Abraham Lincoln & Woman Suffrage

In this 1912 photograph, Miss Louise Hall and Mrs. Susan Fitzgerald (holding brush at right) hang signs in Cincinnati featuring Lincoln’s 1836 public letter. (Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress)

Abraham Lincoln & Woman Suffrage

by Charles Benfanti and Eden McMillan

In a public letter announcing his candidacy for the Illinois state legislature in 1836, twenty-seven-year-old Abraham Lincoln declared his support for his constituents’ right to vote, saying, “I go for all sharing the privileges of the government, who assist in bearing its burthens. Consequently, I go for admitting all whites to the right of suffrage, who pay taxes or bear arms, (by no means excluding females.)”

Scholars vary in their interpretation of Lincoln’s words regarding women’s suffrage. According to Harry V. Jaffa, this statement put Lincoln “on record as favoring female suffrage.” In like manner, Michael Burlingame argues that Lincoln’s words offered a “proto-feminist endorsement of women’s suffrage” inspired by his general aversion toward “the sexual double standard.” Similarly, Eric Foner maintains that Lincoln’s statement “represented a remarkable departure from the prevailing gendered definition of ‘the people.’” In contrast, Douglas L. Wilson suggests that Lincoln’s comment might not have been “in earnest,” while David Herbert Donald interprets Lincoln’s remarks as a “tongue-in-cheek joke” since most Illinois women did not pay taxes and none could serve in the militia.

Votes For Women, a Seattle magazine, published this poster supplement in 1910 to garner support for woman suffrage. The editors removed the parentheses and changed Lincoln’s word from “females” to “women.” They also interpreted his statement to mean that women “should vote.” (Gilder Lehrman Collection)

While Lincoln’s true intent may never be known, suffragists in the twentieth century used his words to claim him as a supporter of their cause. By invoking Lincoln, they aimed to broaden support for woman suffrage, hoping his association would legitimize their movement and resonate with a wider audience.

On Lincoln’s birthday in 1917, members of the National Woman’s Party displayed banners advocating for women’s suffrage. One banner stated that “Lincoln stood for woman suffrage 60 years ago.” Their banner also shamed the sitting president, Woodrow Wilson, for lagging “behind” Lincoln on this issue. (Prints and Photographs Division, Library of Congress)

Charles Benfanti and Eden McMillan are American Studies majors at Christopher Newport University.

Abraham Lincoln & Woman Suffrage

Abraham Lincoln & Woman Suffrage

by Charles Benfanti and Eden McMillan

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