Indiana Woman's Suffrage Association
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The Indiana Woman's Suffrage Association (IWSA) began on October 15, 1851, in Dublin, Wayne County, Indiana.[2] IWSA was created for men and women to fight for women's right to vote. The association held annual conventions for 26 years.[3] People traveled from all over the state to find resolutions for the political, social, and financial inequalities for women. The ISWA was first referred to as American Woman Suffrage Association.
The Indiana Women’s Suffrage Association, originally organized as the Indiana Women’s Rights Association (IWRA) grew out of an initial meeting held in Dublin, Wayne County, Indiana on October 15. 1851. By the second meeting, held in 1852 in Richmond, Indiana, IWRA had established four committees dealing with "women’s labor & remuneration; women’s legal conditions; women’s social position; and women’s education."[4] Frequent speakers at these early meetings were suffragists, Francis Dana Gage, Lucretia Mott, and Ernestine Rose. In January 1859, Dr. Mary F Thomas, Agnes Cook, and Mary Birdsall, publicly spoke to the Indiana General Assembly and presented a petition asking for equal property rights and the vote. IWRA did not hold meetings between 1860 and 1869.[5]
In 1869, members renamed the organization the Indiana Women's Suffrage Association (IWSA) and refocused its efforts on obtaining suffrage.[6] Susan B Anthony and Lucy Stone spoke at the 1870 meeting and the IWSA affiliated with the American Woman Suffrage Association. IWSA again presented a petition to the Indiana General Assembly in 1873.[7] Disagreements arose between Helen Gougar, president of IWSA, and other Indiana suffrage leaders over the focus of the association.[8] While meetings were held after 1884, minutes do not exist, and the organization appears to have dissolved by 1899.[8] Other suffrage groups organized including the Indiana State Suffrage Association (1899), and later the Indiana Equal Suffrage Association (1906), and the Woman's Franchise League of Indiana (1911).
The Constitution
Source:[2]
Article I
This society shall be known by the name of the Indiana Woman's Rights Suffrage Association.
Article II
The officers of this society shall consist of a president, vice president, corresponding and recording secretaries and treasurer, whose duties shall be such as devolve upon such stations, and they shall be elected annually.
Article III
The Secretary, further, shall be requested to report annually upon the general condition of woman and the efforts made for her elevation.
Article IV
Persons shall be appointed at each annual meeting to report upon each of the following subjects: Woman's Labor and Remuneration, Woman's Legal Condition; Woman's Social Position, and Woman's education.
Article V
This society shall meet annually at such time and place as shall hereafter be determined upon.
Article VI
This society does advise the organization of District societies throughout the State.
Article VII
The constitution may be altered or amended at any regular meeting of the society.