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The state of Massachusetts was both an early site for suffrage advocacy and had one of the strongest anti-suffrage organizations in the nation. The National Woman’s Rights Convention met in Worchester, MA in 1850 and the first meeting of the American Equal Rights Association was held in Boston after the Civil War. While Massachusetts women could not vote under the state constitution, they could be elected to school committees starting in 1868 and about a decade later could vote for school committee members. Referendums on allowing women’s suffrage were voted on and defeated in 1895 and 1915. The Massachusetts Association Opposed to the Further Extension of Suffrage to Women (the Women’s Anti-Suffrage Association of Massachusetts) was founded in 1895 and opposed the state’s suffrage movement and referendums. Massachusetts women did not gain the right to vote prior to 1920. The state ratified the 19th Amendment on June 25, 1919.


This bluebird sign was hung in support of the 1915 suffrage referendum (Smithsonian National Museum of American History)

Bird, Beak, Parrot, Feather

Women marching in support of suffrage in Boston, May 2, 1914 (Harvard University)

Motor vehicle, Event, Monochrome photography, Crowd

"Massachusetts and the 19th Amendment." National Park Service. July 17, 2020. Accessed June 28, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/articles/massachusetts-and-the-19th-amendment.htm.

"Massachusetts Woman Suffrage Victory Parade: Instructions for Marchers." Massachusetts Historical Society. Accessed June 28, 2021. https://www.masshist.org/database/1892.

"Timeline of Woman Suffrage in Massachusetts." Primary Research. Accessed June 28, 2021. https://primaryresearch.org/woman-suffrage-in-massachusetts/.

Image Sources(Click to expand)

"Massachusetts and the 19th Amendment." National Park Service. July 17, 2020. Accessed June 28, 2021. https://www.nps.gov/articles/massachusetts-and-the-19th-amendment.htm.

"Massachusetts in the Woman Suffrage Movement." Accessed June 28, 2021. https://www.womansuffragema.com/.