades, the American Women’s Suffrage movement began to gain momentum. This first wave of feminism was aimed towards winning enfranchisement and making women’s voices heard. Music played an instrumental role in the parades, rallies, and conventions that were held and attended by suffragettes. The songs, written for the cause, unified women from varying geographic and socioeconomic positions because the empowering lyrics were set to well known tunes. Singing was expected from women, whereas political speaking was discouraged, which meant the use of music provided women with an outlet to voice their opinion. Music made a significant impact on women’s rights efforts throughout the twentieth century, and continues to be a medium to promote feminism today.

Bringing Women Together

The United States’ Womens’ Suffrage movement brought thousands of women together, each with a different background but unified in purpose.

A Voice for Women

Prior to the twentieth century, women were expected to remain silent, particularly in regards to political matters. With a few exceptions, the voice of the United States was predominantly male. Although some women, including Abigail Adams, fought for rights in the early days of the nation, women were given little to zero representation for one hundred years. Finally, in the mid-19th century, the fight for women’s rights came together in an organized fashion in Seneca Falls, New York. This gathering sparked the fire that led to the first wave of feminism in the US. Despite the strength that came from their drive, it remained incredibly difficult for them to speak for themselves on matters involving their government.

At that time, most Americans were a part of different Christian denominations. Although each congregation was different, hymns were a common way for members to come together in worship. Women grew up using their voices to sing their praise of God and Jesus Christ; it was one of the few ways they could express their feelings in churches. Toward the end of the nineteenth century, women began to write their own hymns with the purpose of sharing their testimonies and experiences through their own words. Despite the backlash they received from men in their churches, many women became successful hymnists.

Several songs were written in response to the Seneca Falls Convention, including “Women’s Rights Convention Waltz,” arranged by Julia F. Baker and “The Great Convention, or Woman’s Rights,” written by “a Lady”. But many of those songs did not include lyrics and were not yet used in protests and rallies for women’s rights. As women across the nation worked to have their voice heard in the churches, suffragettes struggled against the political silence that had been forced upon them for decades. However, the success of female hymnists showed that songs could be a powerful way to express their desire for equality.

In 1891, The National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA) held its first convention in Washington, D.C. Suffragettes from across the US gathered together and sang to express their desire for enfranchisement. NAWSA focused on the idea that the traditional roles of women, including motherhood, would be helpful for women to vote for beneficial progress in the US.

Role of Music in 20th-21st Century Feminism

Music continues to be a medium to promote feminism today. As the second wave of feminism began to develop there was a resurgence in suffragist songs. This famously included the, “Sister Suffragette” song in the hit 1964 Disney film Mary Poppins. Again the famous tune of the Battle Hymn of the Republic was used again by women in a suffrage style song during a Women’s Liberation March at Harvard. The song was entitled, “The Battle Hymn of Women,” replacing the lyrics, “glory, glory hallelujah,” with, “move on over or we’ll move on over you.” The introduction of the Equal Rights Amendment (ERA) in the 1970s led to the rise of pop culture songs playing a role in the feminist movement. This included songs such as Lesley Gore’s, “You Don’t Own Me,” and “Respect” by Aretha Franklin. In fact, in December 1972, Helen Reddy’s, “I Am Woman,'' topped the music charts at number one. This was a year that was important for women's rights as Shirley Chisholm was running for President and Roe V. Wade had reached courts. Music continues to play a huge role in women’s empowerment and modern day feminist movements with the creation of songs such as Beyonce’s, “Who Runs the World,” and Taylor Swift’s, “The Man".....