Zion's Suffragists

Deseret News
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Zion's Suffragists

Women in Utah started voting way back in 1870 as part of a grassroots uprising that was both unique and radical. The story of how Utah women became the first to vote in America begins with polygamy and ends long after the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteed American women the freedom to vote. Host Dianna Douglas narrates a long-forgotten history.

Episodes

  1. It Is Our Duty to Vote, Sisters

    EPISODE 1

    It Is Our Duty to Vote, Sisters

    Utah women gave a collective shrug when they first heard of a movement in New York to let women vote. But when the federal government began to attack polygamy, Utah women knew they needed a voice. Host Dianna Douglas recreates some of the mass meetings across Utah where women demanded a vote and stunned the world. See our website for privacy information.

    23 min
  2. A Woman’s Rights Woman

    EPISODE 2

    A Woman’s Rights Woman

    Utah women were the first in the nation to vote. Their voting rights were under constant threat, however, from people who weren't happy that polygamy persisted in Utah, or who felt that voting was degrading to women. Host Dianna Douglas shares some of their petitions to Congress, articles from Utah’s suffrage newspaper, and their reactions to Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton speaking in the tabernacle. See our website for privacy information.

    20 min
  3. Woman Will Be Restored

    EPISODE 3

    Woman Will Be Restored

    Going into the World’s Fair in Chicago in 1893, Utah women were fighting against the stereotypes of polygamous country bumpkin wives. Coming out of the fair, they were hailed as some of “the brightest exponents of woman’s cause in the United States.” How did the women of Utah flip the script? Host Dianna Douglas walks us through a PR miracle and tells the dramatic story of how they got their voting rights irrevocably written into the constitution of the new state of Utah. See our website for privacy information.

    21 min
  4. She is the Better Man

    EPISODE 4

    She is the Better Man

    A state senate race for the ages: a young doctor named Martha Hughes Cannon runs in a crowded field to join the very first Senate in the state of Utah. She runs against her husband, Angus, against Utah’s preeminent suffragist, Emmeline B. Wells, and against seven other men. When she wins, she is the first woman elected to a state senate in the U.S. Host Dianna Douglas tells us about how Martha Hughes Cannon and the other women who won public office in the early 1900s still influence Utah today.  See our website for privacy information.

    19 min
  5. No Sacrifice is Too Great

    EPISODE 5

    No Sacrifice is Too Great

    Utah women joined forces with a young suffragist named Alice Paul and jumpstarted the drive for suffrage with some spectacular events. A mile-long petition. The biggest parade Washington had ever seen. And, controversially, pickets and protests in front of the White House with signs demanding a constitutional amendment for women’s suffrage. When President Wilson got sick of the protests, the women were arrested and sent to prison. Host Dianna Douglas explains why seeing women arrested and abused in prison turned public opinion in favor of women’s suffrage, and how Utah celebrated when the Nineteenth Amendment finally passed.  See our website for privacy information.

    20 min
  6. Side by side with you

    EPISODE 6

    Side by side with you

    Utah’s original settlers have had a long struggle for equal rights before the law in the United States. Host Dianna Douglas introduces some of the Utah women who led the charge. Zitkála-Šá was an early pioneer for voting rights and civil rights for native peoples, helping European Americans acknowledge the beauty and richness of native peoples’ cultures through essays, speeches and even an original opera. Mae Timbimboo Parry helped Utah confront a dark history of mistreatment of native peoples, all with her disarming mix of humor and kindness. And we meet native women of Utah who are continuing the work today. See our website for privacy information.

    20 min
  7. Trailer

    12/06/2019

    Trailer

    Host Dianna Douglas introduces Zion's Suffragists, a six-episode podcast about how Utah women won the vote in the late 1800s, and pushed the country toward women’s suffrage.  See our website for privacy information.

    3 min

Trailer

4.9
out of 5
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About

Women in Utah started voting way back in 1870 as part of a grassroots uprising that was both unique and radical. The story of how Utah women became the first to vote in America begins with polygamy and ends long after the Nineteenth Amendment guaranteed American women the freedom to vote. Host Dianna Douglas narrates a long-forgotten history.

Information

  • Creator
    Deseret News
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2020
  • Episodes
    7
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2023 Deseret News Publishing Company
  • Show Website
    Zion's Suffragists

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