Votes for Women
As we progress through the calendar year, it is evident 2020 will be a year for the history books. From the global pandemic heaping impact after impact on our nation, to the upcoming presidential election, this year is sure to be filled with milestones and events historians will continue talking about for years to come. With so much going on it should not be forgotten that 2020 is also the 100th anniversary of the ratification of the 19th Amendment – the groundbreaking legislation providing women with the opportunity to vote.
In Muncie and Delaware County pro-suffrage supporters were very active in the 1910s. Following the encouragement of state suffrage leaders, in July of 1912 the Woman’s Franchise League of Muncie formed. Amongst the first to join the group were several members of the Ball family – including, Bessie Brady Ball, Bertha Crosley Ball, Emma Wood Ball, Sarah Rogers Ball and her daughter Helen, as well as Sarah’s husband, Dr. Lucius L. Ball.
Bertha Crosley Ball, Emma Wood Ball, Bessie Brady Ball, and Sarah Rogers Ball (L to R), Minnetrista Heritage Collection
Throughout the next eight years, the Ball family played a variety of roles in the suffrage organization. At various times Bessie, Bertha, Emma, and Sarah all held positions on the organization’s board of directors. They also hosted suffrage meetings in their homes, provided financial support, and even represented the group at the state level.
Maplewood – home of Emma and William C. Ball, Muncie, Minnetrista Heritage Collection
Most importantly, they were simply involved. They regularly attended meetings and showed their support for the suffrage cause. At the local level, suffrage organizations played an important role in not only agitating for change, but they also played a crucial role in forming support systems for like-minded people.
In Muncie, the Woman’s Franchise League did their fair share of work distributing pro-suffrage literature around town and holding meetings for league members. From time to time they also sponsored larger scale events and initiatives meant to drum up support for women’s voting rights.
McNaughton’s Department Store, Muncie, Minnetrista Heritage Collection
In addition to large gatherings such as picnics in McCulloch Park, in 1915 the group sponsored a suffrage melting pot. Placed in a prominent storefront window of McNaughton’s Department Store, the old brass kettle procured by suffragists collected old coins, jewelry, or other old metal items that could be melted down and turned into hard cash. The money was then donated to the National American Woman Suffrage Organization to support their work.
Columbia Theater, Muncie, Minnetrista Heritage Collection
That same year, the Franchise League brought the film, Your Girl and Mine to town for a single day of screenings. This melodramatic tale depicted the hardships that the film’s heroine faced because she lacked voting rights. While Muncie’s suffragists couldn’t be sure how the community would react to the film, the ticket sales showed that Munsonians were at least interested in finding out more. Scattered across multiple screenings on February 22 at the Columbia Theater, more than more 1,400 people attended the movie.
By the time the 19th Amendment was passed by the United States Congress, Muncie’s suffragists had been working for seven years to encourage lawmakers to grant women the right to vote. When Indiana’s legislature voted in favor of ratifying the measure they celebrated and then quickly shifted their energies to educating the community’s newly enfranchised females. By coming together, Muncie’s activists showed that support from communities around the nation was important in securing the vote for all women.
