The Turning Point

What does it take to make change happen?  

The Turning Point Suffragist Memorial in Occoquan, Virginia marks a time in history when the tide shifted regarding granting women the right to vote. A turning point, so to speak. (Hence the name of the place.) It took nearly 100 years of advocacy to reach this point. 

That’s right, 100 years. Women had been taught that voting would be, well, unwomanly. Allowing them to have a say in the policies that shaped their lives would be wrong, right? 

But if you asked women (which most men weren’t doing at the time), they had had enough. They began agitating in the 1820’s and 30’s, and in 1848, the Seneca Falls Convention – a platform to promote the social, civil, and religious rights of women – opened with this statement:

We are assembled to protest against a form of government, existing without the consent of the governed—to declare our right to be free as man is free, to be represented in the government which we are taxed to support, to have such disgraceful laws as give man the power to chastise and imprison his wife, to take the wages which she earns, the property which she inherits, and, in case of separation, the children of her love. – Elizabeth Cady Stanton 

The members of the Convention passed 11 resolutions on women’s rights, including one on the right to vote. For the next 70 years they worked to gain this right. They lobbied Congress, demonstrated, wrote, lectured, and practiced civil disobedience to achieve their goal. Numerous individuals and organizations played a part in this effort. Susan B. Anthony registered and voted in New York, an act for which she was arrested. Frederick Douglas published pro-suffrage opinions in his anti-slavery newspaper, The North Star. The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) circulated articles arguing that black women – even more than white women – needed the right to vote to protect themselves against the double scourges of racism and sexism. 

The suffragettes continued their advocacy up to the time of World War I. Women all over the world were involved in the war effort, and several countries granted their female citizens the right to vote in recognition of their contributions at this moment. During this time in the United States, women regularly held demonstrations in front of The White House to convince President Wilson to see things their way. Some in the U.S. viewed this action as unpatriotic during wartime, so these demonstrations attracted some controversy. 

The women fighting for their rights in front of The White House were not treated kindly. They were arrested and sentenced to jail terms at the Occoquan Workhouse of up to seven months. The conditions there were deplorable. The water and bedding were dirty, the food was full of worms, and the guards abusive. However, the women did not bend. They demanded to be treated as political prisoners and went on hunger strikes. 

The night of November 14, 1917 saw the most brutal treatment of these women yet. They were inhumanely shackled, badly beaten, tortured, and refused food and medical care. This night became known as “The Night of Terror.” When word got out about this severe treatment, the public was shocked. This became a “turning point” in the movement. The government eased up on its treatment of the demonstrators. In 1918 the House passed the 19^th Amendment, which gave women the right to vote. In 1919 the Senate passed it. By 1920, three-fourths of the states had ratified it, and it became part of the United States Constitution. The 19^th Amendment states:

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.

Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation. 

The 15^th Amendment, added in 1870, ostensibly had already given African-American men the right to vote: 

The right of citizens of the United States to vote shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any state on account of race, color, or previous condition of servitude.

The Congress shall have power to enforce this article by appropriate legislation.

Although Black people worked hard for the right to vote, both history and today’s events show that that right is not secure. Early on, poll taxes, literacy tests, and simple intimidation kept Black people from the polls. The Voting Rights Act of 1965 was designed to change that. However, since then, voter identification laws, limitations on early voting, and prohibitions such as giving water to a voter waiting in a long line work to suppress the political participation of Black voters. 

Today, the Occoquan Work House has been refurbished and is used as an art space. It holds a museum, galleries, and a theater, and it serves as a springboard for the inspiration and imagination of budding creators. The Occoquan Regional Park surrounds the Turning Point Memorial dedicated to the involvement of the protesters. Voting women activists can ride their bikes to these places and pay homage to the men and women who helped make our choices possible – and continue the fight to make our nation fair and equitable for all. Will the work ever be done?