Exploring American Histories: Printed Page 598

Document 19.2

Nannie Helen Burroughs | Suffrage for Black Women, 1915

Nannie Helen Burroughs, a founder of the National Association of Colored Women, spoke out for black women’s right to vote at a time when many white women’s suffrage groups excluded African Americans. For Burroughs and other black suffragists, the right to vote was not just a civic duty but essential for eliminating racial discrimination and subservience. In the following excerpt that appeared in the Crisis, the magazine of the NAACP, Burroughs presents the case for suffrage for black women.

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Source: Nannie Helen Burroughs, “Black Women and Reform,” The Crisis, August 1915, 187.

  • Question

    Why does Burroughs claim it is more important for black women than for black men to obtain and exercise the right to vote?

  • Question

    How does Burroughs characterize the role of black women in reform movements?

  • Question

    What does Burroughs mean when she says that the ballot is black women’s “weapon of moral defense”?

Put It in Context

Question

How do Burroughs’s arguments differ from those of white suffragists?