Stunts and Sensationalism: The Pennsylvania Progressive Era Campaign for Women’s Suffrage

Drawing on biographies of Pennsylvania women active in the National American Woman Suffrage Association, this article explores strategies used by suffragists during the Progressive Era. During Pennsylvania’s 1915 campaign for a state suffrage amendment, supporters participated in several stunts, including suffrage gardens and tour of a replica Liberty Bell. Despite the failure of the amendment to win the vote for women, the experiences of campaigning in 1915 and up to 1919 functioned as a training ground for the first generation of women to fully participate in the political life of Pennsylvania.