Reforms/Progress

        Many people argued that the American political system needed a "woman's touch," that women had special interests in certain issues and would vote for progressive changes if allowed. The following cartoon contains many messages about the candidates and the interests and powers of women voters.

        What can we learn about the self-image of those advocating suffrage from this cartoon? Is this an unruly crowd? A diverse one? What is your evidence for your conclusions?

        The woman holding the sign in her left hand holds a smaller sign in her right hand reminding the candidates that over 1,000,000 women could already vote in the presidential election of 1912. The text of the larger sign reads, "Over 1,000,000 Votes We Demand---Pure Food---Factory Inspection---Child-Labor Laws---Pure Milk---Abolition of White Slave Traffic---Uniform Laws." Other signs emerging from the crowd carry the words, "Equal Pay" and "Shorter Hours."