Woman Suffrage Party
| Abbreviation | WSP |
|---|---|
| Successor | League of Women Voters, New York chapter |
| Formation | 1909 |
| Founder | Carrie Chapman Catt |
| Extinction | 1919 |
| Purpose | Women's suffrage in New York and the US |
The Woman Suffrage Party (WSP) was a New York city political organization dedicated to women's suffrage. It was founded in New York by Carrie Chapman Catt at the Convention of Disfranchised Women in 1909. WSP called itself "a political union of existing equal suffrage organizations in the City of New York." WSP was many New York women's first experience with politics and "contributed directly to the passage of a woman suffrage amendment in New York state."
The Woman Suffrage Party started with the Convention of Disfranchised Women. The Convention took place in Carnegie Hall on October 29, 1909 and was sponsored by the Interurban Suffrage Council (ISC). The ISC was a group created by Carrie Chapman Catt and made up of smaller suffrage organizations in New York City.
Local women's suffrage groups sent 804 delegates to attend. Mrs. Clarence Mackay presented the conference platform, which was adopted at the convention. Her platform included the assertion that men and women were equal, that it was natural for men and women to cooperate, that laws have tended to restrict women's access to education and full independence, and that it was unlawful to tax women when they had no voice in government.
The conference called for Catt to act as the chairperson for a new party, first called the Woman's Party, and later the Woman Suffrage Party. Overall, the conference was "conservative" in tone, rather than "militant," according to the News-Palladium. and The Los Angeles Times.
Carrie Chapman Catt organized the WSP like a "political machine." The bottom level of the group included individual party members, who then chose district leaders who would represent them at borough and city conventions. The top level of WSP was a board of all of the district chairs. In total, there were 804 delegates and 200 alternates, making the WSP the "largest delegate suffrage body ever assembled in New York State."
In order to raise money for the group, WSP took in contributions from individuals, sponsored benefits and also created several "fund-raising stunts." These included "self-denial week" where members saved money by eating ten-cent sandwiches, walked instead of hiring cabs, and forwarded the savings to the WSP. "Sacrifice Day" on August 7, 1914, saw women attending a luncheon where they donated jewelry and watches to further the cause. WSP did not use violent tactics to achieve their goals.
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