MUNCIE'S SUFFRAGISTS
Sign 16 photo.

PHOTO CREDIT: Ida Husted Harper, circa 1915. Photo is in the public domain. Taken by the Aimé Dupont Studio in New York City.

In 1911, Hoosier women formed the Women’s Franchise League of Indiana with the intended goal of establishing suffrage for women. By 1920, the WFL grew to 112 branches divided into 13 Indiana districts and boasting more than 1,200 members. The Muncie branch of the WFL was officially formed in September 1912 at the Jackson Street Christian Church. The Muncie branch was led by Susan Ryan Marsh as president and Emma Wood Ball as first vice president.

Working closely with the National American Woman Suffrage Association, Muncie's branch of the WFL implemented a grass-roots campaign to support the national suffrage amendment originally proposed in 1878. Together with several other organizations, including the National Woman’s Party, the suffragists achieved victory in 1919 as Congress passed the the 19th Amendment, outlawing the denial or abridgement of voting rights based on sex. Muncie’s tradition of women-led campaigns, institutions, and non-profit organizations remained a vibrant part of the city throughout the 20th century and continues to this day.

timeline
MORE HISTORY Profile portrait of Susan Ryan Marsh.

PHOTO CREDIT: Susan Ryan Marsh, co-founder of the WFL. Photo courtesy Ball State University's Bracken Archive and Special Collections.


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